Going back to school can be stressful for parents, teachers and kids in a normal setting, but now we are contending with a bunch of unknowns with this global pandemic! Ish! My son is in 8th grade this year, so I'm right there with you. We went from distance learning starting in March, which was horrible, to they were going back full-time in-person, to then making a choice between blended learning (going to school 2 days per week and distance learning 3 days), 100% online learning, or pulling your kid from traditional school and choosing to home school. I ultimately left the decision up to my son and he chose blended learning.
Because of the upheaval we're all dealing with I wanted to provide you with a back to school guide to help walk you through all the things from a natural solutions perspective. Of course being an essential oil educator, most of the natural solutions I'll share are powered by essential oils. Think - immune support, mental wellness, focus, calming, sleep, energy and more.
If you follow me at all you already know that I'm all about being proactive with our health approach. I also believe in a good ol' fashion routine. Developing a good routine will help with everyone's sanity, since everyone will know the expectations and roles they play are in a given situation. It's also helpful in teaching our kids, as well as us, what natural solutions we can turn to for support in a variety of circumstances.
Morning Routine:
I feel it's extremely important to wake up and start your day before your kiddos. There is a lot of science I could go into with why that is, but it all basically boils down to you not being able to take care of others if you're not taking care of yourself. So, give yourself some time in the morning to relax and set your intentions before the day starts becoming demanding of your time and energy. I personally recommend giving yourself enough time to pray, meditate, workout, journal, or a combination of some or even all of them. A simple tool to ground yourself for the day is with a couple drops of Balance rubbed on the bottoms of your feet. Perhaps you love to get the diffuser going first thing in the morning? Aromatic benefits of smelling an essential oil are so powerful that yes, diffusing is another simple hack for a morning of bliss. You can try something energizing and grounding like Balance and Lime.
If you or your kids struggle waking up in the morning you can diffuse a blend that's going to put a pep in their step. A personal favorite is Wild Orange and Peppermint. There are literally thousands of combos you can try. Citrus oils are a fantastic place to start because they make us feel happy. If trying to think about a diffuser first thing in the morning makes you anxious because it's just one more thing to do, how about making a room spray instead? A pre-made room spay can last you a month or more. You can spray it in the bathroom while you're getting ready or brushing your teeth or on that spot on the couch they (and maybe you, tee-hee!) seem to wind up in every morning.
Empowered Kids:
Empowering your kiddos to turn to natural solutions when dealing with issues is awesome! I wish doTERRA essential oils had come into my life sooner, but they didn't - so I'm just glad I have them now. My son not only diffuses in his bedroom at night, but he has a whole nightly routine that he does with oils. He's a lacrosse player (and a boy) so using a bruise blend seems to be part of his regular nightly routine more often than not. He also uses a blend on a red, rough patch on his hands and uses Correct-X, a natural ointment for all types of skin irritations. The last thing he does is roll Calmer™ on the bottom of his big toes and wrists. Calmer™ is from the kids line and is marvelous - as are ALL the oil blends in the kids line, it's a restful blend that promotes calming and a soothing environment for sleepy time.
Not only is my son empowered in our home routines, but he has the entire kids line in his bedroom. He uses more oils from the kids line and others, like Adaptiv™ at school too. Now that he's home 3 days a week with distance learning he's been diffusing Adaptiv™ and has a roller of it on his desk too. Adaptiv is fantastic for all things mental wellness - he's primarily using it to be calm and comfortable in these crazy-stressful times as well as to help him focus and concentrate, so his poor eyes and body are now having to focus on a screen all day. In addition to mental wellness, supporting our immunity right now, more than ever, is key. Not only does he take a immune boosting supplement daily, On Guard+ to help keep his body at its peak, but he uses the hand sanitizer doTERRA makes. It's from the On Guard line, which is all about supporting a healthy immune system.
Whether you are an experienced practitioner or new to essential oils, the doTERRA Kids Collection is the complete and ready-made “whole body” essential oil toolbox designed to empower caregivers to confidently care for the health and wellness of little ones and provide our older kids with true empowerment. Formulated specifically for developing minds, bodies, and emotions, these essential oil blends feature unique combinations therapeutically balanced to provide powerful benefits while being gentle on delicate skin.
What's even better is that for kids that are able to read, they come with instructional flash cards that teach the why and where to use one of the seven blends that come in the kit: Thinker™, Calmer™, Stronger™, Tamer™, Rescuer™, Steady™, and my personal favorite, Brave™. Also pictured is the On Guard hand sanitizer I mentioned earlier. I carry one on my purse and use it constantly when we have to go out-n-about.
I could write a novel about all of this, but in an effort to not overwhelm, I'm going to stop for now. I think you've gotten some good food for thought and I'll leave you with this, an eBook of diffuser and roller blends with back to school in mind.
Click on picture to view eBook
Praying you are healthy and well. Remember I'm just a text or email away!
xoDanette