What I wished they'd told me about Essential Oils.

As we near our 5th anniversary with doTerra, I've been reflecting on my journey with essential oils. Here is what I wish someone had told me when I got started:

1. "Pick one." You don't have to change your life overnight. When we first found an essential oil brand that shared our commitments to honesty, transparency, truthfulness, science, medicine, holistic health, and being the change we wanted to see in the world, we quickly got swept away by the possibilities. We were like kids let loose in an ice cream shop. We had to try everything all at once! And it left us with a tummy ache. Paralyzation really. We wanted to transform our lives all at once. These oils are amazing at everything from replacing our cleaning chemicals with safe alternatives for our dogs and kids, fortifying our immune systems to stay healthy, helping us get better quicker when we got sick, supporting our emotional health, you can even use them for gardening! Oh the possibilities and we let our excitement get the best of ourselves. We wanted to shout all the possibilities to the world! And our excitement would stir even more possibilities in the minds of those we shared with and soon we were being smothered by all the ideas. But that approach didn't help keep others from getting that same overwhelm tummy ache.

I wish someone would have given me a list of topics to choose from and said, "Prioritize them in order, and master #1 before moving to your #2." Pick one topic area. That is enough information to learn to keep you busy for a year. Fully understand that topic area to the point that when you think of that area, the corresponding oils you need immediately come to mind. Once you feel that comfortable, then move on to the next topic area and learn that just as well.

Pretty soon you will find yourself being your very own guru. :)

2. "A solid Reference Book is a MUST." If you are really serious about committing to your health and your family's health, you need a solid reference book. I didn't get the absolute importance of having a book in your own home was until I really got serious about using the oils in our home. I used to tell people that they could just text me and I would look it up for them. But how dis-empowering is that for them? I thought I was adding to their convenience, but really I was taking their power from them. They then had to wonder if their question was valid, dumb, if they were bothering me, wonder if I would judge them based on their question, etc. Approaching this this way, really brought up more fears around using the oils compared to if they had their own book and could look up their own answers whenever and where ever they wanted to.

3. "Put the oils where you'll use them." This single bit of advice has been a game-change for us. It was this simple recommendation that simplified and made using the oils throughout our lives so easy and effortless. Before I would never think to put an oil in my water. Or I'd have a cut and not put anything on it. Or an upset stomach and again, forget about the oils. Or a headache, or not sleep, or a pulled muscle, or whatever and I would forget.

Now the oils we use in the kitchen (including our oils we use in cooking) are all kept in the kitchen. We made a special little piece of driftwood to hold them all. So they are cutely there within arms reach for when we need them. I also have my lemon, wild orange, and grapefruit right by our water cups. I have first aid oils in each bathroom. I have a first aid kit in each car and in our diaper bag. I have our cleaning oils set out under each sink. I have the emotional oils right by my chair that I sit in to rock our little princess. I have an OnGuard, Breathe, and Console roller bottle on each diaper changing station. That way they are handy for a quick immune boost, clear congestion, and even offer comfort when they are upset.

Having them throughout the house not only prevents me from having to think "what oil would be good for this?" it also saves me time from going and finding whatever oil I need. And for a Mamma, even saving a couple seconds is a Godsend. :)

Would you be interested if I developed a checklist for each room with which oils we use? Make it easy-peasy to start incorporating these gifts, straight from nature, into your daily life. Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts. :)