This story begins with a seemingly harmless, good ol' fashioned soak in the tub.
I added Pink Himalayan salts to the perfect temperature water - check.
The eagerly anticipated podcast downloaded and cued up - check!
"Hmm. What oils do I have at home to play with today?"
You would think because I am of course, such an experienced Aromatherapist, that I would have a lovely assortment gingerly displayed, bath worthy aroma's always on hand - right? With the dawn of a new year upon us, my tendency to de-clutter was in full effect.
Due to this clutter aversion, all I had at home were oils like Juniper, or Tea Tree, or Spikenard - all of which are aroma's I consider no more pleasant than my cat's litter box & equally as pungent…
I needed something...festive, relaxing, something to inspire "letting go"...when I remembered seeing a bottle of Tension Release! Lavender, Marjoram, Blue Tansy and Peppermint! Yummy. I knew it had been around for a while, this went perfectly in line with my "get rid of the old stuff today!" mantra. Perfect, I'll use it up.
Essential Oils - Check!!
I took off the reducer top, and POURED some in. ("Just use it up Jodi!", I thought)
I finally get in the tub after a long week. My mind was stimulated by the anticipated podcast and my body relaxed by the warm water and scent. "What a wonderful way to ring in the New Year!" or so I thought...
Then, the cold shiver.
The menthol from the peppermint from the blend that I POURED into my bath, viciously cooled my skin, my blood, my tissues. Have you ever brushed your teeth and drank cold water right away? Yeah, THAT feeling, but all over MY ENTIRE BODY.
"Ignore it. It's fine, I'm good, add more hot water, it'll go away."
Nope. Didn't help. I am now COLD in my HOT bath! Now at this point, I just need to get up and wash the oils off, just like the chilling effects of 2016.
Then I remembered reading an email less than a week prior, from someone who had had a similar experience. She had purchased bath salts with an essential oil blend that had a strong dose of peppermint in it. It had made her quite uncomfortably cold, feeling shivers 24 hours later.
Seeking sympathy from my sweet husband on how my bath time experience ended, whom did I mention has been working for 3 solid days upgrading my website, while I was "relaxing"?
My super helpful husband Joel just equated my situation to a motorcycles analogy, as he does with most conversations and said - "it's like target fixation".
"What?"
"Target fixation - while driving, when you focus on something you want to avoid - you end up hitting it."
Did reading that email caused me to create the same situation, overdosing myself with peppermint in the bath? Hidden spiritual lesson ringing in 2017 here? Hmm...The spiritual teaching, "Where attention goes, energy flows" echoed through my mind.
So ends my luxurious hot bath with pink Himalayan salts, streaming webinar, and a shiver-inducing blend of oils.
The moral of the story is, Peppermint sucks in the bath tub, if you use it, add only 1-2 drops - only on a 100 degree day, or with a 100 degree fever. Not in January in Minnesnow-ta, where it's 42 below...
I have since applied my mantra in warmer ways :)
Jodi
About this article: This article was re-posted by Jodi Baglien, from her blog on http://www.jodibaglien.com/about-jodi, during her time as an educator on TrailheadHealth.com. We thank her for his participation and expertize.
Jodi Baglien is “Bringing Aromatherapy into Healthcare.” She is the first US Aromatherapist to provide the innovative Aromatherapy Inhalation Patch to hospitals, senior care facilities, and mental health providers. Jodi combines 16 years of experience as a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, Educator, and Holistic Therapist. She delivers an evidence-based, compliant, and sustainable aromatherapy program to health care settings, both long and short-term. She has been training medical professionals on how to effectively use essential oils in order to provide non-pharmaceutical options to reduce stress, agitation, improve rest and reduce pain scores. Her programs have shown excellent results, with psychotropic medications in nursing homes, reducing by 35% on average. With a powerful mix of experience, compassion, and science-based research, Jodi offers a clear protocol within the best practices of professional aromatherapy. As a recognized wellness authority, she is dedicated to personalized consulting and wholehearted staff education.
To learn more about how Aromatherapy is making a difference in HealthCare institutions visit Jodi's page at http://www.jodibaglien.com/healthcare-programs/