You know that whirring-through-space feeling the holidays tend to bring? The crazy that comes with getting ready for a gathering or shopping til you drop!?

Everything tumbling around, moving overly fast, twisting out of the normal routine, and amplified by familial turbulence.

It’s enough to make you wish for some powerful, calming potion you serve your family (and yourself).

HINT: Not wine.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

You may have heard that smell is a powerful conduit for memory. However, did you know that when you're feeling down, you can uplift your mood with essential oils? It's true. And it's not just hear-say; there are scientific studies that support the positive effects of using scent to alter emotional states. 

For good or ill, scent can directly affect your mind and mood.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Fall meant Apple Hill where I grew up. Like clockwork, the air would turn crisper, and seemingly everyone would trek to the Hill for apple everything—donuts, cider, apples in caramel, and apple-picking. Applesauce and apple pies everywhere.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The back-to-school season is a mammoth shift for kids and their families alike. Even more notorious are back-to-school illnesses at all ages, which spread far beyond the home and classroom. Every company with an employee who needs to pick up a sick kid at a moment's notice is familiar with the disruption.

If you aren’t already using essential oils, time to start! They're a fantastic way to jumpstart the immune system and reinforce your children's healthy—and yours!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

“I was a little excited but mostly blorft. 'Blorft' is an adjective I just made up that means 'Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.' I have been blorft every day for the past seven years.”    ~Tina Fey, Bossypants

Stress has become the new status quo for many people and even entire populations.

Handling daily fatigue is naturally a huge concern. The skyrocketing number of prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications like Xanax is a strong indicator; so is the massive spike in cases of anti-anxiety prescription abuse [...]

Are your shoulders and necks getting tense? This stress is especially true for those who spend a lot of time on the computer. Many of us get tense in the shoulders, neck, and jaw—nine-to-fivers and mom entrepreneurs alike. Whether you are in an office at a desk or running errands, everyday activities like texting, driving, or even sleeping can contribute to a stiff neck. When was the last time you really stretched your fingers and forearms?

Related reading time: 4 minutes

The way we move our bodies has a profound impact on our brains—our moods, sleep, interpersonal communication, and emotional intelligence. MRI scans show that yoga in particular can make your brain more calm and self-aware.

Out of the hundreds of yoga poses, some are naturally calming for the parasympathetic nervous system more than others, which take the body from fight-or-flight mode into rest-and-digest. Especially in stressful times, grounding and centering ourselves are vital! See what poses will help the most.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes ♥ A yoga practice: a lifetime endeavor

Willpower is an unruly topic, to say the least. Whether some people are inherently “better” at self-control is still a topic of debate. What’s more important is how you exercise your willpower.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve shown you how to “spring clean” old habits from your brain. Using four achievable steps, we’ve presented mindfulness and neuroscience research to for re-patterning your thoughts, reaching your goals and freeing your mind from old habits that were impeding your success. First, we focused on a goal. Then we visualized a plan. Third, we explained the neuroscience behind [...]

“Now is the age of anxiety,” wrote Depression-era poet W. H. Auden, but now could easily be the age of anxiety too. To be human is to be anxious; anxiety is a natural, fight-or-flight instinct intended to keep us alive, but it can also make life unbearable. These natural remedies for anxiety may help you.

Estimated reading time: 4.5 minutes