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Julie Leonard Life Coach

Helping you live to your full potential.

Essential Oils for Winter – 9 of the Best

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Incorporating essential oils into your daily routine can help keep your immune system stronger, speed up your recovery time from illness and uplift your spirits when the winter blues strike, helping to energize and motivate during the cold and dark winter months.

Best Essential oils for Winter:

  • Tea Tree,  Eucalyptus, Lavender, Frankincense for immunity
  • Bergamot and Orange for mood uplift
  • Orange, Cinnamon, Clove and Ginger for Christmas smells
  • Lemon and Grapefruit- for air cleansing

essential oils for winter

Essential oils can be so easily used at home over the winter in baths (add a few drops and mix well), oil burners, inhalations (add a few drops to hot water) and rubs (add 4 drops to 10mls sweet almond oil). Always choose 100% pure essential oils.

Bergamot 

(Citrus aurantium bergamia)
Uplifting and fruity, this is calming for the emotions and also a good ‘pick-me-up’. Use in bath oils, massage oils and inhalations.

Cinnamon

(Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Warming and strengthening, this is stimulating for the digestion and the natural antiseptic properties make it good for treating colds and flu. Don’t use it on the skin but great in an oil burner or for inhalations.

Eucalyptus 

(Eucalyptus globulus)
Stimulating and expansive, this is anti-viral and decongesting for the head and sinuses. Eucalyptus has a refreshing effect on the nervous system and may be used to treat tiredness, poor concentration or headaches. Excellent when added to a base oil for use as a chest rub or in inhalations.

Frankincense

(Boswellia carterii)
Calms and uplifts the spirits when feeling stressed, tired or overwhelmed, whilst increasing energy. Also great for chesty coughs. Use in a massage blend, lotions and balms or as an inhalation.

Lavender 

(Lavandula angustifolia)
Balancing and relaxing, Lavender is the most versatile and well-used of all essential oils, a valuable remedy for everyday use. The only essential oil that can be used neat (undiluted) on the skin – dab a drop on pulse points or use in massage and bath blends, or inhalations.

Mandarin 

(Citrus nobilis)
Calming and soothing for restless children, this essential oils is also beneficial in helping to treat nervous tension or insomnia. Dilute and use in a massage oil or in a diffuser.

Rosemary

(Rosmarinus officinalis)
Warming and stimulating, rosemary helps to stimulate the circulation and is good for aching muscles. Mix into a massage oil or salve and rub into aching areas or use in inhalations.

Tea Tree

(Melaleuca alternifolia)
A fantastic winter oil. Antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal. Careful topical use is highly effective on spots, cold sores and my top tip- when you feel a sore throat coming on, place one drop of tea tree at the back of your tongue. Tastes horrible but will catch those early bugs!

A winter wellness tip

As a  great immune-boosting blend to use in a diffuser when coughs and colds are in the air combine 2 or 3 drops each of Cinnamon, Rosemary and Lemon – so simple and very effective. Alternatively sprinkle these oils onto a cotton handkerchief, carry in a plastic bag in your handbag for when you need a quick lift during the day.

Christmas blend

Add 2 drops each of Orange, Cinnamon and Clove to a diffuser for a  gorgeous Christmas blend.

Room cleaning 

Add 2 drops each of Lemon and Grapefruit to a diffuser to clean the air of colds and bugs.

Thanks Giving – A Day for Gratitude

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Last Thursday was Thanksgiving. Before I moved to Munich I celebrated Thanksgiving each year with my brother and his American wife. It was always a wonderful time to get together with family and friends and reflect on all that we are thankful for.

This year I am in Munich and can’t join them but instead, I am taking time to reflect on the past year and to be thankful for all that has happened in it.

importance of gratitude

Gratitude and Happiness- Why it is good for us?

It is not happiness that brings us gratitude, it’s gratitude that brings us happiness’.

That is, people who practice being thankful are happy. There is much research that tells us that practicing gratitude daily:

  • Reduces stress
  • Improves mood
  • Lowers anxiety
  • Increases self-worth
  • Makes us more positive<
  • Improves relationships and
  • Deepens happiness.

It also blocks negative emotions such as:

  • Envy
  • Resentment and
  • Depression

Overall it helps us focus on the present and makes us resilient during tougher times.

I am thankful for…
A year ago I resigned from my job and career of 20 years, rented out my home, left my family and friends and moved with my cat to start a new life in Munich. I had met my partner the year before and he was already living and working in Germany. Many people have said to me that it was a brave move but in fact I am thankful for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful city, to move here by choice and not necessity like many people, to have had the support and space to take time out and recharge, to study a new language, to retrain and gain my Diploma as a Life Coach and to realise a dream of working for myself. And to top off a wonderful year I am thankful to be expecting our first child.

What is there to be thankful for….
Practising gratitude does not always have to mean only acknowledging the big events in our lives. Daily mindfulness and awareness of the world around us focuses us on the small and beautiful things in life and increases our mood and happiness – a beautiful sunny day, the first fall of snow, the hug of a cat, coffee with a friend, a phone call with family, the leaves changing colour in autumn, a walk in the park, a delicious meal, savouring that chocolate……….

Why not start practising gratitude today….

importance of gratitude

Decide to notice one thing each day you are thankful for.

Make or buy a Gratitude jar* and write down one thing you are thankful for each day. Do this for a week, or a month or a year and then see the amazing things that happened in your life. (Also dip into it as a resource on those tough days. Nothing like lots of reminders of the good things in your life to build resilience and help you through a hard time).

Write a line each day in a Gratitude Journal.

Ask some friends to do the same and share what you are thankful for. Spread the happiness!

My Top 10 Tips for Dealing with Culture Shock

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In my last blog I talked about what Culture shock is all about. So read it first if you haven’t. Now this one is a list of the things that you can do to stop having it make you unhappy.

dealing with culture shock

My top tips for Dealing with Culture Shock

1. Acknowledge your low mood – It is natural and normal to feel this way.

2. Don’t isolate yourself – It is easy to withdraw and lose confidence

3. Build a supportive network – Meet other ex-pats who understand how you feel and what you are experiencing.

4. Find and do something that fulfills you – Think about volunteering.

5. Learn the language – Join a class and learn the language. And it’s a great way to meet people too!

6. Use a language app on your mobile to help you in shops – I use Leo.org

7. Join Internations and meet other ex-pats in your city – They have groups all over the world with lots of activities to join and meet people and have fun.

8. Join other sites such as Meetup for more activities – There are many other sites where you can join activities and meet people.

9. Embrace technology – Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime, etc all can help you stay in touch with family and friends.

10. Don’t suffer in silence – Seek help.

What is Culture Shock?

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As someone who moved abroad to live, I can empathize with and understand the feelings and impact of Culture Shock. Being a Life Coach I am very interested in how it impacts on our level of happiness. As well as how we can change it in order to feel happy.

Culture shock is a feeling of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety or low mood that may affect people. It is caused by being in a place (such as a new city or foreign country) that is very different from what you are used to.

what is culture shop?

This is quite a normal reaction to living in a new country. Once the excitement and holiday feeling wears off you can be left feeling not so happy. Not having family close by, being without your network of friends, maybe not knowing the language, feeling that many things are different to what you are used to. All these can leave you in Culture shock.

Have you noticed that everyday things seem to take much more energy? Working out public transport, shopping for food, posting a letter, going to the pharmacy, and so many other things become harder and more exhausting and are often compounded by a language barrier.

There are 4 Stages of Culture Shock:

Phase 1- Honeymoon/Tourist phase
Before arriving you have feelings of excitement, anxiety, fear of the unknown, a sense of adventure. There follows a mood upswing on arrival. Then reality sets in, the realities of everyday life, homesickness.

Phase 2- Crisis
As reality sets in there can be a crisis period where you are coping with down feelings.

Phase 3- Improving mood
You begin to cope with and adjust to life in your new country.

Phase 4- Healthy recovery and adjustment
You settle into routines, make friends and a develop a network, enjoy hobbies and activities.

These are the stages of culture shock. Not everyone experiences them, some people move through the phases and settle into their new life. But for many they can be stuck between phases 2 and 3. Many experience feelings of low mood, loneliness, not fitting in, loss of interest in hobbies and activities, unhappiness……

If you are ready to get over this, take a look at my top 10 tips for dealing with culture shock.

The good news is that coaching can help you change these feelings so that you can settle in to and enjoy your new life abroad. julie@potentiacentre.com

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