anxiety

Mints are easy-to-grow perennials that are a beautiful and (usually) lovely-smelling addition to your garden—even if your garden is limited to a balcony, like mine is.  They do well at sea level. They do well at mountainous elevations. They can hack cool, damp summers or hot, intense summers. They are fine being buried in snow and will be there waiting for you in the spring.   While mints generally prefer rich and well-drained soil, I’ve grown them in heavy clay soils.

Menopause can trigger uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, and irritability. The following recipes contain essential oils to provide some relief in balancing emotional stress, surges of heat, and sleep deprivation.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is quite common and involves unwanted recurring thoughts and behaviors. OCD may, for example, take the form of an obsession with germs (the “O” part), perhaps resulting in compulsive hand-washing (the “D” part). Or it may take the form of having to have things in your space organized symmetrically.

Pets are wonderful additions to households that can offer love, time, and the financial responsibilities that come with caring for an animal, but the love they can return is ten-fold. Therapy animals, which include both pets and animals that are trained as therapy animals (which requires a more extensive training background, including certified coursework and certifications), can improve social behavior and skills, reduce pain and anxiety, and help ease depression.

Wide eyes and a gaped mouth. Your heart is racing and your breath picks up pace. You start to sweat as your body prepares…

You’re familiar with this feeling. Actually, we all are. These are the trademarks of stress. But for everything that’s happening on the surface, there is a rolling torrent of reactions happening inside. Our body is preparing for action: to fight or to flee.

Pedicu-what???   This plant is a bit off the beaten path for many folks.  The name “Pedicularis” is from Latin, meaning “lice.”  Yum.  Commonly known as Lousewort, the plant was thought to cause a lice infestation if ingested. But, not to worry!  I’ve been using it for years and so far no lice.

Our four-legged friends feel tension and nervousness just like we do. And some of the same botanical allies that work for us may help them, too.  Three of the most popular calming remedies for us bipeds are also safe for your pooch when she’s having an off day: chamomile, valerian, and passionflower. 

In the northern hemisphere, we’re coming into the darker time of year when the subconscious likes to make more of an appearance.  Sometimes, this manifests as nightmares.  And, while nightmares can be informative in terms of issues we may need to examine, especially if they’re recurring, sometimes they’re just plain problematic…causing distress and sleep disturbances.

Oh, the illusionary and all too persuasive frequency of worry. I know this one well. I remember walking into the living room when I was eight years old and the news was on. The news channel was reporting on global warming. Here I was 8 years old, born onto a planet that was going to cook itself into a slow and painful death?! I was horrified. I didn’t sleep well for months. My stomach hurt. My thoughts were consumed and thus began my first episode of a lifelong relationship with worry, the all too disempowering frequency of “what if.”

Fir is one of the quintessential scents of the season, known for its foresty, fresh, and somewhat sweet notes. For those of us who live and hike in the mountains, or for anyone who’s had a Christmas tree, the scent of fir is unmistakable.  There are over 50 types of delightfully scented fir in the northern hemisphere, and the leaves, twigs, and cones are all rich in aromatics.