Using Aromatherapy to Help Ease Holiday Stress
Caregiver in Prince William County VA
One of the greatest challenges that you might face as a family caregiver for your elderly parent is not a specific task or need that you must fulfill. Instead, it is the stress that you might feel as a 
result of everything that your role entails, from the busyness of your schedule to having to face the emotions of watching your aging parent’s decline. This stress can lead to a variety of serious consequences for you, both physically and mentally, which makes it important that you find ways to ease and control this stress as much as possible throughout your care journey.
Caregiver stress is likely to increase around the holiday season. Preparing for and celebrating the holidays is stressful for virtually everyone, and when you add in the extra demands of caring for a senior, balancing their needs with the needs of the rest of your family, and coming to terms with the changes that have come over them and how those changes impact how your family celebrates the holidays, you could be suffering far more severe stress than you do throughout the rest of the year. While there are many ways that you can ease your stress and focus on managing this response throughout the holidays, one of the most beneficial and enjoyable is aromatherapy.
The body’s limbic system triggers emotional, mental, and even physiological responses to scent stimulation. Every time that you perceive a scent, it impacts you in some way, even if that response is very subtle. Using these scents strategically can enable you to create a sense of calm, balance, peace, and relaxation, or boost your energy, focus, attention, and mood, depending on what you need at any given moment. Because these scents fit seamlessly into holiday celebrations, you can also use them on a wider scale, helping everyone experience the benefits.
Some ways that you can use aromatherapy to help you ease and manage your holiday season caregiver stress include:
- Peppermint. One of the classic scents of the season, peppermint is fresh, sweet, and refreshing. Smelling this scent clears the mind, improves concentration and focus, refreshes and invigorates you, creates a sense of calm and control, and can even reduce headaches and calm digestive issues. Use this scent to fill the air with the fragrance of candy canes and the sense of cool, clean snow.
- Cinnamon. Reminiscent of treats baking in the oven, cinnamon is one of a group of what is known as “warming spices”. This applies not just to their flavor, but also their impact on your mind. Smelling cinnamon creates a warm, comforting, safe feeling, as well as a sense of energy, focus, and stimulation.
- Ginger. Another scent and flavor immediately linked to holiday indulgences, ginger also awakens the mind, reduces feelings of burnout, sadness, stress, and anxiety, and encourages confidence.
- Sage. It is not just sweet smells that are perfect for holiday aromatherapy. Often found in savory holiday cooking, sage is a rich, earthy scent that is often linked with purification and cleansing, but also creates a clearer, more focused, and energized mind and body, reduced stress, and lessened fatigue.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring a professional caregiver services in Prince William County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 369-6677. Serving Northern Virginia, The Valley, and Surrounding Communities
Source: http://www.suzannebovenizer.com/aromatherapy-essential-oils/oils-for-the-december-holiday-season
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