Mental Wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
doTERRA Pursue 2020 Convention
"Comparison is a thief of joy" - Theodor Roosevelt
No one is immune to the stressors of life, mental wellness effects everyone. The increase in mental wellness leads to increase in physical health.
Emotional Feedback Loop
This is how the body reacts emotionally to sensory input such as smell, touch, sound, taste, and sight. When the body comes into contact with sensory input the brain puts meaning to it, thought to comprehend. If perceived stressful, unpleasant, frightening those thoughts sends a cascade of neurotransmitters which immediately activate stress hormones in the body.
If the cascade of stress hormones go on continuously the HPA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal) access comes involved. These three organs communicate with one another, revving up the engine, to the sympathetic nervous system. Leading to the creation of a chemical cocktail consistent with stress when we are biochemically locked in we tend to dwell on the same stressful thoughts, which then the whole loop continues. Cortisol is the chemical compound that is released from the HPA causing great difficulties if released for too long.
The symptoms fatigue, irritability, head tension, intestinal and digestive upset, weight gain, changes in blood sugar and blood pressure, low libido or changes in menstrual cycle, difficulty recovering from exercise, poor sleep, poor concentration come from excess of Cortisol. What begins in the brain does not stay in the brain our mind and our body is a whole, stress in one leads to stress and expressed throughout the body. Emotions and mood directly affect the rest of the body.
If the mother has intolerance to cope with stress then so will the offspring. To put the brakes on this cycle is
1. Supplements - healthy gut is to have a healthy mind - LLV
2. Aromatherapy - our sense of smell is one thousand times more powerful than our other senses, can help with the emotional feedback loop
Nature vs Nurture
You can change the course of your mental well being. Our DNA is found in every cell of our bodies that contains critical instructions that influence every aspect of our health including mental well being, DNA is our nature. Epigenetic influence our senses everyday, this is the study of how and when DNA is expressed without changing the DNA itself. Epigenetic is our nurture
Our sense of smell relates to these concepts. The brain is complex, but here is a highlighted over view of how aromatics can influence our emotion. The olfactory system involves our smell. A group of structures made up of several key components, but let's highlight just a few.
The olfactory epithelium is a special tissue inside the nasal cavity.
The cells in this structure is specifically designed to interact with aroma molecules. This is where the molecules that you are smelling are first detected.
We also have the olfactory bulb that is a nuro structure that sends information collected by the olfactory epithelium to the brain and that is when the limbic system comes in.
Our limbic system is made of structures in the brain that helps us regulate emotions, memory and more. Typically aroma comes to the amygdala first acts like a switch board.
This is why emotions are so tied strongly to scent, this is where we process our emotions and is a primitive reflexes.
From the amygdala signals are sent out to multiple areas of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex and the hypothalamus.
The prefrontal cortex is involved in our behavior and our executive function such as decision making.
The hypothalamus is the control center for our autonomic responses even hormones. Many signals are being sent and other parts of the brain are being activated. The end result that we get is a systemic effect throughout the whole body.
Because of the olfactory system direct connection to the brain our sense of smell can influence how our body feels and reacts certain situations. Epigenetics can be affected by aroma. Our complex brain is pliable and the expressions of DNA can be positively altered.
Things that we can do to positively support mental health
The foundation of this is taking good care of our bodies
The best foundation of mental health is to fuel our body with nourishing foods, keep ourselves active, get good quality sleep. Once we got the physical aspects well taken care of we can focus on keeping our mind healthy.
Just as our bodies health impacts our mental well being our mental health impacts our physical well being, can have a strong affect on our DNA itself
The brain is a biological organ that changes in its architecture and its molecular profile and its neurochemistry under acute and chronic stress and directs many systems of the body - metabolic, cardiovascular and immune - that are involved in the short - and long-term consequences of being 'stressed out'.
- Institute of Neuroendocrinology at the Rockefeller University
Stress can change our brain, in turn affects our entire body system. In time can manifest in our body that can be passed along to our children. To the contrary of what you may think, the genes are not set in stone once you become an adult. Even in adulthood gene expressions in it selves continue to change as you have different experiences. For brain cells this property is referred to as neuroplasticity and the changes in your gene expression can affect your health in either positive or negative ways.
Adaptiv
So how can you take control of the cycle and encourage positive brain function? This is where adaptive products come in. This system is an amazing tool to help manage stress. This product was formulated using essential oils that have been clinically shown to support a healthy response to stress. These oils were chosen because of the powerful properties and benefits to their chemical constituents.
First imagine the smell of lavender it's calming and soothing because of the linalool component also found in magnolia and neroli as well as in the Adaptiv blend. Imagine the smell of wild orange it's bright and uplifting due to the limonene content also in spearmint. Now imagine the smell of rosemary it's grounding and balancing this is part of the eucalyptol content. These are some of the many constituents found in the Adaptiv blend, all these chemical constituents combined to help support our body's response to stress. One of the powerful aspects of the adaptive system it provides you with multiple routes of use and each route has it's own unique benefits.
Aromatically
When you use the oil aromatically it allows the scent to tap into the limbic system of the brain where emotion is processed.
Topically
Topical use of Adaptiv allows you to combine the power of aromatic with the added benefits by having the oil absorbed directly into your skin, enhance by the supporting touch of massage.
Internally
Finally by taking the Adaptiv capsules internally allows your body to take advantage of the synergistic combination of botanicals and Essential Oils supporting not only your cognitive function but also your emotional balance.
The versatility of these products is incredible, you do not have to stick with a single use. Combine different ways of using the product finding the way that creates the most benefit for you. Whatever kind of support you are looking for in the moment the Adaptiv system can be your go to. Studies done by doTERRA's scientists report that the Adaptiv system can help reduce feelings of anxiety and improve performance in stressful situations, natural products can make a difference in our health and wellness.
What does this come down to? Even though our bodies come with a certain set of genetic instructions we can change and optimize the expression of those instructions through our lifestyle we can do this through a healthy diet, getting the right amount of sleep, staying active, and managing our stress. Additionally we can use powerful natural products such as the Adaptiv system to support our mental health through our aromatic pathways to impact our physical well being and to provide a systemic benefit to our bodies. Making these simple changes and implementing these natural solutions can truly empower us to take control of our health and wellness. We have the ability to use both Nature and Nurture to help us live a life that is exactly what we want.
Can also check out the post Wellness Program Mind & Mood kit.
