Emotional Intelligence

Hands down, one the most important things to me as a mother is helping my child navigate her own emotions, intelligently, honestly and lovingly.  It has taken me a long time to come into my own emotional awareness, and while I wouldn't change anything about my experience, I would love to be a steady guiding force for my daughter when it comes to cultivating her ability to be with her emotions in a healthy way. 

It is my belief that we don't think or speak about emotional integrity and intelligence enough in our culture.  We often regard feelings as secondary or attatch shame to emotions that are, in reality, incredibly human. How we feel is always changing of course, and it requires a ton of work to stay present with ourselves in this way, but I believe it is necessary work.  In 2018, several studies showed that depression and anxiety are on the rise, often in teens and young adults. According to a report by ABC News, "The CDC says one in five children ages 3 through 17 — about 15 million — have a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder in a given year. But only 20 percent of them get diagnosed or receive care."

Emotional Intelligence is the "capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically". I am on a mission as a mother and as a human to help all people of all ages become more Emotionally Intelligent. 

For me, essential oils are one option and tool to help create that intelligence.  Since our emotional state has the power to affect how we perceive the world, I believe in the importance of having tangible tools and techniques on hand to help navigate our emotions. Having the ability to take action, reach for a specific blend of essential oils and take the time to do some deep breathing is a seemingly small act of self-care with big impact. 

When we do this, we say to ourselves
A. I am having some big feelings right now
B. We take a moment to name those feelings and
C. We can take action. 

Perhaps we take a few deep breaths and utilize the aromatherapeutic benefits of an oil or blend, or combine the act of reaching for an oil with another act of self care such as yoga, meditation, exercise, journaling, etc.  By even taking the time to do any of this, we are saying to ourselves that our own emotional awareness matters and is important. What and how we feel is integrative and directly connected to our physical health. 

So you can imagine my joy when doTERRA came out with a collection designed specifically for children and young adults.  My daughter is only 3.5 years old but has her own Kids Collection already.  She knows which oils are for calming down at night, which are for when she feels sad and which ones help her body.  She is now beginning to say out loud when she is sad, or angry or frustrated or happy.  We celebrate all of her feelings with her and we help her take action when she is able to articulate what she needs and wants.  My hope as her mom is that she will grow up with the freedom to be aware of, control and express her emotions so that she may be able to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically...aka have strong Emotional Intelligence.

So this week, I will be featuring the Kids Collection in my Free Online Oils Class, this Thursday at 11am EST.  I will also be posting each day about two different Emotional Aromatherapy blends: One for the adults, one for kids.  I hope that you follow along with me this week.  My hope as a wellness advocate and as a human is to help each of us, myself included, cultivate our own emotional intelligence so we may be stronger for ourselves and stronger for each other.  

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