Just like its abbreviation, Seasonal Affective Disorder is not a pleasant state to be in.

You may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Moderate to severe depression
• Food cravings
• Lack of focus
• Lethargy and chronic fatigue
• Low immunity levels
• Loss of libido
• Weight gain
• Excessive sleepiness
• Mood swings

SAD is usually triggered by a lack of sunlight and physical activity. The fact that the days are colder and shorter does not help either. No wonder then, many of us would rather spend the day tucked in bed or head for a sunshine break.

There is no reason however to let the winter gloom get to you and dampen your spirits. Scientific research has shown that people suffering from seasonal depression are relatively more sensitive to smells and respond well to the aromas of essential oils.

Here are some oils that are highly effective in restoring the mind-body balance and uplifting the mood:

• Bergamot – The fresh, tangy scent has a balancing effect on the mind and calms undesirable emotions like stress, anxiety, sadness, and anger. It also restores confidence, wellness, and energy.
• Orange and Lemon – Citrusy scents are known to energize, rejuvenate and uplift – perfect for reviving your zest during cold winter months.
• Grapefruit – One of the most versatile and feel-good scents, it is well-known for its natural anti-depressive properties.
• Clary Sage – This sweet and earthy scent nourishes the soul and induces a feeling of euphoria, self-confidence, wellness, and inner peace. It also helps to balance the hormones.
• Ylang Ylang – A sensual scent that is relaxing and mildly sedative – especially useful if you have been battling stress and mental fatigue.
• Jasmine – The exotic floral aroma of Jasmine spreads cheer and freshness. Great for depression and disorders of a psychosomatic nature.

Take a whiff to rev up your energy levels. Essential oils for Seasonal Affective Disorder may be used in one of the following ways:

Massage – The recommended essential oil can be blended with a carrier oil or cream and used for massage after showering or at any time. How about massaging your hands and feet?
The fragrance alleviates feelings of depression.

Diffusion– The physical environment is impregnated with the aroma of essential oils for a long-lasting and sustained effect. Use an aromatherapy diffuser: Fill the diffuser with water, add 6-10 drops of essential oil and enjoy.

Baths –Fill your bath with warm water and mix 2 tbs of vegetable oil with 10 drops of essential oil and add it to ½ cup of unscented salt (Epsom salts are a great choice). This can also be adapted to a foot soak.

DōTERRA Certified Pure Tested Grade essentials oils are available to purchase at Enhance Wellness.

Email info@enhancewellness.ie or call 0851148586 for more information.

Neasa

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Along with batch cooking & constant cleaning, here’s what I had been doing in preparation for labour & birth:

?Pelvic floor exercises.. Something all of us women can do throughout our lives to keep our pelvic floor strong and hold our organs in place!

?Reflexology.. I was at a slight advantage, I know! Because of lock down, I had to work on myself throughout my pregnancy, something you can do for yourself too. Reflexology gives countless benefits to you & your baby’s wellbeing! Book yourself in for some treatments if you can, you won’t regret it, or contact me & I’ll happily send you on some reflex points to help alleviate your symptoms!

?Birthing ball.. I was constantly bouncing and moving around on this, from about week 32 onward. It’s to help the baby get into position for birth.

?Raspberry leaf tea.. This apparently helps to tone the uterus – worth a go drinking 2 cups a day from week 34, and it tastes lovely too if you ask me!

?Resting & Napping.. absolutely guilt free!!

(One of the advantages of being off work is napping when ever you feel like!)

?Walking.. I tried to get out for a walk everyday, my energy levels dipped a bit towards the end, so a short walk was plenty for me some days. It’s important to stay fit for labour! When I’d get home from my walk, I’d usually have a nap/rest!

?Hypnobirthing.. I’d been listening to the GentleBirth app a lot, where there are meditations, affirmations & hypnosis to listen to in preparation for labour. I have been listening to it postpartum too! It’s just great for getting you into the best headspace & we all know how important mindset is!

?Stretching.. & a little Yoga and Pilates. I wasn’t very consistent with the latter two, but I listened to my body and took to the mat when I felt like it.

?Bathing.. I love having baths. They help me to relax, wind down & soothe aching muscles. Add Epsom Salts and bubbles… blissful.

?Essential oils.. all depending on how I feel, they’re excellent for emotional support. I always diffuse oils to uplift my mood or to help me to relax & feel grounded. Check out previous posts on what dōTERRA essential oils can help relieve symptoms of pregnancy.

?Perineal massage.. recommended from week 34ish to help reduce your chances of tearing during childbirth.

?Massaging my bump.. I’d been using mainly oils or oil based products on my tummy after my shower each day to help keep the skin supple and ultimately keep stretch marks to a minimum. The baby loves this little massage too, it’s a fab way to connect!

Let me know of any other suggestions/recommendations that you have tried & tested – I’d love to hear about them!!

Don’t forget to share with your pregnant friends!!

info@enhancewellness.ie

Neasa x

The post Pregnancy: Preparation for labour & birth appeared first on Enhance Wellness.

MORNING SICKNESS & NAUSEA:

A drop or two of Peppermint oil in your water or massaged into your tummy area can help to alleviate occasional stomach upset. Sometimes even inhaling it from the bottle is enough to make a difference. Peppermint oil is excellent for relieving headaches – just rub a drop onto your temples, behind your ears or back or your neck to find relief.

Ginger, as we all know, has incredible benefits for your digestive system & especially helps to reduce occasional nausea during pregnancy.

Spearmint has similar benefits to Peppermint, but a milder option, depending on your taste preferences.

ZenGest Oil Blend is a blend of Anise, Peppermint, Ginger, Caraway, Coriander, Tarragon & Fennel seed oils to aid general digestive issues including heartburn & indigestion. This oil is an all rounder for the whole family’s digestive health.

BACK ACHES & LEG CRAMPS:

Firstly, staying hydrated can definitely help the situation – so, lots of fluids, and a little stretch (I personally found yoga to be great)!

DeepBlue Rub is similar to other creams that you may rub into sore muscles, made using dōTERRA’s proprietary blend Deep Blue. It’s a very powerful, soothing & comforting blend of oils that provide intense relief to muscular aches & pains! I’d recommend the DeepBlue Rub – it’s what I’ve been using all along!

Then we have the AromaTouch Blend which is a relaxing & relieving blend of oils to help soothe tired muscles. Get your partner involved as makes for an excellent massage, especially into those cramping calves!

SLEEP:

Good sleep and rest are paramount during pregnancy. In addition to diffusion and aromatic use, these oils can also be applied topically.

Lavender has amazing soothing & calming properties and can help with quietening a busy mind & settle down before bed.

Serenity Blend is a gorgeous blend of grounding & soothing oils that promote a restful night’s sleep. Combine with dōTERRA’s Balance Blend and you have “liquid Xanax”.

Designed to support your respiratory system, dōTERRA’s Air Blend can be a game changer during the night. Helping to open up your airways & relieve congestion, applying this oil to your chest or feet, or diffusing throughout the night can help you get a good undisturbed night’s sleep.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT:

In addition to all of the changes occurring in the body during pregnancy, the changes in a woman’s hormones can cause heightened emotions. To manage mood during pregnancy, consider using oils such as: 

Citrus oils such as Wild Orange, Lemon or Grapefruit are very energising & uplifting to the mood.

DōTERRA’s Balance Blend is a combination of oils that encourage you to feel grounded & centred. (Balance & citrus oils are a great combination in the diffuser.)

Again, Lavender is an absolute staple oil to have on hand. With countless uses, it is well known for its soothing & calming properties – excellent for reducing anxious feelings.

Adaptiv Blend helps you to “adapt to stressful situations”. Uplifting, calming and soothes heightened feelings. Whether you’re feeling fatigued, restless, indecisive or irritable, this beautiful oil is for you.

If you’ve interest in using any of these oils, please get in touch and I can order it for you!

info@enhancewellness.ie

Neasa x

The post Pregnancy: Essential Oils during pregnancy appeared first on Enhance Wellness.

A little bit of stress is good every so often, but the wrong kind of stress can be toxic and it is important that it is released. When you get a bad migraine, it’s obvious that your head is under stress but the dis-ease doesn’t just stop there. Nerves carry signals from your head to other parts of your body and these signals communicate with different organs, muscles and systems that there is something wrong. Immediately they too begin to react, perhaps your neck feels stiff, your feel nauseous, your fingers tingle… nothing in our bodies works in isolation so go ahead and take your prescribed medication to deal with the pain of migraines but don’t for a minute think that’s the end of the story.

It helps to consider the reasons why migraines occur. There are the headaches that are caused by tension, anxiety and anger. Then there are the type that are related to another part of the body – poor digestion/menstrual imbalance/sinus problems… whatever the cause, a whole body response is necessary.

Reflexology is a great tool for managing migraines as it emphasises the whole person, recognises that pain is the body’s way of signalling that it needs help and flushes out all those toxins and stressors that need to be released to allow you to have better health.
I always encourage clients to think about where they are at in their lives – what’s going on with them. The head is symbolic of our emotional and spiritual side. Think of headaches that arise at times of great stress and emotional turmoil. During these times, our body is sending a signal, an ache that we can’t ignore. It is hoping that we will register that we are not emotionally equipped to deal with a certain situation. It wants us to seek help or make changes before stress sets in and we descend into a deeper level of ill health. Our body works constantly to allow us to function at peak health and when it comes up against a problem it will signal for help – we shouldn’t ignore these signals.

If you decide to come to me for help with migraines then please know that there is no magic button on your foot that I can press to make them instantly disappear. We will work together and it will be a bit of a journey. I have had really positive results with clients. One client in particular no longer has to look to pain killers for relief, her migraines have shortened from four days to just a few hours and they reoccur a lot less frequently. She was tired of taking medication and covering over the symptoms, so she came to me for help to address the cause.

Through Reflexology I can relax your body – only a relaxed body can truly heal, and as you heal the symptoms and impact of the migraines will be reduced. But you will have to work with me because Reflexology will make you more aware of what might be causing your migraines – your feet will have a story to tell and it’s up to you to listen and act on their wisdom.

You can find my IGTV video over on my Instagram, on how you can work the reflex points on your hands to help relieve migraines and headaches. For more information, contact me by email!

Neasa x

E: info@enhancewellness.ie

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Covid-19 is what’s on everybody’s mind as we face into the winter, but as the weather turns colder and more damp, the usual cold and flu viruses are also doing the rounds – thriving on the fact that colder conditions dampen our immune response.

To help keep ourselves healthy & strong, and to keep beds available in our hospitals for those who really need them, we should be looking at ways to help ourselves keep our immune systems in efficient working order! As well as eating a healthy and varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, drinking lots of fluids and getting sufficient sleep and exercise outside – we can also help ourselves by doing reflexology on ourselves now that we can’t go out to enjoy a treatment!

Reflexology has been found to be very effective when dealing with seasonal illnesses, and colds and flu are no exception. The main symptoms – headaches, congested or tight chest, blocked sinuses, runny noses, sore throat, low energy levels, muscle aches, feeling hot and cold and having swollen glands in the neck – can all be helped.

The lymphatic system is a network of channels and glands that helps defend against infections and fight these by carrying immune cells throughout your body and remove excess fluid. It works directly with your cardiovascular system to keep blood and lymphatic fluid levels in balance and flush toxins out of the body. When your lymphatic circulation slows it can cause fluids that normally carry waste away from the cells to become trapped and stagnant. The toxins start accumulating and immune cells are not being delivered to the areas of the body where they’re needed therefore compromising your body’s ability to fight infections and diseases. Your immune system is weakened. That’s why it’s important to stimulate the organs involved in your immune system in order to keep your lymphatic circulation going.

Reflexology could:

• stimulate our immune system and boost our immune response so we can fight off these seasonal germs.  This will, in turn, help the swollen glands to reduce, as the infection is fought off.

• balance and stimulate our respiratory systems (throat, tonsils, lungs, chest area) to get rid of excess mucus. In my experience, it encourages clients to cough a lot, which has been just as effective as taking an expensive expectorant and my lungs feel more open.

• boost our feel-good hormones (such as endorphins, melatonin and serotonin) which act as natural pain-blockers, so those sore throats, muscle aches and headaches will feel much better. In addition, melatonin encourages sleep and it is a strong antioxidant and ant-inflammatory, so this will also help those swollen glands, sore sinuses and headaches.

• stimulate the facial sinuses to clear themselves of mucus, so your breathing will become easier.

• encourage relaxation which will help you to get a good night’s sleep. This is essential for healing. Reflexology also increases energy, so you won’t feel quite so lethargic and run down.

So Reflexology can tackle all the main symptoms of a cold or flu virus, meaning that you’ll feel better faster and have the energy to carry on with life. Better than that, it tackles the reasons behind the symptoms so that you’ll actually heal faster from the inside out.

It is a very gentle and nurturing treatment so if you’re feeling grim, just being pampered could help – you’ll leave feeling relaxed and supported, hopefully breathing more easily, in less pain and with maybe with higher energy levels. Why not give Reflexology a try the next time you have a cold and find out if it could help you recover quicker without the need for painkillers and expectorants. (Once all of these restrictions are lifted)!

Here are a few points for you to work on yourself: (work these points for a few minutes, numerous times throughout the day, consistency is key!)

Have your partner or a family member work on your feet when you’ve a chance to relax and put the feet up, maybe while watching tv or reading. Have them focus on these specific points and using firm pressure. Working on your hands is a fantastic alternative, if you can’t reach your feet and it’s a lot more accessible during the day or whenever you think of it!

I hope you feel some benefit from using these tips, if you’ve any questions or would like reflex points for other issues, please feel free to get in contact! Take care & stay safe.

Neasa x

E: info@enhancewellness.ie

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