How To Get Rid Of Those Greys?
|How to get out of that winter rut, when life is a series of greys and you find yourself walking in a fog…fog within and fog without? I was wondering why people use the colour ‘blue’ about feeling down in the dumps. Grey would be much more apt—I’ve got the greys, feeling rather grey. Yet, Rhythm and Blues sounds better than Rhythm and Greys, right?
Well, whether the skies are bright blue or the colors in every direction are 20 shades of grey, there are things we can do to spark up some colour in our psyches.
Thinking of the different senses, lets start with the nose. One could begin by lighting some scented candles, or a stick of incense. However, to get just the right odor for the occasion, there are specific essential oils to use for different needs:
Need relief from emotional or physical fatigue? There are essential oils of dozens of scents, but the ones to energize are basil, bergamot, eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender. Here’s a recipe for a concoction that can provide some relief from everyday stress:
Blend together:
35 drops of Basil essential oil
35 drops of Bergamot essential oil
5 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops of Lavender essential oil
15 drops of Peppermint essential oil
Once blended, combine 12 drops of the oil mixture with one quarter cup of distilled water, and diffuse it in the air using a candle aromatherapy lamp.
Here’s an energy booster:
4 oz distilled water
8 drops of Lemon essential oil
8 drops of Peppermint essential oil
5 drops of Rosemary essential oil
Shake them altogether in a spray bottle. Use as an air freshener, spray on workout equipment, or onto your sports towel.
My second sense that gets attention is my hearing: I’ve got a fairly eclectic set of music, but I’d stay away from broody Rachmaninoff or Beethoven if I need some pepping or cheering up. Rather get some Rolling Stones, Jack Johnson, Journey or Beatles set up in my ears—and then I could just possibly be moved to getting into the rhythm of the beat.
The third assault on the grey day and third sense to be used would be taste. Get those taste buds jingling around. But first, I’d have to get out some recipes, and ones that would help me get my mind out of the grey dumps would be baking bread—with different types of grains. I’d get rid of some stress with the 10 minutes necessary for kneading, get infinite satisfaction from seeing the dough rise in the bowl and later in the pans. While waiting for the bread to rise, make some Italian tomato sauce. Man, all the scents coming out of my kitchen would be mingling with the scents from my candles, and hopefully I’d be bouncing to the music all the while. The grand finale would be getting to have a slice of bread, slathered with butter, dipped in tomato sauce.
[Img.Src: Kay Laurell of ]