The 5 Things that saved my A** in 2020: A Personal Share
What a year.
Right?!!
I even work in the Wellness Industry AND I have to be completely transparent with you: This past year took me for a challenging ride.
However, I know without a doubt it was my commitment to my daily routines that kept me sane.
No matter who you are or what you do, I expect that most of us had a year full of unexpected challenges. I had days full of joy and days full of boredom, anxiety and sadness. It’s been rough, and I am still working through it. However, I’m really grateful for my daily routine because I know without a doubt that maintaining healthy daily habits has a huge impact on staying mentally, emotionally and physically healthy.
I want to share the 5 Daily Practices that I have been committed to, in hopes that they may help you too!
#1: Drink Water.
Okay, so this one might even sound totally obvious. But this is a daily practice that slips when I get anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. In fact I had a day when it was like 4 in the afternoon and I realized that I hadn’t had any water that day. No wonder I was feeling depleted and weathered!
The key to staying hydrated is to drink half your body weight in ounces every single day.
Figure out how many jars of water you need daily and make this a HUGE priority in your life. Treat drinking water like it’s your job and your constant responsibility.
The wonderful thing is, many parts of our body feel better when we’re hydrated. Water is necessary and important especially when we’re stressed out. It’s one of the best tools we have in our wellness routine…and it’s just…water!
I also recommend adding 1-3 drop of your favorite citrus essential oil to your glass of water. My personal favorites are Lemon, Wild Orange and Green Mandarin. Just 1 drop can be hugely beneficial to helping you hydrate but also because they contain Limonene, which can help cleanse your liver and kidneys naturally. I drink 3-5 glasses of citrus-infused water every single day.
Make sure to use glass drinking containers because citrus oils can actually break down synthetics like plastic! (This is just one reason why they’re so effective at helping us detoxify naturally!)
#2: Move your body
I hope this isn’t TMI, but I have had days where I could not get out of bed. I think this is really, really important to talk about.
When things get hard, I sometimes slide into old patterns or feel unable to be my best self. I know i’m not the only one.
This year I rediscovered something light, silly, fun and motivating that has been rejuvenating my spirit: Roller Skating!
Yes, Roller Skating.
I love it. It’s fun, it makes me feel free and it’s like dancing on air. In fact you can watch me dance around on skates Here if you’d like to (I just started making little videos and it’s just for fun)!
Roller Skating is just one way to move your body.
Moving your body in some way every day is VERY important work! It doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate or planned. It can be a simple stroll around your neighborhood every evening for 30 minutes. It could be dancing around your living room to a silly pop song you secretly love. It can be tennis, or hiking, or jump roping. Just get your blood pumping every day!
The more stressed you are, the harder this gets. It takes about 21 days to fully cement a habit into your lifestyle. That’s why you might want to commit to these daily practices for 1 month and promise yourself every day to do them…because you will begin to notice that it gets much easier to do these things after that month.
I know you can do it.
#3: Use Essential Oils
A decade ago, I discovered doTERRA essential oils when I was sick, tired and burnt out on life. They have become a beacon of hope and light in my life and I lean on them like old familiar friends.
I love essential oils.
I love that they help me feel good, smell good and do good. I have so many favorites but I want to focus on a few that I use every single day and could not have lived without this past year. And I want to teach you WHY they are so very valuable.
I have been using Black Spruce and Rose essential oils for emotional comfort. Black Spruce is a woodsy, grounding oil which can help you feel more balanced mentally. Black Spruce is sustainably sourced from Canada, where the trees can grow in cold and harsh conditions. Like many trees, Black Spruce trees create essential oils naturally to repel pests and protect themselves from a harsh environment with the ability to heal their bark. Black Spruce essential oil is high in bornyl acetate, a chemical component that promotes relaxation and calmness.
Rose is a precious and luxurious oil. While I love using pure Rose oil straight from the bottle, I often recommend doTERRA’s Rose Touch roll-on because it’s diluted with coconut oil for easy wearing and also because it’s at a much more affordable price point. Rose is known as the Queen of oils and has the highest vibrational frequency of any essential oil ever recorded. I use it for many things - emotional comfort, natural radiant skincare and more.
To use, roll some Rose essential oil onto the palm of your hand and add 2 drops of Black Spruce. Rub your hands together and then massage into your heart, neck and shoulders. I do this every single day, sometimes multiple times a day.
Another oil that I have been leaning heavily on is the doTERRA Adaptiv blend. This was initially created for focus and attention issues, but in 2020 is became my savior so many times when I felt like my anxiousness was at an all-time high. Adaptiv is a strong blend for big feelings. I pour a few drops in my essential oil diffuser and I also like to apply it to my wrists. I highly recommend that you develop a routine using essential oils. It can be super simple, like Lemon in your water and Adaptiv on your wrists…or you could implement very powerful oils for emotional support like Rose and Black Spruce.
If you have questions about what essential oils are and why they work, watch my recorded Intro Class Here or email me at aishaharley@comcast.net for a free consult. If you’d like to purchase these oils, click Here and add/subtract items from your cart as desired.
#4: Take High-Quality vitamins
Our gut health is connected to our mood, our pain, our sleep, everything. If our gut health is off, we are probably not functioning at our best.
I recommend that you begin consistently taking high-quality whole-food supplements. When I forget - and I’m human, so it happens - I don’t feel very good.
See your doctor or a nutritionist to ask what nutritional needs you have and begin taking a supplement consistently every day. Taking a supplement daily can be the difference between us having mental clarity and motivation, or having brain-fog and feeling overwhelmed all the time. I know that I struggle with fatigue when I don’t take my vitamins.
Vitamins are helpful because even if we eat healthy food, our soil doesn’t have the same nutrients it once did. Our bodies need a lot of nutritional value to function optimally and vitamins can help us make that happen. I personally take the doTERRA LLV (Lifelong Vitality Pack Trio of vitamins). The Lifelong Vitality Pack is what I recommend to my own customers as well for their mental fogginess, mood swings and a struggle for better mental balance, ongoing body pains and aches, inflammation and erratic nutrition.
Click Here to get your LLV vitamins and email me at aishaharley@comcast.net for coaching and guidance on what they can do for you.
The LLV is a powerful wellness tool.
#5: Find your Support System
My support system is made of a few close friends, my sister, my mom and of course…my dogs. I have 2 dogs: Pluto the Whippet and Yuzu the Spanish Galgo (both rescues)!
Maybe you have dogs, or maybe you have cats too! Animals can be a huge part of our support system because they are unconditionally loving and supportive no matter what kind of day we’re having.
Having a support system is critical during these times.
Reach out to a friend who has always shown up for you and tell them how much you love and appreciate them! Be honest with the people in your life if you’re having a difficult day. Being open and vulnerable with those we love creates an opportunity for us to become even closer.
Ask the people in your life what tools THEY use to get through stressful times! And if you find something that works, share it with others…whether it’s an uplifting song, a quote, a recipe or words of support.
While you may not be able to change what happens to you, you can choose how you act through it. Choose to be HAPPY. Choose to seek support. Choose to stand in the light, whenever possible!
I hope you have found value in these tips.
If you want to follow me on Instagram for daily inspiration and oil recipes, you can do so here at @Aishaalena.
If you’d like to begin an essential oil journey with me, click Here and add/subtract oils from your cart. And be sure to click below to subscribe and receive a FREE Self-Care checklist from me in your inbox!
With Love & Gratitude, Aisha
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