Today is Parent Mental Health Day, so we considered essential oils for mental health. We contemplate factors your family may be facing and ways you can use essential oils for mental health to balance these. Together we'll create cost-effective essential oils and blends to reduce stress, decrease anxiety, and even a blend to calm noisy households.
We show you many simple and effective ways to foster deeper connections within the family. Create resilience within yourself, your family, and your community, and express gratitude mindfully to bring positivity to your home.
No One Prepares You For The Reality
Being a parent is the only job you will ever have with no formal training. You can read all the books about it, but they cannot truly prepare you for the reality of being a parent.
Whether you have a newborn, a toddler, a child starting school, a burgeoning teen, or an 'adult' teen, all stages bring new challenges to deal with and to learn to navigate. Every stage brings some new challenge or another.
I was recently watching a vlog from a lady with 8 children ranging from a newborn up to 16, and she said her current challenge was transitioning between those different age groups. Navigating how to parent their differing needs was proving challenging.
We live in a time of divergence from the nuclear 2.4 children. Families look very different from how they did 100 years ago, even 50 years ago. No matter how it is made up, all families face unique challenges.
Impacting Factors on Well-being
Mental well-being can be affected by so many things. We'll look at a few of the most prevalent factors in this article, but these are by no means exhaustive, and they will be different for every family and the people within them.
Social
Human interactions cause more stress than any other factor (except money).
If you have a partner, how well are you getting on with them? Conflict and stress in this meaningful relationship can significantly contribute to poor mental well-being.
Fostering relationships with other families, similar or otherwise, can offer mutual understanding and support.
What are your other connections with your friends and like? How many do you have and a healthy balance of people who can offer you different things? Do you have close friends and family? Have you built a support network of work colleagues, or do you isolate yourself and come home?
Do you feel you belong in your local community or feel like an outsider?
Remember, while interactions are all about building a support network, a network requires you to participate as a supporter. Are you pulling your weight? It's incredible how much of a boost doing something nice for someone can give you.
Finances
You don't need me to tell you how much finances affect our well-being. (Compare how you feel on the last day of the month as compared to payday!) Struggling to make ends meet can be one of the most stressful things we can face in our daily life and can have terrible effects on our relationships. People tend to argue about money more than anything else, and there can't be anything that makes you feel more inadequate than not being able to give your child everything you want. Having no money is a profoundly depressing experience and can make you feel like an utter failure. That, of course, is a lens, nothing more. Money affects our sense of reality.
Digital
In today's digital age, devices are intrinsic to life, but it's scary thinking about all the things your kids may be exposed to. What are they looking at? Whom are they talking to? What are they learning from others?
For many parents, it is an anxiety minefield.
It is not just our kids either.
In the last three weeks, my inbox has gotten even fuller with scam emails, and that's not even thinking about people trying to scam me for money on social media. The days of opening an email and assuming it is genuine are over, and that's another layer of stress.
Stay on top of parental controls and anti-virus software and drill online safety into your kids until their ears bleed. (Not literally!) You'll feel safer, and your anxiety levels may drop considerably.
Environmental
Our environment can play a significant role in how well we feel. That can apply to the area we live in or our housing quality. Living in a space that requires much work or is affected by poor heating or ventilation can impact our day-to-day living.
Living in an area where you don't feel safe or where your kids can play out safely can have a very stressful effect.
Noisy areas, high pollution levels, or exposure to power lines and pylons can also negatively affect well-being.
Time
Ugh, this is the big one. Who couldn't do it with more hours in the day?
Sadly, we can't magic time out of thin air, especially since everyone seems to need to work more to make ends meet. It leaves precious time to spend together as a family. This can negatively affect the well-being of the whole family unit.
The Impact of the Pandemic
As if things were not challenging enough, and then, of course, along came the pandemic, and it made life even harder.
Awareness Days state that:
"Since the spring of 2020, nearly half of parents (48%) said the level of stress in their life has increased compared with before the pandemic. Similarly, (31%) adults report that their mental health has worsened compared with before the pandemic. (75%) of people polled that they could have used more emotional support than they received since the pandemic started, with 82% of fathers stating they were significantly more likely to say they could have used more emotional support than mothers at 68%".
Lockdowns forced challenging situations that many of us are still feeling the effects of three years later. Offices closed, causing us to work from home. Schools closed, confining kids and isolating them from their friends. Suddenly, parents were thrust into working full-time while homeschooling the children and trying to keep up with the never-ending housework.
Overnight, the boundaries that kept work and home were swept away. The lack of alone/quiet time and privacy became a massive issue for many parents. No wonder, then, that so many people were forced to reassess their work-life balance. Many made radical changes, but many of society still face challenging circumstances. Many are still experiencing what could be termed a traumatic response to the pandemic, much like someone might have PTSD. These are valid feelings that can be helped with medical interventions and support. If this does resonate with you, please don't be tempted to discount it and seek consent from a medical professional.
If anything good did come from the pandemic, it brought mental well-being into focus. It has become a mainstream conversation, and it is much easier to admit, "I'm not ok."
There is a danger that now life has begun to return to 'normal,' that the focus will fade, and it will become more challenging for parents to seek emotional and mental support again. We must maintain momentum and encourage our family and friends to speak freely about their feelings.
Cost of Living Crisis
Right on the heels of the pandemic, we now have the cost of the living crisis created by several factors, like the price of oil and the war in Ukraine. This directly affects wheat and Sunflower oil prices, which in turn have pushed up the costs of animal feed and food.
Energy prices have escalated enormously, and people are struggling to heat their homes. Many families in the UK have to make the stark choice between either heating or eating. According to End Fuel Poverty Coalition, there were estimated to be 7 million households across the UK in fuel poverty from 1 October 2022. This will rise to 8.6 million from 1 April 2023 as the current support package for households runs out, and the Energy Price Guarantee changes. That is more than 10% of the population of England.
Avian Flu in Europe and across the USA is also impacting the price of poultry and eggs.
We are facing rising costs in filling our cars with fuel, filling the shopping cart with the weekly shop, and heating our homes.
Those counting every penny BEFORE this crisis is now in a challenging and dire situation and are increasing parent and carer anxiety. In some cases, this is accompanied by a feeling of hopelessness.
Now more than ever, we need more emotional support and to focus on improving our mental well-being.
Prioritizing Your Mental Wellness
Being a parent can be intensely challenging at times and very stressful. Finding time to prioritize your well-being and mental wellness can be problematic in the chaos of a busy day.
Yet, your mental and physical wellness directly affects your children. Kids are not daft. They sense when their parents are unhappy or stressed.
I have been teaching Holistic Well-being for many years now, and the connection between our spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being directly affects our physical well-being. That, in turn, can affect our relationships with those around us.
One of the first things I teach in a course is the importance of the mind, body, and spirit concept and how maintaining this balance is fundamental to positive wellness.
Imbalances in any of these can lead to poor mental well-being and can manifest physically too in our bodies.
This is where essential oils can be beneficial to us in maintaining this mind, body, and spirit balance and bring us back to equilibrium.
Defining Emotions and Instilling Positive Actions
Given that essential oils can be a tool in maintaining the mind, body, and spirit balance. It got me thinking, "How do I make it easy for my readers to choose the right essential oil for their feelings or instill positive emotions and actions"?
It was Liz who recommended I grab the aromatherapy cards she kindly gifted to me for the answers.
I found everything I wanted in the Tongue of The Trees - Aromatherapy Oracle Cards by Elizabeth Ashley and Gergely Hollódi. Each card has a keyword associated with the essential oil on its face. This was just the perfect plan; thanks, Liz!
I will write a little later about resilience and what I initially sought as an essential oil to instill this feeling within us. Flicking through the cards, I found my answer: Sweet Fennel - (Foeniculum vulgare). It supports us when we need to find grit, dig deep, and for the final push to the finish line. It also helps us to get back up when we have been knocked out for six and start again.
Therefore, I have laid out just a handful of essential oils that you can choose based on the feeling, quality, or action you want to instill within you. It is a new way for some of you to look at using essential oils, so enjoy experimenting and let us know your results.
Each keyword will link to a corresponding video for that particular essential oil, giving you much more information and guidance on using that specific essential oil.
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Choosing Essential Oils to Instill Positive Emotions and Actions Using the Tongue of The Trees - Aromatherapy Oracle Cards by Elizabeth Ashley and Gergely Hollódi |
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| Keyword and video link | Essential Oil | Latin Name | Use When |
| Resilience | Sweet Fennel | Foeniculum vulgare | For the last push or when you have been knocked down and need to get up again. |
| Determination | Peppermint | Mentha piperita | Focus on the goal ahead |
| Equilibrium | Rose Geranium | Pelargonium graveolens | Let things go and find balance |
| Grounding | Vetiver | Vetiveria zizanoides | To bring yourself back to Earth to find strength and peace |
| Adjustment | Palmarosa | Cymbopogon martinii var Motia | Encourages you to let go of the comfort and embrace the change ahead. |
| Support | Lavender | Lavandula angustifolia | The release of emotion and for the sense of being supported and held. |
| Positivity | Orange | Citrus sinensis L | For positive energy to come rushing in and encourage you forward. |
If you are new to using essential oils to instill feelings, I hope you will give it a go and find new ways of creating positive mental wellness and well-being for you and your family.
You can find further information on using essential oils for determination in one of our recent blog articles.
Essential Oil Blends for Parent Mental Health Day
We all have days of being so stressed that we end up tired and snappy, needing quick fixes. These essential oil blends could be your quick fixes.
To link in with the idea of using essential oils to instill feelings, I will include the related keyword either from the Tongue of Trees Aromatherapy Cards or an associated keyword that I have discovered after years of practice with that particular essential oil. I will mark these with an asterisk*.
First of all, let's look at creating straightforward, easy bases to which you can add your essential oil blends.
Links to Recipes Bases
Here are three super quick and easy links to recipe bases to choose from. Choose the method that best suits you and your family. Just add one of the following essential oil blends instead of one of the stimulating blends listed in the original post.
- Room Diffuser - Use a Room Diffuser to fill the room with essential oils, fragrances, and properties.- read this article on Diffuser Blends.
- Room Spray - Using essential oil to pervade the room to bring calm and relaxation- read this article on How to Make Essential Oil Room Spray.
- Bath Oil - Using bath oil to bring calm and tranquility at the end of a long day - read this article, How to Make Bath Oil With Essential Oils.
If you fancy something different, look at the VINEVIDA blog; you will find plenty of inspiration and recipes that you can utilize.
Essential Oil Blends
Mind, Body, Spirit Balance Essential Oil Blend
Creating, attaining, and maintaining a balance between mind, body, and spirit is vital to positive wellness. Here, I have chosen one essential oil for each supernatural element to help work on bringing all of these into better balance and achieve improved cohesion. Great in a diffuser and excellent as a bath oil.
| Mind, Body, Spirit Balance Essential Oil Blend | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mind | Body | Spirit |
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20 drops of Clary Sage Essential Oil (Salvia sclarea) |
20 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin) |
10 drops of Palo Santo Essential Oil (Bursera graveolens) |
| Keywords | ||
| Clairvoyance | Harmony | Uplifting and elevating* |
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How to use: Room Diffuser - Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your diffuser. Some add the essential oil directly; others must be diluted in a carrier oil first. Not for topical use. Room Spray - Add 50 drops to 100 ml of room spray base, as in the linked recipe. Not for topical use. Bath Oil - Add 50 drops of this essential oil to one cup of carrier oil. |
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Safety: Not suitable for topical use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Palo Santo essential oil (Bursera graveolens) contains 63.3 % limonene and 4.1 linalool; we recommend that an antioxidant be added if it is not used immediately. Refer to our safety sheet for more information. |
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Relax and Destress Me Essential Oil Blend
An essential oil blend for those moments you might need to stop but can't. Yet, you still need to relax and dump some of that stress. Try this for those moments. It is perfect as a room spray to carry on the go.
| Relax and Destress Me Essential Oil Blend | ||
|---|---|---|
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30 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula angustifolia) |
15 drops of German Chamomile Essential Oil (Matricaria chamomilla L.) |
5 drops of Turmeric Essential Oil (Curcuma longa Linn) |
| Keywords | ||
| Support | Soothe | Relief |
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How to use: Room Diffuser - Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your diffuser. Some add the essential oil directly; others must be diluted in a carrier oil first. Not for topical use. Room Spray - Add 50 drops to 100 ml of room spray base, as in the linked recipe. Not for topical use. Bath Oil- Add 50 drops of this essential oil to one cup of carrier oil. |
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Safety: Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Turmeric essential oil can interact with drugs that slow blood clotting. Stop using turmeric essential oil at least two weeks before any scheduled surgery. |
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Decrease My Anxiety Essential Oil Blend
Another essential oil blend that can help to bring a sense of calm and serenity to proceedings. Anxiety is no fun, and being able to reduce the physical feelings of anxiety and calm the emotions can only be a welcome addition to any home.
| Decrease My Anxiety Essential Oil Blend | ||
|---|---|---|
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10 drops of Basil Essential Oil (Ocimum basilicum) |
30 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil (Cymbopogon martinii var Motia) |
10 drops of Vetiver Essential Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides) |
| Keywords | ||
| Reassuring* | Adjustment | Grounding |
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Room Diffuser - Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your diffuser. Some add the essential oil directly; others must be diluted in a carrier oil first. Not for topical use. Room Spray - Add 50 drops to 100 ml of room spray base, as in the linked recipe. Not for topical use. Bath Oil - We do not recommend using this as a bath oil due to the Basil essential oil. See safety notes below. |
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Safety: Do not use it in any stage of pregnancy. Basil essential oil can be a moderate skin irritant. Therefore, we do not recommend adding this to a bath. |
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Calm The House Essential Oil Blend
This is the perfect blend for when the kids run riot, and things feel fraught in the house. Bring peace, calm, and tranquility back to your space. It is equally good at work as it is at home for those stressed days.
| Calm The House Essential Oil Blend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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5 drops of Myrtle Essential Oil (Myrtus communis) |
5 drops of German Chamomile Essential Oil (Matricaria chamomilla L.) |
5 drops of Vetiver Essential Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides) |
15 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum) |
20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula angustifolia) |
| Keywords | ||||
| Tranquility | Soothe | Grounding | Equilibrium | Support |
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Room Diffuser - Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your diffuser. Some add the essential oil directly; others must be diluted in a carrier oil first. Not for topical use. Room Spray - Add 50 drops to 100 ml of room spray base, as in the linked recipe. Not for topical use. Bath Oil - Add 50 drops of this essential oil to one cup of carrier oil. |
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Safety: Not for use in any stage of pregnancy. Myrtle: Do not use myrtle essential oil alongside Diabetes medication. |
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I Want Something Nice For Myself Essential Oil Blend
Perfect for those days when you've worked your fingers to the bone, probably for little or no thanks, and you want to feel valued. This is the one you save for yourself, a treat, a splurge, and a decadence. But also super affordable in a cost-of-living crisis.
| I Just Want Something Nice For Myself Essential Oil Blend | ||
|---|---|---|
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25 drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium asperum var roseum) |
20 drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis L) |
5 drops of Cardamom Essential Oil (Elettaria cardamomum) |
| Keywords | ||
| Equilibrium | Positivity | Contentment |
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Room Diffuser - Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your diffuser. Some add the essential oil directly; others must be diluted in a carrier oil first. Not for topical use. Room Spray - Add 50 drops to 100 ml of room spray base, as in the linked recipe. Not for topical use. Bath Oil - Add the 50 drops of this essential oil to one cup of carrier oil. |
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Safety: Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Orange: Use fresh Orange essential oil, as old essential oil could lead to oxidation and subsequent skin sensitivity. |
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I hope you have discovered a new way of formulating exciting essential oil blends, informed by the feelings and actions that they could instill. Remember, you can find videos of many more essential oils and discover the associated keywords by clicking this link to the Tongue Of The Trees - Aromatherapy Card Videos.
I had much fun working through the cards and designing a blend for Parent Mental Health Day. Watch this space for the results and please leave comments and let us know how you get on with them.
What Else Can I Do To Improve My Mental Well-being?
Develop Resilience
One of the best things we can do to improve our mental well-being is to improve our resilience. Resilience can be complex, but it is about how we adapt to the adverse challenges we positively face in life.
It is about how we can adapt to the hardship of adverse challenges and how we put things in place to counterbalance that. Some would call it how we 'bounce back.'
For example: If a tornado rips your roof off. A resilient person would be more likely to be on the phone with a roofer, followed by clambering up on the top with a tarp as a temporary solution, rather than crying on the stoop and waiting for help to come.
However, resilience is not just confined to an individual. It applies to families, relationships, and schools or communities.
Stem4 states that this is how resilience can look in the following:
"In individuals, being resilient might include:
- Developing a range of different ways of thinking, which include having a positive, 'give things a go' attitude and be prepared to change the direction of thinking if needed, rather than being stuck on one way
- The ability to identify, regulate and express emotions
- The ability to learn from failure and other setbacks
- `Grit' (Duckworth, 2007) describes 'perseverance and passion for long-term goals.'
Some family resilience factors include:
- A focus on providing stability and safety
- The provision of positive attachments
- Positive regard and recognition
- Adapting to shared loss or adversity
Some community resilience factors include:
- A strong sense of connection through acceptance and unity
- A focus on safety."
Consider this: 'In what ways am I already resilient'?
Here are Some Recommendations For Essential Oils that Promote Mental Resilience:
- Vetiver Essential Oil - good for the long haul and grounding in reality to offer strength
- Frankincense Essential Oil - Great for when we have missed sleep as it repays sleep deficit.
- Lemongrass Essential Oil - This is complex because it encourages you to climb emotional barriers. Recognizing the border but asking you, "What if"? Anyway - promoting the urge to continue regardless. This can often be what you need to get back up and try again.
- Fennel Essential Oil - is like the 25th mile of a marathon; just when you think you can't go any further, it pushes that last step out of you. Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, "The name "Marathon" comes from the herb fennel, called Marathon or marathos in Ancient Greek, so Marathon means "a place full of fennel." The perfect essential oil for when life feels like you are flagging at the end of the Marathon.
Finding, Attaining, and Maintaining Balance
Finding balance or equilibrium in your life can immeasurably reduce your worry, anxiety, and stress levels. Reassessing your life balance is critical here. Where do you feel you want or need more in your life? More time? More connection? More love even?
However, it is one thing to define it and go on to create and attain it, but it is just as essential to maintaining it.
One of the most valuable strategies I taught holistic well-being was "How to Say No." Many of us are overwhelmed because we either do not like or don't know how to say "No"! Learning to say 'no 'is key to finding that life balance.
I found a great article that covers the basics and can change your life. Check out How to say no to others (and why you shouldn't feel guilty).
Think about where there are imbalances in your life and what you can reasonably do to change them—prioritizing those most important to you and starting there. Even the most minor changes can make a big difference.
Here are a few examples:
- Coming home from work and having to cook from scratch every night: You could agree that once or twice a week, you have more convenient food, be it a takeaway, a ready meal, or a more straightforward dish like beans on toast. You could also work together at the weekend as a family to batch-cook meals for the week. Dinners then need to be heated through. Saving time and energy.
- Working full time and doing all the housework: If you have children, get them involved, create rotas with rewards, and they don't have to be financial. It could be scoring different games, screen time, or even a sweet treat. Jess at Three Rivers Homestead is a homeschooling mom of eight, and even the youngest kids are involved in the day-to-day running of the homestead (without reward incentive, I suggest that). Please look at her informative video about kids and chores for some great ideas.
- Needing more time with your partner: Our working lives can be complete, and then we come home, and the kids' needs can fill the rest of the day. Very often, it can be the case that by the time the kids are in bed, especially if you have older teens about the house, you are too tired to spend time or do anything together. This is where you do need to make an effort to define and set aside time. Also, put boundaries out with the kids that they don't get to eat into that time and must follow the rules.
The balance for each family and its members will be different, so it is worth sitting down as a family to discuss what is most important for everyone and what needs to be prioritized, and for whom.
Involving all the family, even the little ones, engenders trust and respect. People feel heard and valued, strengthening the family's sense of connection.
Consider this: 'In what ways have I already created balance? What is working well already?
Here are Some Recommendations for Essential Oils that Promote Mental Balance and Equilibrium:
- Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil is one that I always associate with balance. I use it to balance both my blood pressure and my hormone levels. However, it can do the same for my mood, lifting me out of the dark and into the light, elevating and balancing my mood with more positivity.
- Rose Geranium Essential Oil is associated with the keyword equilibrium; it encourages you to let go of negative emotions and allows positivity and balance to flood. But first, you DO have to let go.
- Patchouli Essential Oil brings about harmony; it encourages you to re-center yourself and ground yourself. You can make more informed decisions about what is best for you in this space.
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil promotes authenticity, allowing you to release fear and speak from the truth of your heart. Suitable for those family meetings when you need to talk about what you truly need.
Share Your Experiences With Other Parents
When you share your experiences as a parent, I can guarantee that hearing and learning from your experience will help someone else.
Parents need to hear shared experiences about how other parents navigate issues like stress, worry, and anxiety and how others are finding ways to be resilient when faced with challenges like the baby blues, toddler tantrums, fussy eaters, and wayward teens.
Use your experiences to help others, from a simple conversation at the school gate to writing or blogging about your own experiences.
Talk about how you navigated poor mental well-being, and others CAN use strategies that helped you return to positive wellness and well-being. Never underestimate the power of your experience and shared story.
Often it is enough for people to know they are not alone in their feelings, challenges, and experiences.
Consider this: What past stories or experiences have I shared that was helpful to another parent? What have I heard from others that I found helpful?
Reduce Stigma
Often conversations about poor mental well-being are left unsaid because of the stigma associated with poor mental well-being or what is seen as mental 'illness.'
We need to have these conversations and challenge the stigma. More than ever, people need support to feel more positive and have a more favorable balance.
One in five Americans is living with diagnosed mental illness and many more with what could be considered as periods of poor mental well-being.
We need to redefine the whole term' mental illness' because it runs the gamut from chemical imbalances like schizophrenia right through to mild anxiety.
We need to recognize the difference between the chemical-induced mental 'illness' categories and the challenging emotions and anxieties we face because of life's daily challenges.
Those challenged with anxiety or stress because of daily challenges should be redefined and avoid using the term mental illness. Just experiencing mild stress can affect our well-being negatively.
Don't be afraid to share your experiences and stories; you are working to reduce the associated stigma every time you share.
More importantly, share your tips for resilience with other parents who are struggling; it might just be the pot of gold they have been searching for.
Consider this: 'What are my thoughts on the stigma associated with poor mental well-being? Where might that have come from? What beliefs am I tapping into here? Are they wholly my own beliefs, or have they come from elsewhere?
Gratitude
I have left one of the most important things you can do for your mental wellness until last. You are expressing gratitude. Finding the things we are grateful for and recognizing their value is fundamental.
If you have never really thought about gratitude, one of the simplest ways to start is to think of five things each day that you are grateful for. They don't have to be fancy or convoluted; they can be as simple as my examples:
- I am grateful for my sight and the ability to see today's sunshine.
- I am grateful for my Wi-Fi access as it enables me to work.
- I am grateful for the food in my fridge.
- I am grateful for the glass in my windows on this cold day.
- I am grateful for the smile from my good friend this morning.
Get a little notebook and jot them down, as it does stop this from becoming too repetitive. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Recognizing the things we are grateful for automatically shifts us into a positive mindset; it focuses us in the present and on what is good in our lives. If you only try one thing from this article, please do try this.
It is a perfect exercise for the whole family, before or after dinner. Just name one thing they are grateful for. It could be chips, video games, or a phone. There is no right or wrong here, but it can open up new conversations and revelations about your kids and what is important to them.
Consider this: What am I grateful for this week?
Ways to Bring the Family Together to Promote Positive Mental Well-being and Wellness
It pays to focus here on the easy wins. Things that are quick, simple, and cost-effective don't take much organizing.
Declutter and Share The Benefit
As a whole family, you could spend time sorting out items to give to charity. Also, focus the kids' minds on how this benefits others, especially those who may be less fortunate than themselves.
Some of them might be better sold on when you are sorting through items. Why not get your older kids to flex their IT muscles and help your younger kids to sell clothes, toys, and books online? It can be a good way for your more youthful kids to make money. It also encourages them to look after things better if they can consider that they might be able to sell it later.
Also, teach the kids how to mend broken items and instill the reduce, reuse, and recycle principles to promote sustainability in the home. Also, get them into the idea that only some things need to be new.
Device Free Fun
Have an old-style games night - with no devices or distractions allowed. You could pick up old games cheaply from thrift stores and garage sales.
You can do the same with movie night, pick a movie that everyone agrees on beforehand, buy popcorn, and enjoy it as a family. Talk after the film about what people liked about the movie, and other questions like - who was the best actor, what made them laugh. It promotes conversation and allows everyone to express a view.
Learn Something New
Why not learn something new? Choose a subject that appeals to everyone and dedicate that time as a family to spend together learning once a week. You could learn a new language, music, or musical instruments, plant a garden, or even cook.
If you have little kids, you may need to choose something that takes less time, but don't discount the little ones; they learn all the time anyway. They might teach you a thing or two!
Cook Together
Get everyone in the kitchen to contribute something to a meal; for some, the thought of that chaos might be a nightmare, but give it a go. You might change your mind when you see what fun the kids have and how much laughter you share.
The trick is to choose simple meals that are quick and easy to prepare. As you get used to doing it more regularly, you could select more complex meals, and older kids could choose the following recipes.
Then, all sit down to eat the meal you have all contributed together - no devices allowed at the table, of course. Instead, get everyone to comment on the feed; could it be improved? What might you do next time? Or is it a family favorite and perfect as it is? This gives the whole family a voice, which makes people feel valued and connected. It also teaches constructive criticism and encourages mindful reflection.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK)
My son used to LOVE this when he was little. We would plan a RAK for a friend or a neighbor; sometimes, we might see their reaction, and other times we wouldn't.
I remember one day, we left a beautiful potted plant on the stoop of a house opposite. Sadly, the lady had recently lost a family member. We left a note with it to say we wished her happiness and joy and drew an angel on it. Even from the opposite side of the road, we could see her wipe away a tear or two. I never forgot the smile that followed those tears, a smile that someone had thought about her.
It can bring a feel-good factor to your day. It also promotes kindness to your children and to think outside of themselves. Kids find this so much fun and love coming up with different ideas. My lads' ideas used to involve many cookies.
Compliments
It sounds simple, but he accepts compliments with grace and gratitude. I was the worst, and I used to be, "Oh, this old thing"? Now, I get them with dignity and a thank you.
Many of us can feel embarrassed when we are given a compliment, and that is why we deflect it with humor. Assess why they make you feel uncomfortable; where does that come from?
Giving compliments can be the highlight of someone's day. How often are you complimenting your kids or telling them how proud you are of them? Step it up and make it part of your daily routine.
When teaching, I would encourage students to record their compliments, and we would make a simple paper compliments book. It allows you to flick back through it on a down day and lift your spirits with all the beautiful things people have said to you. It is a powerful tool in its own right.
The Final Word
I hope you have learned much more than just how to use essential oils to support you in Parent Mental Health and beyond.
Recognizing the different pressures your family faces, environmental, social, financial, or simply time constraints, will help you define where balance is needed to bring about equilibrium.
Small Changes
There are many simple and easy strategies, with or without the support of essential oils, that you can employ to promote your positive well-being and that of your family actively.
Please introduce some of these ideas and changes into your daily, weekly, and monthly routines and see significant differences from these small changes.
Changes do not have to be huge to have a positive impact. Small steps and changes can yield very effective results. What small changes could you make in your routine?
Deeper connections
Bringing the whole family together, whether it is to declutter, watch a movie, or plan a random act of kindness, will foster a more profound connection within the family unit. Encouraging your children to be kind and to compliment others helps them see the good in people and the world around them.
Gratitude is the one practice that I highly recommend for bringing yourself mindfully into the present and positive thinking. If you struggle to do this, try using Palo Santo in a diffuser and have another go. It will come in time.
Reduce the Stigma and Encourage Open Conversation
Remember that sharing your own experiences with others will help you and them.
Talking about mental health openly helps reduce the stigma and encourages others to speak out or ask for help.
Enjoy the process of how to use essential oils to support you on Parent Mental Health Day and beyond, and remember to share your ideas and experiences with other readers and us.
Using Essential Oils
Utilizing the appropriate essential oils to support these changes, processes, and mental well-being will benefit you all.
Which essential oils for mental health will you choose to assist you in this process? What emotions or actions are you looking to instill?
Using the essential oils blends suggested, you can help to reduce stress, relieve or decrease anxiety, and bring calm to a fractious household. Maybe, you want something nice for yourself, a cost-effective treatment just for you. Make thinking about essential oils for mental health a priority in your household today.
