Festive Stress Solutions

As we hurtle towards Christmas once again, you may find that the ‘spirit’ of the celebrations have become a bit lost in the hustle and bustle of preparing everything. The festive season which used to be so magical, seems to become more stressful with each passing year as the commercial bandwagon thunders louder and longer through the lead up to Christmas.

There’s no doubt about it, few annual events are as stressful as the weeks leading up to Christmas. So this year, make Christmas especially festive and fragrant by using your essential oils to create a truly seasonal atmosphere in your home whilst at the same time helping to calm, soothe, uplift and revive your frazzled mind and body!

Countdown to Christmas

You know the script – there’s only a few days left before Christmas and you still haven’t bought a single present yet, there is not a drop of booze in the house, the butcher has run out of turkeys and you can’t figure out why the Christmas lights keep coming on when you switch on the toaster . . . will you ever be ready for Christmas Day?

Remember that shopping for gifts and groceries in overcrowded stores can be exhausting and can often send your stress levels soaring, so whatever you do don’t leave it all to the last minute this year. Plan ahead, shop, and make your travel plans in plenty of time and pace yourself out. Take the pressure off yourself by shopping smart.

Cyberspace or car park space?

Buying online can really take the stress out of Xmas shopping, so check to see if you can purchase some of your presents and groceries online this year, and forget about battling for that one remaining car park space. What with the cost of petrol, car parks and the strain on your nerves, it really does make sense to shop online these days.

Of course, the internet can be frustrating at times when searching for the right products, so vaporise some soothing and calming essential oils such as petitgrain, lavender, linaloe wood, roman chamomile or ylang ylang, and once again peace shall reign in cyberspace.

Soothing footbath

If you prefer to do your shopping off-line, then pounding the pavements in search of all those special prezzies usually results in tired, aching feet. So when you get home treat yourself to a soothing and refreshing essential oil footbath to bring blissful relief, plus the bonus of few minutes of peace and quiet to yourself.

Just one drop each of cooling and refreshing peppermint, rosemary and lavender essential oils in a warm footbath will quickly soothe and revive those tired tootsies and have you back on your feet in no time at all. Somehow, a footbath seems to relax, soothe and invigorate all at the same time.

If you came home empty-handed after all morning traipsing round the stores don’t work yourself into a sweat – just crank up your burner! A simple blend of lavender, grapefruit and ginger essential oils in equal proportions quickly dispels a Christmas panic attack, and it smells absolutely gorgeous too. The refreshing nature of grapefruit blended with the stimulating and ‘grounding’ properties of ginger will put you back on track in double-quick time.

Spice it up

Spice oils such as cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg can be used on the lead up to and during the festivities to invoke a fantastic Christmassy atmosphere. These oils blend perfectly with citrus essential oils such as mandarin and sweet orange, so you can experiment away to your hearts content. Try making our Christmas blend recipe in the sidebar below – it’s absolutely perfect just before or during Christmas dinner!

Soak it up

Here’s a simple tip to ease the pressure of preparing that Christmas dinner; – prepare your veggies late on Christmas Eve! This way you will not have to be up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, and you can now use the time you saved to take a nice relaxing aromatherapy bath. Go on, pamper yourself – you’ve earned it!

Run a nice warm bath and add 3 drops of sandalwood and 2 drops of rose oil – and ahhh, absolute heaven! This ultra relaxing blend will ensure that you have at least 15 minutes of pure relaxation before the festivities begin, so be sure to make the very most of it! If you don’t have these oils just substitute them for your own personal favourites, and indulge yourself a little.

Set the mood

Next, begin vaporising your favourite essential oils around the house whilst you continue to make preparations for the Christmas dinner and organise the party festivities or games. Try making our popular Christmas blend recipe in the sidebar – it creates the perfect atmosphere leading up to, during or after Christmas dinner!

There are lots of essential oils you can choose from to create the right atmosphere for all your celebrations, but some popular oils that are blend easily together and are sure to please everyone include bergamot, geranium, lavender, mandarin and ylang ylang.

Frankincense essential oil is perfect for a soothing and calming effect if the children are getting over-excited and chaos is breaking out all around you! On the other hand, if things start flagging after too much Christmas pudding try vaporising grapefruit or lemon essential oils to give everyone a reviving boost. Alternatively of course, you could just let everyone sleep whilst you enjoy a well earned rest!

Remember that hydrosols make great refreshers, so make sure you take one if you go out for the evening. Peppermint, rosemary and orange blossom hydrosols are instantly enlivening and uplifting when your energy levels begin to flag, and when your feet are aching and tired a spray of peppermint or rosemary hydrosol is wonderfully refreshing. On the other hand, rose, lavender and geranium hydrosols can be used help you wind down for bed after a hard nights partying.

One too many!

And then there’s the next morning! Too much Christmas ‘spirit’ is guaranteed to put a dampener on things, so if you went completely over the top the night before try our Hangover Blend described in the side-bar. Once again, an enlivening spray of Peppermint or Rosemary Hydrosol can also be just the thing you need to get you kick-started after a late night session.

Be sure to keep your essential oils and hydrosols close to hand throughout the festivities and you are guaranteed to have a great time whatever you do. Remember – at the first sign of festive fatigue, just reach for those oils and crank up your burner!

Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2011