Essential Oils 101

I recently went to my first Essential Oils class.  It was by a doTerra teacher.  I have a few essential oils, but I know I don't know very much about them, and I don't use them enough.  I asked some basic questions and got some good answers.  Hopefully this basic introduction is helpful to some of you, too!

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• An "essential oil" is basically the essence of a plant.  All plants have them, but not all essential oils are known to be beneficial.  They are used in alternative medicine, and aromatherapy.
• doTerra is a good brand to use because they are %100 pure essential oil, and not all brands are.
• They don't expire
• It is good to apply the oil to the bottom of the feet, where the pores are the biggest and the oil can be absorbed into the body the fastest.

The instructor's very favorite essential oils:

1. Lavender--use for colds and cold prevention, soothes skin from burns, rashes  
2. Frankincense--many uses: anti-inflammatory, great for any skin problem, stress reliever
3. Peppermint and Lemon--good for diffusing aromatically, lemon will keep you energized, peppermint is also good for burns
4. Digest Zen--it's a blend for stomach pain, throwing up or heart burn.  It can be used on the stomach and feet.
5. On Guard--another blend.  It's a great immune booster.  She highly recommended the soap, cleaner and especially toothpaste (with a great personal story).
6. Wild Orange--a great stress reliever, mood uplifter

That was super brief, but it's a subject I'm interested in, and I would love to hear some of your favorite essential oils and how you use them?

Choosing Confidence

In most settings I was mild-mannered and shy while growing up (I say most settings because some people will laugh to read that sentence).  I remember as a teenager hearing other people boldly talk about politics, current events, music, health, whatever the subject, and being very impressed.  I thought to myself (no joke), “Boy, I wish I had opinions.”  

Original illustrations. :)

I was a studious girl, and the opinions eventually came --- as they tend to do with education.  But I think what I had really been wishing for was the confidence to express an opinion in the presence of someone who disagreed.  Even in those settings where I was not so shy, I was never confrontational.  This can be a virtue, and I’m satisfied to think that sometimes it was.  But when it is one’s character rather than one’s choice to avoid conflict, it is a weakness.

These days I find myself very ready, in most settings, to say kindly but confidently, “Well, I just don’t see it that way.”  What accounts for the change?  Certainly, a graduate degree and a few more years of experience under my belt leave me with talking points.  But after contemplating my own transformation, I have come to the conclusion that confidence is a choice.

Following are some examples of my progress, and how I got there.

Cooking.  Once I was terrified even of using a recipe.  Then I was terrified of deviating from a recipe.  Then I was terrified of the hard recipes with words like whey and meuniere.  Now I feel like I can handle cooking… even feel that I’m a good cook!

• How I gained confidence in cooking: I tried one recipe at a time, looked up one term, bought one new ingredient.  Experience and practice led to confidence.

Raising my hand. In grad school I was in a class of 20 really smart guys, and then one other smart girl (who never spoke) and smart myself.  There were some really outspoken guys in that class, and I really probably only raised my hand once.  I regret that!  I had things to say.  Now I am a professor, and I challenge students and sometimes colleagues on a regular basis when I disagree with their thought process.

• How I gained confidence in public argument: I had to talk myself into this.  I had to tell myself that my ideas were just as valid as the next person’s.  I had to walk through my idea in my mind, and agree with myself, and know why.  And then I had to take a leap and put myself out there.  I had to be willing to be vulnerable.  (Love this TED talk.)

 

Motherhood.  In the beginning, when Peter would cry, I would pick him up and flutter all over him and say in a high pitched voice, “It’s okay baby!  Oh baby what’s wrong?  Are you hungry?  Hurting?  Oh I don’t know what you need.”  Within a couple months this had changed to a calm, low voice, “Peter, it’s okay.  Mama’s here.  We’re safe and warm and sleep is such a nice place to be.  Rest your head.”

• How I gained confidence in answering my child’s needs:  One day I realized that all this time I had been assuming that my baby knew what he needed, and was just waiting for me to figure it out while I tried all the wrong things.  I realized that in fact, he had no idea what he needed (consciously), and what he needed most was to feel my gentle, sure confidence.   Once I realized this, I decided that for him, I would be confident.  I just decided!  And you know what?  Suddenly his other needs were much more clear to me.  Confidence led me to smarter, quicker decisions.  It changed me fundamentally as a mother.  And all I did was decide.

By the way,

I also love this TED talk.  The speaker talks about a controlled experiment she and some colleagues did that proved how our body language chemically affects our level of confidence (and not just the other way around).  Stand in a “power pose” (see above three illustrations) for two minutes before a job interview, or performance, or crucial conversation, and even in that amount of time your testosterone levels will jump and your cortisol levels plummet.

Why I Don't Eat {much} Meat

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When we moved to the DC area about 2 1/2 years ago, we decided it was time to complete the change we had been inching our way towards since we were married.  I stopped buying meat.  I say "buying meat" instead of "eating meat," because we do have a few exceptions:

• When we are guests, we are happy to eat whatever is served
• When we go out to eat Andrew will often order something with meat, though I tend not to
• We often include meat on the menu for the major holidays: Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas
• We do eat fish, shrimp, crab, and other seafoods occasionally, so I guess we're technically "pescetarians," but that's a funny term

I have found many reasons to have a vegetarian diet, and a lot of confusing information out there, and want to add mine to the conversation.  So here they are, in order from most important for me to least important:

My reasons for having a {mostly} vegetarian diet

• Word of Wisdom


• In the LDS Church, our guidelines for health (where we learn not to drink alcohol or coffee, etc) come from the "Word of Wisdom."  In this scripture, it states:
•  12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
•  13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
•  15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
• I feel like that's pretty clear language that states that I shouldn't be eating meat, almost ever.


• Health


• There is a lot of controversy in this area.  I have not done deep study on the subject, but in my limited research and reading, the science seems to support avoiding meat.  "The China Study," "Eat to Live," and "Disease-Proof your Child" are books I recommend.  I have also read and scanned some long, technical criticisms of "The China Study" (and the rebuttals that followed), and it seems like the science still holds.
• The documentary "Forks Over Knives" makes a compelling case.
• I also feel better and healthier when I am on a plant-based diet.  My husband and I both feel like we are as healthy and fit as we've ever been.

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• Environment
• There are many environmental benefits of not eating meat.  I won't list them all here, but here are a few thoughts:
• In its 2006 report, the United Nations said raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.
• There is a huge waste cost to maintaining and processing meat.  
• Animal Rights
• I won't do the research for you because it isn't pretty, but we've all seen pictures and videos about the horrific conditions in which most animals are kept when they're to be used as food.  Thankfully there are responsible ways to purchase meat from “happy cows” and “happy chickens,” and for those purchasing meat, where it comes from and how the animals were treated should be a priority. I also recommend the film, “Food, Inc.” which addresses the topic broadly, but has a focus on animal rights.
• Cost
• Meat is expensive, especially good meat (that reduces the environmental, health and animal rights costs).
• We don't eat many "meat substitutes" (which can be expensive), but our diet is quite cheap.  Beans are much cheaper than meat.  A quick glance around the internet led me to think that overall, it's usually cheaper to eat vegetarian food.  It's always the cheapest option at a restaurant!
• Preference
• The less I eat meat, the less I like it.  Vegetables are now my favorite part of any meal, and seem to be on the whole more flavorful (when prepared well) than meat.
• Vegetables and fruits are beautiful

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I may have opened a can of worms with this post.  I welcome your comments!

Visualizations from Conception to Birth

Happy New Year!

Take a few minutes and enjoy this awe-inspiring Ted talk by Alexander Tsiaras. I love that someone so steeped in the scientific community will openly attribute creation to divinity. 

The more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know. Enjoy.