One needs to let the seed take form in the dark ground, so that it finds a way to crack open and blossom.
With that in mind, the theme for the first challenge of 2022 is REST.
says The Herbal Hive amazing community and you can learn about this challenge here.
In a world where you are successful when you run 24/7, the concept of rest is not only underestimated but you can also easily be unappreciated for not trying enough, even worse as being selfish for taking time for yourself.
A friend says, I am selfing, not selfish and I really like the way she clears up things. I always think of the instruction given in the airplane for the use of mask, first on yourself and then to others. Practical, logical, not selfish.
All animals rest, we tend to forget we are animals.
Nature is a great healer and can provide super effective ways to help us ease anxiety and stress, boost our energy and mood, help us sleep better and REST!
A problem that might appear when you give yourself time to rest is that you might be lucky enough to face yourself. It is quite possible that this will not be a joyous moment, writing that, I now think that this might be the main reason that everybody runs... Are we running away from ourselves? But it is inevitable, so let's make it nice and smoothly!
Happy me amongst the anemones in our herb garden yesterday morning, while thinking of this post! Photo by @fotostef
My number one thought is the contact with nature. All plants are healers and sometimes all we need is to come in contact with them somehow. If you live close to a forest or a big park, it is easy to have a walk amongst them and let them calm you down. Anyway, the green color is calming, so only that could do the work. The enormous oak tree, that you are super lucky if you have it close, is generous, but so is the small plant in the pot at your balcony. Having plants around certainly lowers the levels of anxiety and stress. It could also be a plant altar, something to remind you your connection with nature and ground you every time you just look at it.
Luckily there are so many herbs that help us slow down and I would like to list some of them. I hope it is not going to be a very boring post, but this theme is so exciting and I am not sure if I can stop myself!
Tulsi is what I drink this period. Rejuvenating and stress-relieving. I love basil in general, so I think the family of Lamiaceae works well for me. The smell of fresh basil immediately transfers signals of happiness to my brain. And it definitely wakes me up! If I have a fluffy one in front of my door to stroke in the morning, it works like a cup of cocoa! The happiness waves come to me also trough a nice pesto or a salad with basil :)
Lavender and chamomile are usually the first ones to come to mind when we think of relaxation. I love chamomile, although I don't drink it often.
Lavender flower, a bit burnt after the snow...
Lavender tea is not my favorite, but I absolutely love the smell and I have it all around. Bunches of lavender hanging from the ceiling to dry, in the closets, a drop of the essential oil under the pillow before I go to sleep (I do it mostly on summer for relaxation and insect protection, adding a drop at the lower part of the bed, too), eye pillows and lavender salts for a calming bath if you have a bathtub or for a nice footbath, which is my case. And a few drops in the diffuser can smooth the nervous system and create a cozy relaxing atmosphere.
Valeriana is a master herb in smoothing the nervous system. It works miracles, but honestly I don't really enjoy the smell every time I open the vase to prepare my tea, although the tea is nice! I want to try the oil in a diffuser. I wonder how it smells, haha! But I guess that combined with lavender will be just great! Valeriana's chemical constituents interact with the part of the brain that is responsible for our sleep. I guess that if I had sleeping problems this would be the first one I would try!
Lemon balm is a natural tranquilizer. Also great for the bath. Salts, lavender, lemon balm and roses are a dreamy combination.
There is a lady in the village that grows the best-smelling roses ever!
Roses uplift the mood and ease the anxiety and tension. I think we all have felt this effect while smelling a rose. Recently I learnt that it is a marked anti-depressive, too. Drink them, smell them, have a bath with them, or just gather them, anything we do with roses will work for sure! One of my favorite things in summer, when it is super hot and I am lethargic, I spray my face with rose water that I keep in the fridge. Well, cold water on its own would work when you spray it on your face, but rose water is so refreshing and hydrates the skin while uplifts the spirit!
Rosemary is also uplifting and energizing. This is my favorite morning tea with rosemary if you want to check it out!
Gingo biloba is another favorite. It clears the mind, improves the circulation and boosts the mood while enforces sociability. I don't have the strongest memory and I remember when I first tried it, I was amazed! Unfortunately I didn't know back then the socializing effect and didn't pay attention, but how great is that?
Although the properties of Gingo biloba make it a great herb for our subject, I wanted to write about it mostly because of the "character" of this amazing giant, that can live more than 3.000 years. It is a very slow tree to grow teaching us to take it easy. It unfolds its leaves last in spring, showing us that there is no need for rush, wait till the time is right. I find it inspirational. Have you ever been close to one? The feeling is magic!
Part of my winter altar. Herbs help me relax even just by being there.
Of course there are so many other herbs, too, but I wanted to focus to the ones that I know well. Luckily there is also kava kava for anxiety and passion flower, but all I know about their amazing properties is through books and seminars. They are certainly on my list to explore!
I would like to share a recipe for a calming bath. It is considered as as basic one in the seminar of Aromatherapy I had and it certainly deserves a try if you are a bath lover:
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 drop tangerine essential oil
1 drop roman chamomile essential oil
1 drop geranium essential oil
1/2 cup of salts
Before the closure, an outsider, my beloved cocoa. If I could put fireworks in the post I would put them in this small paragraph! I am a bit addicted to cocoa drinks! It has a great effect on depression, anxiety, and can energize you equally as a cup of coffee. It uplifts the spirit and helps you feel motivated. Some more good news? Same happens with dark chocolate for chocolate lovers!
Herbal infusions, essential oils and aromatherapy, baths and massages, in the kitchen, or just having plants and flowers around can help us rest and rejuvenate. But the most important is to take the time we need and respect what our body says as the body is wise and knows better than the mind.
I would like to invite @mamrita! I hope you are in the mood for some herbal sharing!