Depression – His Mercy is New

This time I’m not getting back in the car…

There have been 2 times in my life when anxiety has manifested itself physically in my body. (As opposed to the racing, obsessive thoughts that were my typical manifestation.)

The first time was nearly 13 years ago when I was walking into Walmart with 3 babies in tow. Just getting there had been monumental. I was on the verge of tears all the time. I was tired. I was hormonal. 3 babies in 3 years did quite the number on me. Just walking into the grocery store seemed impossible. What would I do if one (or heaven forbid 2) of them started crying? How would I fit groceries into the cart with 2 toddlers and a car seat carrier? What if I couldn’t make it through the store without crying?

In that moment I felt panic well up within me, in my chest, & I got back in the car and drove home. I couldn’t do it.

13 years later I’m here again but I’m not getting back in the car. I’m fighting. I’m learning to breathe. Literally & figuratively. And there are 3 main things helping me learn to breathe deeply in this season. Yes, lifestyle change is HUGE. What we put into our bodies and how we move our bodies will help with our mental health SO MUCH. But, for today, these the immediate things helping me…

1. God’s Word is a balm to my soul. I am once again falling in love with the comfort & peace He gives me when I sit in His presence. Oh, He is so good. Summer in the Psalms has been just what my heart needed. I have started a collection of verses that I am writing & putting in my phone for quick recall.

2. Breathing in essential oils in the moment of anxiety. For several moments. Y’all. The research is astounding for oils & emotions. Google it. Read pub med articles. Get high quality oils & start smelling them. Be weird. It’s worth it. (Go here to read more of my story with oils.)

3. Wise, trusted mentors & friends. I happen to have several of these amazing people in my life. One is my actual counselor. Several other friends will meet with me when I need it or “meet me” on Marco Polo. They speak truth from God’s Word to me. They read pages to me from books to encourage me. They talk me off the ledge of bad decisions I want to make in the moment. They share their own experiences from years past. They help me not feel crazy. ha! We all need a few people like that in our lives, right!??

“For no matter where I am, even when I’m far from home, I will cry out to you… When I’m feeble & overwhelmed, guide me into your glory where I am safe & sheltered. Ps. 61:2.

P.S. I wrote this a few days ago and already I’m breathing easier…life is a journey, so many seasons. I pray that through it all I can give Him glory for all He is doing…in the good and the bad and IN THE WAITING!

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How I Am Learning to Renew My Mind

Sometimes I am tempted to believe that lie that I will never have healthy emotions or that I will always struggle in certain areas of life. The powerful truth that WE CAN CHANGE is something God has been working in my heart for about a year now. Romans 12:2 says that we can be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of our minds. But, I admit, I don’t always believe it. So, I keep doing those GOOD THINGS that I know are bringing me one step closer.

That renewing takes WORK. It takes being INTENTIONAL. Whatever your struggle is, whether it’s a relationship, your job, your emotions or a physical ailment, we must continually be renewing our minds with TRUTH.

I am also learning that our minds, bodies and souls are so closely tied together. Have you ever noticed that when you don’t sleep well your mood is affected? Have you noticed that when you eat certain foods you have more energy? Or less energy?

When we feel good we are more able to live out the callings on our lives – and SERVE the PEOPLE in our lives – with joy and confidence and energy.

Galatians 6:9 tells us to NOT GROW WEARY of doing good. Most of the time, quite honestly, we know the good things we need to be doing. But we are waiting to feel motivated.

Don’t wait to feel like doing the things you know you need to do. Get up and do the thing, friends!

How I Am Learning to Renew My Mind

I am asking God to help me re-direct my thoughts the MOMENT the lie pops into my head. This seems to be a huge hurdle for me. But I am getting quicker. I like to write verses down on cards and also use my phone with alarms to go off with verses too. I am working on a list of TRUTHS that help me personally to combat the specific lies I face the most often. (In my next post I will share a list of Scriptures that are helping me personally.)

What you eat matters so much. I have noticed that when I eat a big plate of pancakes, I feel pretty yucky several hours later or the next day. Hmmmm. Not a coincidence! That doesn’t mean that all those carbs are bad for you, but that is one thing my body seems to do better without.

Move your body. Exercise – both cardio and strength training – are so very good for our mental health. When I get done exercising I have a boost of all those good hormones and I feel like I can conquer the world. So, when I went a few weeks without exercising, I noticed a big difference! Get out there and move! Even if it’s a slow start…walk around the block, whatever you need to do to get moving.

Read your Bible. But don’t stop at just reading it. Write a verse that reminds your heart of truth and carry it with you through your day. Pray it. Meditate on it. Fill your mind with truth. I encourage you to work on a list of verses that apply to your own life circumstances and truths that you need to remember.

Pray. Without ceasing. Even if all you can muster is whispering the Name of Jesus, do it. There is POWER in His Name and in turning our eyes to HIM. Tell Him your fears, your worries, your burdens. Let Him minister to your heart as only He can.

Use essential oils all day everyday. Consistency is KEY. Our sense of smell goes straight to the place in our brains where our emotions are stored. So, these tiny little molecules that are pure & high quality being working to help support healthy emotions. Unlike the toxic candles and cleaners and other things we may be breathing in, oils actually HELP our bodies to do what they were made to do. You can read more about essential oils and how they have helped me personally here.

Find what motivates you and spend time DAILY doing that thing. For me that is reading books. For you it may be listening to podcasts or sermons. Personal growth is HUGE when it comes to renewing our minds. I read a few pages every morning and then when I have a chance during the day of good books that help me to re-focus. My very favorite books on mindset: 40 Days to a Joy Filled Life, The Happiness Dare, Battlefield of the Mind, and Victory Over Darkness.

Get good sleep. Sleep is so important. If you don’t know all the ways that a lack of sleep impacts your life, do a quick google search. After being on sleep meds for so many years, I now use a natural supplement called Immupro from Young Living to help me sleep. Waking up with energy has been a total miracle!!

Fill your body with supplements to boost all of your systems. You may have heard it said that “all disease starts in the gut…” — Hippocrates. If this is true, so many of our problems (including emotional problems) can be helped by using probiotics and taking care to put GOOD things into our bodies and not things that hurt the gut. I currently use the following supplements to support every system in my body: Ningxia Red, Omega 3, Immupro, Life 9 (our probiotic) and Multigreens.

Be careful what you fill your mind with. Choose your reading material wisely. Change the channel. Better yet, turn the TV off. Be intentional about what music you listen to. Turn on the praise music and TURN IT UP. Praise silences the enemy.

Count your blessings. Name them. Write them. Focus on them. When you are tempted with thoughts of self pity, make yourself start naming the blessings in your life. Gratitude can change a life.

Galatians 6:9 Pep Talk

Watch the video here if you’re reading this post in an email.

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Honest, Imperfect and Beautiful

This quote has me in a puddle of tears this morning. I have tried to share authentically about my struggles online for a few years now. But have I really been honest with you? Better yet, am I being honest with myself? What if I sought to live my own beautiful & honest life instead of what I think you want to read or see here on social media? What if I lived my life that way? And what if my beautiful isn’t beautiful to you? (These are painful questions for me, friends.)

I have lived under the lie that I am insecure and not confident and not ok with who I am for so long that I’m finding it hard to break free. You see, I *thought* I was being honest by sharing those struggles…and in those moments I was being as honest as I knew to be.

But God. Those things actually are not true. I am not insecure. I am whole and free and strong and SECURE IN CHRIST. I am COMPLETE in Christ. I am FREE and FORGIVEN. I am a NEW CREATION. I am a child of God. I’m no longer a slave to fear. I have VICTORY in Jesus. I am flawed yet being perfected & renewed day by day. I am STRONG because of HIS POWER that lives IN ME. I serve a RESURRECTED Savior who is ALIVE and lives in me. I.am.loved.

If I believe He is alive and that He conquered the grave, then I can choose to believe He is resurrecting me, too.

Y’all. I feel it in my bones. He is doing something new. He is changing me. The resurrected King is RESURRECTING ME. Aren’t you so beyond thankful that God doesn’t STOP doing new things or give up on us? Just because I have seen myself in light of my weakness for {FAR TOO LONG} doesn’t mean that is who I am. Just because it seemed impossible yesterday doesn’t mean that it can’t happen TODAY. Just because I see something through the lens of defeat doesn’t mean that God can’t create BEAUTY from those ASHES. Y’all. He is doing a new thing. And the choice is mine: am I going to believe Him for it or not?!

New mercies. Every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.

Resurrecting by Elevation Worship

Go listen to this song Resurrecting by Elevation Worship today and let’s make the choice to BELIEVE GOD. (click on the link if you’re reading this post in an email.)

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Sign up for 5-Day Essential Oils Email Series

Lately I have gotten into the habit of sharing a short portion of Isaiah 61:3 every time I tell my story.

“He gives beauty for ashes…”

Why that verse? Because if God’s Word wasn’t true, I wouldn’t be here today sharing my story with you. Because I believe with every fiber of my being that He does and WILL bring beauty from the ashes of our lives. You may be sitting in the ashes today. Hold on. Hang on. Cling to Jesus. Because the beauty is coming…

Essential oils played a huge role in my wellness journey. They were a BRIDGE to better health…a catalyst…a stepping stone in the right direction to get me moving forward once again.

If you’ve been wanting to learn more about essential oils but are not able to attend a class locally or just want to learn more, I have a fun 5-day EMAIL SERIES I will begin sending out to anyone who signs up for it!

In this series I will be sharing:

My wellness journey (losing 50 pounds)
My journey off of anti-depressants
My favorite oils for emotional wellness
The other most common oils we use in our home
More info from our team leader who is a medical doctor

Click here to sign up for the 5-Day Email series!

**If you’ve EVER unsubscribed from my blog email list, you will not be able to sign up for this email series unless you go back and subscribe to my main email list. This is because my email service thinks I am trying to add someone who does not wish to receive my emails so they won’t add you here. 🙂

You can also read more of my journey about essential oils here on this page!

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4 Ways I Use Frankincense Daily

Because I have shared so much of my journey here over the years, it is only fitting that I now share the things that are helping me the most!

And frankincense is probably THE OIL that has helped me on my journey to emotional wellness more than any other!

Of all the ancient scripture oils, frankincense has the greatest story and the longest history – widely regarded as the most powerful aromatic substance in ancient times. Frankincense historically has been considered more valuable than gold.

Frankincense trees exist today that could very well have existed during the time of Christ. Our Frankincense is SO amazing and there is none in the world like it—harvested from trees that are more than 40 years old by the expertise of Bedouin shepherds that have been doing this for thousands of years.

If you’re reading this in an email, click here to view my short 3 minute video on how I use frankincense!

4 Ways I Use Frankincense

I put a drop of frankincense in my face moisturizer every morning. Frankincense is so good for your skin, among many other things!
I put a drop of frankincense on my thumb and press to the roof of my mouth for moments of stress & overwhelmed feelings. You can do this as needed.
I put frankincense (with Peace & Calming – heavenly!) in my diffuser at night when it’s been a really long day! 2 drops of each. In addition to the diffuser, I carry a bottle in my purse and smell as needed.
For the last week or so, for extra support, I have been putting 2-3 drops in a capsule for extra emotional support. (Do not ingest oils from walmart or anywhere else…you don’t know exactly what all is in these oils.)

How to Research

I wanted to make a quick recommendation. I know for many of us oils start out as being really weird and we find ourselves pretty skeptical. I know. I’ve been there. Ask my good friend that I bought my starter kit from. I think she tried to convince me for over a year. ha! AND I did NOT buy my starter kit for emotional wellness. I got started with essential oils for other reasons…but emotional wellness has been the NUMBER ONE benefit I never expected. Essential oils are SO good for mood.

Your sense of smell goes straight to that part of your brain where your emotions, memories and hormones are stored. Do you have any smells that trigger memories for you? THAT is why essential oils work! Your other senses do not do this!

Do some google research:

sense of smell and limbic system
essential oils and amygdala
go to PubMed and type different oils and benefits into the search bar. I dare you.
sense of smell and memories
sense of smell and emotions
essential oils and emotions

Do you wonder why Frankincense is a most costly oil?

This video is amazing…shows ALL that goes into the frankincense harvesting process and the trees from which the oil comes.

Our company owns or partners with farms all over the world. We know exactly what does (and does not) go onto our soil and into our bottles. Some places and some plants are harder to harvest, come from farther way, etc. That is why each oil has a different price.

Getting Started with Essential Oils

The best way to get started with essential oils is NOT to get one oil and hope it changes your life. 🙂 Our starter kit has 11 of the most well-loved oils AND a diffuser (everyone using oils NEEDS a diffuser or 10) with some samples and a wholesale membership that will save you 24% off everything on the site.

The best part? You get our SISTERHOOD of women on this wellness journey led by my friend and a medical doctor, Dr. Edie Wadsworth. She does tons of teaching and videos and classes inside our group just for our team. She has classes on gut health, hormones, nutrition, emotions and more. You will love her teaching and learn SO MUCH.

In fact, one of my goals is for NONE of my members to feel so overwhelmed they don’t know what to do with their oils! We LOVE answering questions and supporting our members and truly become like family.

Click here to read more about my story and how oils have played into that. Then click “become a wholesale member” from this page to order your kit. As soon as you get our kit ordered we will add you to our groups. You can start learning right away before your kit ever comes in the mail! Please feel free to comment or send me an email or message if you have any questions!

The Young Living Starter Kit

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