The Essence of the Blues: Using Essential Oils for the Spring Blah's

We have an expression in the Pacific NW that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change. That reality is usually only characteristic of the fall, winter and spring. During the summer, the Pacific NW is the most beautiful place on earth. This year, our winter was undeniably the worst/best on the books. We actually had snow in Seattle numerous times in addition to multiple days of road closures due to the heavy snow during the pre-holiday timeframe. We Seattleites are wiped out from trying to navigate the snow-plow conditions in this usually mild city. And, we haven't seen sun in a while.

So, when Spring (the season that zippers together our Winter blues with our Summer Bliss) arrived recently, we were so happy to see the beautiful sun, we wanted to cry, and kayak, and bike, and have BBQ's on the beach all at once!

Then, the clouds zippered back in as they always do in Spring. But, this year, with economic depression and poor weather layered on top of one another, we wanted to cry for a different reason: frustration. We want nice weather back, we want our jobs back and we want our depression/sluggishness to go away.

What's my point, you ask? Only people from Seattle appreciate the sun as much as we do. And, only after the economy takes a nose dive do we appreciate our income so much (the national savings rate has increased dramatically since the recession). The contrast of sun and dark, of struggle and impetuousness is the interplay in life that we need in order to grow and progress as a full human being.

Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it. - Hazlitt

In the meantime, we need to get through this bump in the road and weather the storm without physical repercussions. There are a number of essential oils to support you, but first you have to ask yourself what the cause of your frustration is and what it looks like. Read below for a list of different types of oil to suit your needs:

• Roman and German chamomile, sweet orange, and bergamot all work to relax nervous tension especially if you have little patience at work or if situations seem out of your control.
• For frustration that's caused by the heart producing a restless, sometimes hyperactive state that results in insomnia, lavender and melissa oils are helpful.
  
• Do you feel like relaxation could directly produce a release of tension in your body? If so, then turn to neroli, jasmine and ylang ylang (and bring them with you on your next massage!).
  
• Are you tense and tired? Try marjoram oil and clary sage (avoid this oil if pregnant).
• For tension that drives you on to the point of exhaustion, try geranium and palmarosa.

Most of all, appreciate the dissonance in life on the path to finding your solace.