The summer holidays can be a ton of fun! It can also lead to stress, anxiety, physical injury, hangovers, and digestive issues. In this top ten list, we are going to talk about some of the ways to avoid those ailments or to recover quickly from them if you missed the opportunity for preventative measures. Read through this list and act on it so that you can have the most fun the holidays have to offer!
#1. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is one of the most important ways to avoid heat stroke, headaches, hangovers, and digestive issues during the summer holiday. Our body is comprised of mostly water and most of our systems run most efficiently when we have a proper hydration level. When we get dehydrated our blood thickens and nutrients, oxygen, and vital building blocks are delivered throughout the body less efficiently; it also takes a lot longer to flush toxins out of the body. My rule of thumb when drinking during a summer holiday (the fun drinks) is to have one glass of equal size to each alcoholic drink I consume. If you get tired of drinking plain water add a couple of drops of doTERRA lemon essential oil to your glass and it will be a lot more enjoyable. Plus the lemon oil will assist in the detoxing process, a double bonus!
#2. Prepare for Family Stress
They are family…so we love them, right? True, but we don’t always like them around, especially during the busy holiday moments when Uncle Pete just really wants to critique the way that we put the paprika on the deviled eggs. When the stress is getting to you be sure to take a moment to relieve it so you can continue enjoying the holiday, not making it a tedious chore. Three simple techniques to assist with that are 1) Morning meditation – take a couple of minutes the day of the party to sit peacefully and meditate. Clearing the mind early on and allowing the body to relax can make the rest of the day a lot more enjoyable. 2) Take a deep breath – when we take a deep breath in it immediately relaxes our body and sends the signal that things are all right. Take time whenever you start to feel that stress building to take a deep breath and revel in the relaxation. 3) Use a calming essential oil – for stress relief it is less important which one it is. Choose one that is calming or has a nice scent to you and carry it in your pocket periodically open the bottle and smell it or put a dab on your upper lip so that you can smell it regularly. Consequently, this may be a great way to calm people around you too as they smell the oil you are wearing.
#3. Keep Your Energy Up
Summer holidays are often long days full of lots of sun and lots of activity. Make sure that throughout the day you are giving your body what it needs to keep going during these long days. Lots of the food and drinks that will be consumed are high in fat and sugar; both of which don’t provide much-staying energy. Make sure you are eating plenty of healthy vegetables and other nutrient-rich snacks (nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and healthy smoothies are way better for you than chips, cupcakes, and common snacks!) You can also use natural sources of energy like local, raw honey, ginseng root, or doTERRA’s Mito 2 Max. Getting energy boosts from these sources rather than a stimulant like caffeine provides the body with clean, sustainable boosts without a backend crash.
#4. Avoid Bloating and Indigestion
Heavy foods combined with alcohol can lead to indigestion, upset stomach, acid reflux, and bloating. With these common items during summer holidays the acidity in the stomach is decreased to a point that it doesn’t break down our food as well. Until the acidity balances out after we will continue to have these negative side effects of our fun living! One super simple fix is to take a glass of water and add a tablespoon or two of baking soda to make a nice (working) seltzer water. The baking soda will assist to calm the stomach and restore the gut to a healthy balance. Another great option is to drink or eat plenty of probiotics. You can get these in kombucha, fermented pickles, sour kraut, and in supplement form. Adding an extra boost of probiotics before having a summer party meal can really decrease the symptoms of overeating and overindulging. If you are already suffering, doTERRA’s DigestZen will quickly become your best friend. This essential oil blend is designed to assist with your digestive ailments quickly and effectively. I have used it many times after eating something that my body didn’t like and it clears it up almost immediately!
#5. Help Pets with Holiday Stress
The summer holidays can be really stressful for pets. Whether it is the firework show blasting above them or the overwhelming number of people they aren’t used to; finding ways to help them will make your holiday a lot more enjoyable too. Essential oils are metabolized the same way in dogs and horses as they are in humans; cats, however, metabolize them differently and essential oils should not be used on them. Picking a calming oil and applying it to your dog or horse along the spine will assist them in making the holidays easier to handle. Wood, floral, or citrus oils can be a great choice for this. The best practice is to put them somewhere that the animal can’t lick because then you don’t have to worry about it getting in their mouths. Remember, don’t use essential oils on cats…ever!
#6. Natural Sunscreen
Sunscreen can be full of really nasty chemicals. You can make your own super simple sunscreen with zinc oxide. Zinc oxide is a UV reflector that is a really fine powder and is easy to add to a clean lotion to make a nice sunscreen. The particles are large enough that they don’t get absorbed by the body. I like to add a little bit of distilled water to the lotion I add the zinc oxide to because it makes it a little easier to mix in and it also makes it easier to apply once you make your mix. You want to be careful with making your own sunscreen though because you don’t always know the exact SPF. Make sure that you test it and reapply it frequently when you are in the sun, especially when playing in the water.
#7. Sunburn Recovery
Sunburns are inevitable during summertime fun. There is going to be a time when we forget to reapply or that 5 minutes in the water turns into two hours and we find that we are now a cooked lobster. The first need is to take the heat out of the burn. Ice can feel really good on the burn and can slow the effect of the sun on the body. This is a great first-day approach. Applying lotion and aloe vera should be avoided on the first day because it actually creates a layer on top of the skin trapping the heat in and can make the burn worse.
Lavender and Peppermint essential oils will also help draw out the heat of the burn (peppermint) and speed up skin repair (lavender). The essential oils also penetrate into the skin so there isn’t a concern about them trapping the heat. I like to apply the essential oils about every 30 minutes when I have a bad sunburn or whenever I feel the heat starting to come back. Another option is to put the lavender and peppermint in a glass spray bottle with water and mist it on; this is much nicer if the burn is too bad to rub. The oils work like a dream, as long as when you dream you are still uncomfortable and unable to lie down! Starting day 2 I will also add the aloe vera and lotion to keep the top skin as healthy and moisturized as possible to avoid peeling.
#8. Grilling with Essential Oils
Essential oils are bioavailable and therefore permeate through flesh and fat; this makes them super handy to use as a marinade tool for barbecuing. Using essential oils in lieu of herbs shortens the marinade time needed and makes it a lot easier to infuse flavors from hard-to-find or hard-to-use herbs. Recently, we made our Peach Moonshine Chipotle “Fall of the Bones” ribs and I was amazed at being able to apply the dry rub and put the ribs immediately into the oven. The flavor was even throughout all the meat and they were literally the best ribs I have ever had. Try the recipe today! You can also make a watermelon spritzer with lime essential oil. Simply add about 10 drops of lime oil to a 4 oz glass sprayer bottle and mist it over your watermelon before eating. This adds a beautiful citrus flavor to the watermelon and really compliments its natural flavor. Happy grilling!
#9. Cocktails with Essential Oils
Essential oils have an alcohol base so they incorporate evenly and completely into alcohol. This makes a simple way to infuse herbal flavors into cocktails and drinks. Simply add a few drops to a bottle of straight alcohol or add oils to the cocktail at the time of mixing. I love how the essential oils compliment the herb or fruit; it really rounds out the flavor and makes it a lot more robust but in a pleasant way. I have become a huge fan of using oils in my mixed drinks. To get some ideas, check out my most recent cocktails – Hibiscus Limeade Cooler and Watermelon Basil Margarita. Happy Mixing!
#10. Recovery from Hangovers
Hangovers happen…the best way to avoid them is proper hydration and moderating your alcohol intake. Since that doesn’t always happen, we have a couple of oils that help reduce the main symptoms of the hangover. We have actually assembled our Hangover Recovery Kit to take the pain out of the hangover. The Past Tense blend by doTERRA is great for bringing down the inflammation and pain from headaches. That is my primary go-to for my hangover recovery. My second go-to is lemon essential oil because it helps pull the toxins of the alcohol out of my body a lot quicker. Using these two in tandem makes the day after a lot more pleasant.
Have a happy summer!
