Manage your Moods Naturally: A Simple Guide to your Mental Wellbeing
My husband spent years battling serious mood swings before we got married and it almost tore us apart.
When he was at his best, he was the vibrant, energetic man I know and love. But when he was at his worst, I did not recognize him. He was like a different person, and it concerned and scared me.
The truth is, there are a lot of people who have natural “mood cycles” - who are up and down and who live in extremes. I was worried about Gabe and I told him so. And when he came to terms with his dramatic mood swings, he embarked on a wellness journey that changed him and saved our relationship forever.
I am so proud of Gabe. In fact, when I created this blog I figured I needed to write about Gabe’s mental wellness tools in depth. My own husband’s health journey has inspired me so much to teach about essential oils and good supplements.
So you might be wondering…what did Gabe do to manage his mental health naturally?
We hope you love this guide and it changes your life! Gabe and I put together this list of the things that helped him the most. When discussing this topic, we both realized that there was not just ONE simple thing that “fixed” him. It was actually the fact that small, consistent lifestyle changes added up for him and created a snowball effect.
Small, consistent change is the way to go. We want to encourage you to choose just 2 of these items and focus on them steadily and wholeheartedly for at least 30 days. Then, choose another change and do that too. Research has shown us that forming a habit takes time and that good habits are what really create life transformation. (Recommended read: Atomic Habits by James Clear).
So without further ado… get ready to make some change.
Tip #1: Do the Opposite
You might just be in a series of bad patterns. You might even have a lifestyle made entirely of bad habits that just keep adding up! When X happens, you usually do Y. But you can reprogram yourself! Start small. If you usually sit on the couch when you feel depressed and watch The Bachelor, take a walk around the neighborhood instead. This may seem really silly, but it’s actually key. Instead of doing what you always do, make that critical decision to do the opposite. Try replacing your usual, unhelpful action with a different one.
One of the best things to replace unhelpful habits with are physical actions, things that get your body moving. This does NOT have to be strenuous exercise! It can be walking around the block, walking to the mailbox, or playing fetch with the dog. This has been very effective for Gabe and for so many others who find themselves doing the same things over and over again with no change.
It’s easy to think that you have to do a TOTAL overhaul of your life and change everything to see dramatic change. But guess what? Simply “doing the opposite” has created a massive difference. Try it and let us know what transformations you see in yourself.
Tip #2: Take the LLV
The doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Vitamins have been helpful for both of us in managing our mental and emotional health, and our physical wellbeing too. In fact, when Gabe started taking them he noticed very quickly that he wasn’t craving junk food and felt more energetic in general. I often credit the LLV as being the savior to our relationship. Thanks doTERRA!
The LLV (Lifelong Vitality Vitamins) are designed to help reduce inflammation in the body and support gut healing. You can read about them in-depth here and watch a video my friend, practitioner Dr. Josie Schmidt made about their benefits. We both recommend them and many in our essential oil community have seen profound change after starting them.
Specifically, Gabe and I take the LLV vitamins every day to help balance our gut bacteria, since gut health is linked to mental and emotional wellbeing. We take 2 of each before breakfast, then 2 of each before we eat lunch.
Tip #3: Eat lots and lots (and lots!) of fruits and vegetables
This suggestion sounds obvious but for both of us it has made us feel so much better. Your body is a machine that needs key nutrients to survive and thrive. Whereas our ancestors easily ate what they needed from the earth, mass production and synthetic products have made it harder to get what we need. Eating fruits and vegetables makes our body SO happy and helps it function as it needs to!
Gabe looks to cook and garden so he often reaches into our own yard for fresh ingredients. We also enjoy buying produce at farm stands or trading with friends. He makes a lot of smoothies with fresh greens and fruits, makes a lot of meat and veggie scrambles, and he feels a lot better the more veggies he eats. This was one of the most helpful things Gabe began doing when he started making changes to his routines.
Tip #4: Avoid refined sugar, gluten, and processed foods
Dietary suggestions are different for different people of course, but this is what we have been doing and it’s working for us. In general, we don’t eat a lot of sugar, gluten, or processed foods. Our mental health is linked to our gut health and processed foods can be harmful for gut bacteria. Since we began avoiding these things we have found ourselves much, much happier.
We actually do group cleanses using the oils and supplements 2x yearly, led by skilled practitioners. If you get started using doTERRA oils with me, be sure to ask me for the link to the group and I’ll make sure you get access to everything!
Tip #5: Use your doTERRA Oils
Of course we need to use our oils right?! In our household we use essential oils to help manage our emotional state every day, and even every hour. Gabe has incorporated oils into many of his daily routines and these are some of his mental-health favorites.
Gabe loves using:
Balance blend (rub 3-4 drops into your heart daily right now!)
Copaiba (1-2 drops under your tongue every few hours for anxiousness)
Citrus Bliss (diffuse a few drops and feel your energy shift!)
Whisper (apply 1 drop to your wrist)
Blue Tansy (Apply to the chest and back of your neck)
Sandalwood (massage 1 drop into pulse points)
Frankincense (put a drop under your tongue for anxious feelings)
Elevation Blend (diffuse to lighten and elevate your mood! Pairs beautifully with Serenity blend while you’re working)
Tip #6: Use Citrus Oils in your Water
This seems small but it’s HUGE. Using a drop of doTERRA Lemon essential oil in your water with every meal helps support your liver and kidneys naturally and it’s fantastic for your health and wellbeing. Make sure to use glass or stainless steel - the beauty of Lemon is that it can break down synthetic agents like plastic!
Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water a day, and 32oz of it should be first thing in the morning. Wondering how many drops to take per day? Begin slowly with 5 drops a day, working your way up to 10 or 20.
Tip #7: Choose to Believe in the power of your thoughts
It is a subtle but powerful life shift: To choose belief in yourself, the universe, and the power of your own intentions. Especially right now that choice can transform your life and the lives around you. We encourage you to think about what your thoughts are dwelling on right now and shift them to exploring the positive aspects of your life and our community.
Tip #8: Get 8 hours of sleep every night
We’re parents of 2 children under 3 so we KNOW this is not always possible! But think about how incredible your life would be, and how confident and capable YOU will be, when you get a full night’s sleep.
Turn off your screens 2 hours before bedtime and use epson salts in a bath to relax. Massage Serenity blend into the soles of your feet 30 minutes before bedtime. Diffuse Serenity blend or other incredible sleep oils like Vetiver, Siberian Fir or Lavender! For more information on using doTERRA oils to support your sleep, check out my blog post on this topic or click here to request a sample of oils for sleep.
Smart Small to change your life.
Choose 2 of these changes and implement them into your daily routine for 30 days. So much good can come from this!