Tag: self care

Achieve Work-Life Balance as a Teacher
health · inspiration · personal development · self help · teaching

Achieve Work-Life Balance as a Teacher

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Over the years as a teacher, I have observed my colleagues stay at school way into the night hours, take stacks of work home, and complain they have no time for themselves or their families. Some even come to school to work on the weekends. They struggle with home-work balance, finding time to be a great parent, teacher, friend, family member. Their workload takes its toll on their mental and physical health. If there is a complement I consistently receive from other teachers, it’s that I have good home-work balance. Part of this stems from placing a priority on my inner peace above and beyond else, but there also are many habits and protocols I have put into place over the years to accomplish this. I realize there are countless blogs and posts on self care, but this one is for my teacher friends.

Set boundaries.

Teaching can consume all of your time if you allow it to. There is always something else to do! You have to start by setting some time boundaries. Now, I am not one of those teachers who spend all their time at school, but nor am I one who gets there at the last minute as buses are unloading and driving off as buses pull out. I come in an hour before kids and often stay an hour after my contracted day. I am motivated to be a great teacher and I love my students! But I also love my family and protecting and guarding my own mental and physical wellbeing. You will never look back ten years from now and think “I wish I spent more time at work,” but you may wish you spent more time with your family, chasing your dreams and taking care of your health.

When you’re thinking about setting time boundaries, set a time that you can be consistent with and agree with yourself that you will stop working and leave at that time daily. For me, the school day ends at 2:30 and I am committed to leave at 3:30. That is a personal time boundary to set for yourself that allows you to get your work done, but also have time for your family and for yourself.

You can’t pour from an empty cup.

You have also probably heard the expression that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Some of the things you should consider doing to fill your cup are:

  • Exercise (bonus points if this includes a yoga class once a week)
  • Go to a spa, get a massage, or go to the infrared sauna once a week (*stay tuned* – future post topic)
  • Allow yourself to indulge in a hobby whether that’s reading, writing, art, or playing an instrument
  • Get outside. Work in the garden. Take a neighborhood walk or go for a hike – make it a point to get outside and get some sunlight.
  • Make a point to go outside and get some sunlight EVERY DAY during your lunch break or planning at school. This helps your circadian rhythm and will help you sleep through the night. Hit me up in the comments if you want to know more about circadian rhythm or you can Google it.
  • Start taking a magnesium supplement. This will also help promote sleeping through the night.
  • Consider quitting drinking – that’s a whole different post.

My list is a little different than your typical “self-care list.” That’s because TRUE self care means taking care of yourself. Not filling yourself with gluten or breathing in artificial fragrance from scented candles. Not lounging on the couch for hours and binging shows. Not coming home and napping which disrupts your natural circadian rhythm and is no doubt the reason you can’t sleep at night.

Redefining self care.

While some think of self care as comfort, true self care means you’re improving your health and not detracting from it. True self care means taking care of yourself. If you get on Pinterest and type in “self care,” you’ll no doubt see suggestions like binging your favorite show, napping, having a glass of wine, enjoying your favorite comfort food or lighting scented candles (learn more about exposure to artificial fragrance here). However these all lower your immune system or interrupt your sleep. Take this challenge if you wouldn’t mind humoring me: list the things you do for self care and make a two column table beside it. Label one column “raises my immune system” and the second one “lowers.” If you go back and reread my list of self-care items, they are basically exercise, getting sunlight exposure, getting extra sleep during the night, and eating healthy. These all BOOST the immune system.

We find time (and energy) to do the things that matter to us.

If you are mentally pushing back, thinking how can you take a walk or exercise when you are exhausted from the school day, I hear you! Me too! But that’s the thing and the mindshift change you have to make. YOU GO ANYWAY. I rarely feel like going, but once I’m there I enjoy the routine and I feel AMAZING afterward. I think we mistakingly think of exercise as energy draining, but in actually it is life-giving! You will sleep so much better and you will feel so much stronger and more energized the next day. You will feel proud of yourself for doing it and more confident because your clothes will fit better.

Better sleep, better life.

The amount and quality of your sleep are paramount to your overall mental and physical health. Quality sleep belongs in this post because it’s a time boundary you need to set for yourself and a priority you have to set as well. Make sure that you are going to bed early enough to allow yourself the change to get 8 hours of sleep or rest. The big three that help me go to sleep and stay asleep are taking a magnesium gummy before bed (I like these), diffusing lavender and cedarwood in your bedroom, and temperature – keep your space cool and pile on extra blankets as needed. If you struggle with either going to sleep or staying asleep, I would encourage you to read my post on quality sleep, as there is much more to this than what I am sharing here.

Do your work at work (and how you can do this better.)

I VERY RARELY take any work home with me. The number one way I’m able to accomplish that is by setting planning, lunchtime and before/after school boundaries. In short, I close my door. Now a student here or there may need me and knock on my door, but for the most part, just by closing my door I’m able to work uninterrupted. This is not to be antisocial, but it gives me the time that is the topic of this entire post. I have also realized over the past few years as I have pinpointed my stressors and worked to minimize them, that interruptions are very high on the list. By setting the closed door boundary, I have minimized my interruptions, increased my productivity, and lowered my stress level.

Right or wrong, I eat in my classroom. I’m able to multi-task and get papers graded and recorded while I eat. My lunch is typically composed of finger food so it’s easy for me to be able to eat while I work. Then, as I mentioned earlier in this post, I make sure to get sunlight during this time. I set a timer to go off 8 minutes before students return. This gives me time to walk outdoors to the nicer faculty bathroom and wash my hands using nice hot water. There’s also a water bottle filling station there so I can refill my water bottle with ice and cold water.

Whether you are a teacher or not, a parent or not, the strategies and boundaries shared in this post can help anyone who is wanting to improve their sleep, energy, time management and quality of life. Please share your favorite tip in the comments and let me know if you have other suggestions for how teachers can set better boundaries and prioritize themselves.

Designing Your Perfect Day
health · inspiration · personal development · self help · wisdom

Designing Your Perfect Day

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Designing your perfect day is one of the best choices you can make to bring joy into your life. It’s the idea that begins with simply making a list of all of the things you would do on your ideal, perfect day. All of your favorite things! This can be paper/pencil or on the Notes app of your phone. You can start as soon as today! I’m suggested here, to be clear, not only thinking about planning, but executing your perfect day! You can repeat this several times a year!

Consider making a promise to yourself this year is to take a day each month, just to focus on yourself – your wants, needs and dreams. This can be a weekday or a weekend, but just making sure to do it. We get so busy in the rush of life, that we forget to take care of ourselves. Before we know it, weeks, months and even years have passed and all of the hopes and vision we had for our life have been placed on hold. And we don’t even realize we’re doing it. We forget to do basic care and maintenance for our bodies. We forget to rest. Our health can suffer the consequences.

Taking one day each month can be a game changer. It gives you the PERMISSION and the OPPORTUNITY to stop and check in with what matters to you. There are some mindset shifts, exercises, processes and ideas that can help you to plan and execute this.

Mindset matters. On days like this, it can be easy to fall into the trap of doing work. If you are the workaholic, busy type like many of us are, it can be easy to take a day off for yourself, only to realize you spent it working or running errands. You have to be intentional and set boundaries. Don’t let yourself work and keep your mind set on this the entire day. Don’t check your email, and if possible, try and stay off your devices. Your only goal is to do what suits you! You are worthy and deserving of this.

To keep your perfect day centered around things you love and enjoy, there are several exercises you can use to remind yourself of your hobbies and interests, and processes that you will love to use for planning them. These processes can be done using the Notes app on your phone, Google Slides, or just using a pen and paper!

One of the best exercises you can implement using the Notes app of your phone. Create a note called “What matters to me.” Add a few things now that resonate, but continue to touch back and add to it as sort of an ongoing bulleted list for you. And along with that Note of things that matter to you, include a second Note called “my perfect day.” If you are more of a paper/pencil person, that works great too!

On your “my perfect day” Note, make a bucket list of all the things you would do on YOUR perfect day. Before you do, close your eyes and visualize yourself going through that day in the most delighted state imaginable. Elizabeth Gilbert shared an exercise for this on her podcast, where you close your eyes and visualize the most beautiful setting you can imagine, your favorite scent, the most delightful enjoyable sound, and the most cozy and satisfying fabric on your skin. For me, I’m at the beach viewing beautiful vistas at sunrise, listening to the waves crashing and the sound of birds, wearing my favorite fleece robe and smelling the aroma of my favorite coffee. When I did this exercise, it helped me know that being outdoors, enjoying coffee and watching the sunrise belong on that perfect day list. Close your eyes and go through each of your five senses and include the five things that come to your mind.

Another exercise that will help to design and plan your perfect day, is similar to creating a vision board. You open a blank Google slide and create a collage of images – things that you find are fun, that give you energy, or that are meaningful. Spend some time on this! Keep a tab open for this slide at all times so you can add to it and so that it’s always evolving. This exercise will help you to add other items to your perfect day list. Keeping a slide or list of the things that bring you joy will help you to be more intentional when you do take that day just for you. This helps make sure it isn’t wasted and that every second is spend on the things that make you happy!

Once you have a perfect day “bucket list” or Google slide vision board or both, don’t feel like you have to do all of the things, but instead use it as a way to be intentional and to inspire you. You will be excited the days and weeks leading up to your perfect day. It puts you in such a delightful planning state, trying to pick the exact activities that you think will bring you the most joy at that time. Become a perpetual LIST MAKER. Look over your Google slide, your bucket list, Notes on your phone and pick a few of those things, but always leave room for inspired action – to be spontaneous.

Your perfect day will include all of the things that bring you joy. Some ideas include going for a walk, treating yourself to your favorite coffee or smoothie, writing, yoga, sauna, have lunch with a friend, cast vision for your life, reading scriptures or positive quotes. Find quiet and solace in a bookstore or library and grab books filled with quotes and inspiration that fill your soul. You can also make sure on these days to schedule appointments that will make sure your body is as high functioning as it can be so that I will be strong and able bodied for your grandchildren and their children. Schedule an appointment with your therapist and at the chiropractor for these days. Healthy spine, healthy you. And seeing a therapist is what healthy people do. Seriously. It is so cathartic to feel truly heard and seen by someone. Lunch with your best friend can also serve this purpose.

When creating your list of things that bring your joy, be sure to incorporate visiting new places. It can be so inspiring to try new things and go on a short adventure. Go try that new restaurant for lunch that you’ve been dying to try. Anything life-giving. Outdoor walks. Time in the sunshine (vitamin D).

Consider what larger cities you live near. I live near Nashville, so love going to the zoo or Cheekwood or walking a trail at Radnor Lake, with NO TIME PRESSURE. I love simple things like going to Target at a time when it isn’t crowded or busy and I can linger on each aisle as long as I like (in particular I love the “good Target’) and Trader Joes on White Bridge Road in Nashville. I love Raising Cane’s. I love lattes and flat whites.

What does your perfect day look like? What aspects of designing a perfect day struck a chord with you? I hope this dive into designing your perfect day has inspired you to consider your own. Do you take days like this for yourself? What could you start putting into place so that you could incorporate days like this into your life? Do you see the value in it? Can you visualize it? Making lists of things that spark joy for you is a great place to start. Be intentional about scheduling days like this for yourself. Block them off on your calendar and stick to it. You will be so glad that you did.

6 Healthy Ways to Process Emotions as an Introvert
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6 Healthy Ways to Process Emotions as an Introvert

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Processing emotions in a healthy way looks very different when you’re an introvert. Where extroverts may vent and confide in others or go to therapy, introverts can be more at risk of keeping things in. So we have to have strategies and coping skills to allow us to process our feelings too. Here are 6 techniques that any introvert can use to process and move through emotions, and can even help you move to more positive emotions.

1. Quiet time. While someone outgoing can feel replenished by talking with others, it’s draining to an introvert. Quiet time, and especially meditation can help you to recharge your battery and feel refreshed, especially if you have a job or other situations on a daily basis that require you to be social.

Meditation isn’t nearly as complicated or hard as you might think. Just sitting in a quiet place and clearing your mind of thoughts is a form of meditation – no need to chant or repeat a mantra necessary. If you are experiencing negative emotions, clearing your mind and shifting to no emotion will provide you great relief. And if you find sitting and meditating challenging, take a nap!

2. Journaling. It’s so important to have an outlet to express how we feel. Journaling is a great and safe way to release and process our thoughts and feelings. Not only is journaling amazing for releasing and sharing the things that have happened to us, it is a good way to help us create and plan for what’s ahead.

When you’re journaling, a great technique is to make a list of positive aspects. Whatever you’re having negative feelings about, try shifting to thinking of positive qualities about that topic or individual and it will provide you with relief. There aren’t many concepts that don’t have positive aspects.

If that seems too difficult, or you’re too upset to write on that topic, consider making a general list of positive aspects – things that are going really well in your life or things that you are grateful for. Sometimes you’ll find you need to completely change the subject to feel some relief.

3. Get outdoors. When emotions are getting the better of you, there is no better distractor than Mother Nature. Taking a short walk or just standing outside and watching the clouds move across the sky or the trees blow in the breeze will soothe you and calm you. Grounding is effective too. If the weather is nicer, try taking a barefoot stroll: this is grounding. It shifts your energy and can be very relaxing.

4. Tap into your five senses. By tapping into one or more of your five senses you can calm yourself pretty quickly. Take a deep breath, and if you’re at home, feel the texture of a nearby blanket or fabric. If you’re at work, feel the smooth surface of your desktop or workspace. If you’re driving, just feel the texture of your steering wheel with your fingertips. Have a healthy snack or a drink of water. Turn on one of your favorite songs, or sometimes it’s helpful to turn the music off and listen to the air conditioning or heating unit which may sound like white noise. Look around you and notice your surroundings. Tapping into your five senses may sound simple, but it forces you to be present and stops the momentum of your worry or concern.

5. Self-care. Indulge in a form of self-care. For you, maybe that’s a relaxing bath, getting your nails done, or making yourself a cup of tea. Do whatever you know brings you peace and calms you.

6. Get crafty and be creative. Creativity is one of the best outlets we have available to us. Whether it’s creating art, music, writing, or maybe a craft like knitting or baking, it gives us a way to express ourselves and in the act of creation we feel a sense of renewal. You may or may not consider yourself to be artistic, but regardless of that, you will find that expressing yourself and making something new will force you to be present and be in the here and now.

In The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews’s character Maria sings “My Favorite Things,” where she recounts the things that bring her joy, and help her cope when she is down, and to her list I would add all of the above. I hope this list inspires you and brings you hope, calming and peace.

To learn about essential oils that help with processing negative emotions, check out my article Processing Negative Emotions in the Body.

Bowling Green – Mom’s Day Out
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Bowling Green – Mom’s Day Out

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If you’re a mama, near Bowling Green, and find yourself with alone time, keep reading!

My oldest daughter is doing a gifted program at the local university each Saturday of the month so I find myself pleasantly and strangely in Bowling Green without children and time to explore.

Whenever I have the opportunity to explore a different city, there are several common things I am always interested to find: a nice park or outdoor area to walk and be in nature, a local coffee shop, and an experience unique to the area.

I read about several local parks in Bowling Green the week leading up to our first visit and the RiverWalk stood out to me, mainly because I have always been charmed by bridges and being near the water. Granted it is winter and no leaves on the trees, but I could imagine this would be a most beautiful place to walk in spring and fall.

I was surprised and mesmerized by the powerful churning of the river water as I stood on the bridge. I must have stood there for a good ten minutes, just thinking no thought and listening to the sound of the water, watching the white foamy water rapidly move downstream.

On my walk I also was able to see one of the longest trains I had ever seen in my life pass by. We have trains near our town, but the length of this one was so impressive to me, and it blew it’s horn the entire time.

I also chose the park hoping to find solitude early on a Saturday morning, and that’s exactly what I found. I only encountered one other person jogging, but felt the rest of my walk that I had the park all to myself.

After my walk I was eager to make way to my next stop, a Himalayan salt cave. Visiting a salt cave was interestingly enough a new bucket list item for me, and I had just learned about them a few months ago. The concept of the cave intrigued me: skin benefits, release of toxins and negative energy, and support for the respiratory system.

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When I arrived I told the lady I had a Groupon. (Look into this – it saved me $16.) She informed me that there was a private session going on and to come back the next hour which I did.

I asked for her help with my search for the best coffee in the area and she mentioned a Starbucks across the street or a local shop. I was quick to let her know I wanted the local shop! She directed me to Q Coffee Emporium which was only three minutes from the salt cave. If you would like to know more about my salt cave experience I shared all about it here in a separate post.

I was delighted as soon as I pulled into Q Coffee Emporium. It had garage doors that looked as if it would be open air in the warmer months, and the entrance and parking was in the back. When I asked about what they were known for, the barista told me they get their coffee from Nashville, and it’s the same coffee they have at Frothy Monkey. Well, I adore Frothy Monkey. So Nashville Frothy Monkey friends, take note. I had a cafe latte and toasted bagel with cream cheese and butter. Both were delish.

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If you’re looking for an enticing atmosphere, Q Coffee Emporium delivers. It’s oozing with charm. There is a cozy area indoors with couches, books, games and natural light. There’s an area that makes an excellent workspace with tables and outlets for charging. There’s an outdoor area with firepit and blankets. This was my personal favorite. There’s also a more traditional looking area that is better suited for dining.

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I also appreciated the bathroom doors labeled “Humans” instead of the traditional “Men” and “Women.”

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I spent the better part of an hour here, and left feeling like I had three different experiences: I ate, sipped coffee, wrote for a bit, and cozied up by the fire. I left there thinking, “If I lived here, I would be a regular.”

 

Memory Resolution Technique
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Memory Resolution Technique

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Have you ever had a painful memory that kept haunting you? You couldn’t seem to get it out of your mind? The power of oils and scent is amazing!

I was skeptical at first, but I read the memory resolution chapter of this book, Aroma Freedom Technique, and followed the steps to a tee. I used the oils pictured exactly as it specified, and I have to say I am amazed how much relief I feel related to my memory. I went from obsessive thoughts of it to feeling it was very petty and old news by the end of the process.

You can find the book here. In addition to Lavender, Frankincense and Stress Away, you will also want Inner Child and Believe essential oil blends to complete this entire technique.

Do you have a memory resolution or aroma freedom technique success story? I would love to know in the comments!

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Oils for Emotional Support

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https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/referral/2183425

Oils for Emotional Support (per Gary Young, Young Living Essential Oils founder) ❤️

Are you ready? This is straight from the notes I took from our live session with Gary Young during convention in 2016.

YOU might want a pen and paper to jot down specific oils that pertain to you for your own needs. I can tell you my wish list definitely grew after this session! HERE WE GO! (Oils are in ALL CAPS)

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Emotions are the most powerful tool you have in your arsenal. Powerful in creativity and construction and equally powerful in destruction. You can use them to drive you into greatness or into the grave. But the will drive you one way of the other. If you do nothing you will stagnate, which is the same as death.

What can help you navigate your senses in a constructive way? COMMON SENSE. Where else can you buy it? Use it.

Every substance that God created has a frequency. Every man-made thing does too. God-made frequency (oils) leads to construction and man-made (not oils) leads to destruction.

There are many ways to travel through life be sure to choose one.

When you are presented with something, never say “no I don’t want to do that.” When you say that you build up a wall of negative energy that says “I don’t want to do that.” Self sabotage. You’re letting someone decide what you will or wont do. You end up spending more energy building walls than accepting life.

We’re not all cut out to do the same things. But don’t short-change yourself from experiencing life. Instead maybe say “let me think about it.” Don’t shut the door or build walls. Never close life out. Say words that leave the door open. Don’t put a wall around you that may block what you need.

Life is based on structure, belief and behavior patterns. How are you creating the pattern of success if you’re saying “I don’t want to,” “I can’t,” or “I’ll try?”

You either did it or you didn’t do it. There is no try. Two words to eliminate: CAN’T and TRY. You will never reach success using those two words.

We have the power to change, to adapt to any situation. No other living creature can do this. We can change our behavior pattern. How?

CLARITY. If you have a behavior pattern you don’t like, use while your sleeping, diffuse it. You’ll start noticing a shift.

FORGIVENESS. The behavior pattern could have been instilled in you from a parent or grandparent. You may feel like you are betraying them by doing things differently. No one was meant to be a cookie cutter. You are very special to God.

Our behavior patterns are those of our parents and ancestors and are encoded in my DNA. The function of DNA is to store genetic info.

ABUNDANCE. Put it on your checks and in your PO Box/ Mailbox. Put abundance on your checks when you pay your bills. Where as perfume. This is to attract prosperity and also to attract others to you.

We can change how we see ourselves. We can change our beliefs which will change our attitudes which will change our behaviors.

Don’t be a victim of yourself instead of a successor.

You always want your children and your grandchildren to be better than you.

Rear sight (present emotion) and your front sight (distant emotion). Use your past emotion to lead you to your future destiny. It’s as simple as CHOICE.

Every blend is created specifically for a need. Absolutely no oil blends were created for profit.

COMFORTONE. For bowels support. “smooth move”

Everything that goes on in your life is determined by emotion. It’s always there before the physical manifest. Runny nose, sore backside all began with an emotion.

Talk to God about your day what you feel good about or not, do a self- evaluation. Be more gentle, attentive, caring. Your greatest power is in self-evaluation and it only has power if you’re honest with yourself.

Take responsibility for your choices.

You can be whatever you want to be. You have to first choose it.

MOTIVATION. Put drop on pillow before you go to bed or use in bath. Keep on nightstand. Snort it. Will help you get out of bed.

En-R-Gee. Up the spine.

Put Motivation and En-R-Gee on at the same time. En-R –Gee up the spine and Motivation on your feet.

Pay attention to how you talk. There’s always pressure from some place in the world and you feel burdened. Here is the key to getting out of that space. The new behavior is using essential oils, becoming greater than you were.

PRESENT TIME should be on your person at all times. Helps keep you feeling burdens of life. You are secure with who you are and in control. This is when God resides with you – present time. When God resides with you, you are the most powerful force on the face of the earth and nothing can stop you.

When the sun sets at the end of the day, are you satisfied with what you accomplished? If you’re satisfied you will keep trying so always keep your expectations a little higher than where you are.

HARMONY. When you wrestle with yourself in your self-talk. When you’re playing mind games it comes from insecurity.

Gary was first to bring EOs to America.

Use when playing mind games. >HARMONY, CLARITY and BRAIN POWER plus VALOR.

Writing is the most powerful tool that you have to release. Write down things you like, don’t like. What you want and don’t want. Write constantly.

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This is just the first half of my notes from Gary’s 2016 session! Stay tuned for the second half in an upcoming post.

If you are interested in grabbing any of these amazing oils, you can find them here.

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Essential Oils Companies that let you visit their farms…

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I thought this was very interesting! #repost

Sarah Goff called 15 essential oil companies and asked if she could tour their farms to see how the essential oils are made. I have toured Young Living’s farms several times. You can check them out too.

Here is a list of the company, phone number, and answer to what Sarah learned.

1. NOW essential oils: 888-669-3663, they do not grow their own plants. This either means that their “oils” are made in a lab or they buy plants from random farms.

2. Piping Rock Essential Oils: 1-800-544-1925, the representative told me no. She did not give me any explanation.

3. Aura Cacia essential oils: 1-844-550-7200, the rep said that they do not grow their own essential oils. She would not give me the names or numbers of the farms where they buy the plants.

4. AnimalEO: 320-286-3277, the mailbox was full. 😂

5. Mountain Rose Herbs essential oils: 800-879-3337. The rep said I cannot see the farms because their plants are sourced. She would not give me the name or numbers of the farms so I could ask them.

6. Edens Garden essential oils: 949-388-1999, the website said to not take the oils internally (Young Living Vitality oils are FDA regulated to take internally). The rep said that she had never received a question like that before and asked to place me on hold. She returned to tell me that they do not own any of their own farms and that I cannot calls those farms.

7. OnePure essential oils: only available by email. They did not respond to my message.

8. Healing Solutions essential oils: 1-800-819-4098, the rep had to place me on hold. He returned to say that I cannot see the farms. He said that the company is not equipped for face-to-face consultations.

9. Gurunanda essential oils: 866-421-0309, the rep told me that they source their oils and that I cannot see the farms.

10. Plant Therapy essential oils: 800-917-6577, the rep told me that they do not own their own farms and I would not be able to take a tour to see the plants or oils be made.

11. Rocky Mountain essential oils: 1-866-493-8159, the rep said that they do not own their own farms. I quoted, “We do not have any direct correlation with the farms, so it would be impossible for us to set anything up.”

12. doTERRA essential oils: 1-800-411-8151, the rep had to place me on hold. He said that I can only come on tours that are offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30. I told him that did not work with my schedule, and he was not sure how to respond.

(Edited to add: DoTerra does not allow tours of their farms. I got clarification that the times listed about are for tours of their headquarters, not farms. According to DoTerra’s website, they do not own any farms.)

13. Jade Bloom essential oils: 1-844-787-3645, after listening to a long message, they do not take phone calls. I emailed and asked to see the farms. They have not returned my email.

14. Melaleuca essential oils: 208-522-0700, Mindy Buda actually made this phone call 🖤 she said that the rep told her that there are no farms for Mindy to tour. The rep then said she doesn’t know where the farms are and cannot give any other information.

15. Young Living Essential Oils: 1-800-371-3515, I called and pretended to be someone who is interested in the oils but not yet a member. I was directed to the Visitor’s Center (1-800-371-0819). I was told that I do not need a tour guide or anyone with me while I tour the farms. The farms are open M-F 8am-6pm, Saturday 9-5, and closed on Sunday. She said I can also tour the distilleries where the plants are made into oils.

I feel like these results speak for themselves. I was very emotional after making all of these phone calls and getting answers.

Why do some companies not know where their farms are?

Why wouldn’t they give me a phone number?

Why do some companies not have anything to do with how their plants are grown?

Why was I given an answer of “no?”

Why can’t I ingest something that I made from plants?

Why do some oil companies make their oils in labs and not from plants?

Why can I only visit a farm WITH a tour guide? Why can’t I go by myself?

Why did every company claims to “set the standard” and have the “highest quality oils available,” but they had no part in farming the plants?

Why don’t the employees know where or how the product is made?

How can you sell something to someone knowing they are going to put it on themselves/their kids and not know anything about it? ”

Feel free to call these numbers and see what they say.

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The photos included in this blog post were taken on my visit to one of the many Young Living owned farms. All research described above was done by Sarah Goff, shared with permission.

You can get started with Young Living Essential oils here.

– Angie