The start of a new school year can be stressful for kids and caregivers alike. Essential oils are a great, natural tool that can help the transition back into the school year go as smooth as possible.
Here are 3 easy ways essential oils can help with your Back To School routine:
Nervous & Anxious Feelings- A new school year can bring in a lot of unknowns. New schedules, teachers, classmates and possibly new schools that your student will have to learn and navigate. This can be a lot to take in all at once.
Essential oils are a natural and effective way to help your child deal with nervous or anxious feelings. Some of my favorite oils for this are Frankincense, Lavender, Orange, Chamomile & Tranquility.
Some ways to incorporate these oils are to diffuse one or a blend of them in the mornings before school & by making a roller bottle using a few drops of oil along with a carrier oil that your child can carry with them and apply throughout the day. Let your child help in picking the oils and making the roller bottle. This is a great way to help empower them and learn that they have control over whatever situation is coming their way.
Just be sure to dilute whatever oil you are using to the appropriate concentration based on their age. See the bottom of this blog post for more dilution information:)
This can help get school days off on the right foot and give your child a tool they can use throughout the day whenever they feel those anxious or nervous feelings creeping in.
Focus - Homework can be a stressful time in many households but there are some oils you can use to help set the tone and create an atmosphere where it is easier to focus.
Personally I find diffusing essential oils to be the best method to create an environment where it is easier for your child to focus.
Some of my favorite oils to diffuse for Focus are Peppermint, Lemon, Grapefruit, Rosemary & Vetiver. I also really like the FIT blend from Simply Earth which is a combination and Grapefruit and Lavender. Perfect for when you really need to concentrate on the task at hand.
Bedtime - Proper rest is the key to a successful tomorrow. Kids can feel down, irritable and unable to focus when they haven't had enough sleep so it's important to put a bedtime routine in place to help them get those ZZZZZZs.
I recommend starting to diffuse an oil like Peace & Quiet or Lavender a couple of hours before bedtime to start the process of unwinding for the day. When done consistently, your body will start to associate the smell of the oil with going to bed and it will naturally start the unwinding process just from the smell of the oil.
In addition, spraying a pillow spray of Lavender, Chamomile and Cedarwood before your child climbs in to bed, can further help the winding down process. If your child prefers they can do a roller instead of the pillow spray.
For all of these areas, I recommend letting your child be part of the process either by choosing which oils they like best or helping make their rollers or pillow sprays. Creating ownership of their routine and emotions,with guidance of course;), can go a long way in helping your child learn to deal with different situations and emotions.
I hope these tips will make this year's transition back into the school year and smooth one for you and your family!
