can't have one without the other!

I learned way back at our cross-cultural orientation that the heights of your joy are in direct proportion to the depths of your sorrow. You can't have the joy without the sorrow. The thought stuck with me, but it wasn't until recently that I realized I am far too good at numbing the pain and therefore missing out on the delight.  One of the first things you are encouraged to do in counseling is feel the feelings. We don't get to choose what emotions rise up within us (though we do get to choose how we respond to them and how we express them). God created us emotional, rational, creative beings- unlike any other creation. Peter Scazzero says this: 

“When we deny our pain, losses, and feelings year after year, we become less and less human. We transform slowly into empty shells with smiley faces painted on them."

And so I've been working on allowing the feelings to come, to feel them and then to offer them to the God who created me and loves me. As I weep and laugh in His presence our friendship deepens and I become more alive and whole. Only He can help us sort through our feelings and learn what they are communicating to us. Only He can heal the wounds of our past.

So what's the connection between our emotions and essential oils? Here are some resources:

Essential Oils for when you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed and annoyed on the Young Living blog

The brain, emotion and body connection- and why essential oils can support our health from the Oil Academy

Grief, emotions and essential oils on the Allender Center podcast

What oils do you use to boost your mood, or access your stuffed feelings?