Recently, I have become obsessed with my new essential oil diffuser. I use it every night before I go to bed and have definitely noticed myself feeling more calm and sleepy and I’m falling into deeper sleeps. I buy about two new oils per week so my collection is slowly growing and let’s just say I’m a little bit hooked.

So, to celebrate my new obsession I thought I would throw together a quick list of some of my favorite combinations of oils that I’ve been using during the winter.

For after a stressful day at the office…Patchouli, lavender and pine

For when you have a cold/flu…Lavender and eucalyptus

For when you’re feeling a little down and ‘blah’…Bergamot and lime (or other citrus oil)

For when you’re feeling sad…Orange and sandalwood

For when you’re studying or need to focus…Eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass

For when you want to feel inspired…Sandalwood and ylang ylang

For during meditation…Ylang ylang and/or lavender

Obviously these can be switched out for oils that provide equivalent effects but this is just what I’ve used so far.

Some things to make note of before purchasing essential oils:

• Make sure you are buying an essential oil NOT a fragrance oil.
• Make sure your oil is not close to or past its expiry date. Avoid discounted oils for this reason.
• Read online a little bit about the best oil brands. Some do bend the truth about the true quality of their oils.
• Keep in mind, if the price of the oil seems cheap, then the quality probably is. Some oils can sell for anything up to $200 so you have to educate yourself.
• Your best bet is to talk with a smaller/boutique health food store who stock the E.O’s. They’re usually clued up about their products and the companies they stock.

Happy sniffing!

While browsing the supermarket aisles lately, you may have come across a growing range of coconut waters. So, why the new obsession? And is it just a health fad sure to be replaced by the next best thing? Or is it here to stay? Have a read and decide for yourself…

Image via Style&Wisdom.com

The Benefits

• Full of electrolytes
• Low in carbohydrates
• 99% fat free
• High in potassium
• Low sodium
• Cholesterol free
• Contains only natural sugars
• Ultimate rehydration
• Alkalizing
• Aids digestions
• Stimulates healthy thyroid function
• Stimulates healthy kidney function
• Controls blood sugar levels
• Keeps the body at appropriate temperature
• Contains cytokines (which studies have shown have anti-carcinogenic and anti-ageing effects)
• Good source of B-complex vitamins

When to Drink It

• Before a workout - To promote oxygen levels allowing you to workout harder and/or longer. Use it to replace your usual sports drink
• After a workout - To rehydrate the body quickly, bring the body temperature back to normal and to relieve cramping
• Throughout the day – To stimulate your metabolism and rehydrate
• For a quick pick-me-up – Replace your coffee or energy drink with coconut water for a healthy energy boost
• When you’re sick - To aid the immune system in fighting an illness
• When you have a bladder infection – To fight UTI’s more than the recommended cranberry juice
• To control acid reflux - Some people have mentioned having a glass of this midday helps to control this problem
• After a big night out - The electrolytes and quick rehydration properties of coconut water make for a great hangover cure

Those are just some of the things that coconut water can do for you. As the next best thing to drinking pure water, why not give it a try for yourself and let us know if it’s a passing fad or its a product that’s here to stay.

Today, after a day full of some personal reflection, I decided to make a different sort of post. I thought I’d spice things up by presenting you all with some inspirational offerings from some of the greatest minds.

Make sure to save the ones that grab your attention because that is probably your intuition giving you a nudge toward an aspect of yourself that may need some healing and attention.

• “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot
• “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The harder you fall, the higher you bounce” – Unknown
• “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand” – Randy Pausce
• “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
• “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
• “Feelings come and feelings go. There is no need to fear them and no need to crave them. Let them come, and then let them go. No feeling is your permanent reality, no matter how intense it is.”
• “People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason the world is in chaos, is because things are being loved, and people are being used.” – Unknown
• “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
• “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
• “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” – Dale Carnegie
• “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar
• ”Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” – Benjamin Franklin
• ”Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.” – William Shakespeare
• “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Apple Computers

Once you’ve saved your favorites, print them out or write them down and stick them somewhere that you will see them everyday. Read it back to yourself and meditate on what that quote means to you and how you can apply its intention to your everyday life.

Happy self-healing everybody!