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Renii Modisette • January 29, 2024

Autopilot, say what?

As quickly as the new year arrives and new initiatives begin, so does time. With time, one may soon gravitate to, even without intention, autopilot. Here are a few  tools to add to your MTO toolkit, to help to manage autopilot after detecting when it is on and then turning it off to be present in the moment and savor MTO. 


Topical and external application methods formulated with essential oils are a great addition to your toolkit. Yep! But with great joy comes greater responsibility, so it is imperative to ensure that carrier oils are formulated in the blend.Carrier oils help to protect our skin from irritations since essential oils are potent. Ask! If you have a morning, evening, or nightly routine, consider adding a topical method that includes essential oils as part of your MTO KPIs for physical and emotional well-being. 


Body Butter and Balms 


Consider a Body Butter, whether whipped or not; physically, a nourishing body butter should offer deep moisturization. Additional benefits are increased circulation and oxygenation of our skin tissue. For instance, Mind Escape Vibe offers a whipped body butter that is calmative, which means it helps to calm and simultaneously help with one's mood. The blend's essential oils help balance mood, lower cortisol levels, and work as a nervine and glandular supporter, aiding the body as a cooling adaptogen to help with hot flashes. 



Balms have a solid consistency, and depending on the balms, they will have a specific intention, such as sore muscles or relieve pain like low back pain or joint pain. Mind Escape Vibe's Soothing Balm is made with natural hemp oil and essential oils with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and soothing properties that help with low back pain, joint pain, sore muscles, and nerve pain.


Solutions Are Great, but let’s not forget about Essential Oils 101! 


Citrus essential oils uplift and invigorate while also offering physical benefits. Most citrus essential oils are photosensitive, meaning that there could be discoloration once applied to the skin and then exposed to the sun. It is recommended to avoid sun exposure for 9-12 hours. For instance, Pink Grapefruit, Citrus paradisi is a citrus essential oil. A few properties for the essential oil include diuretic, cardiotonic, and immune stimulating properties. Pink Grapefruit can help with edema and lymphatic drainage. Hormonally, the essential oil can help with high or low estrogen, low progesterone, high or low cortisol, high insulin and low thyroid.

 

Floral essential oils are light and dainty; many have calmative and restorative properties and are commonly used in perfume and colognes. Although many florals are non-irritating, there can be some contraindications. It would help if you read the label to ensure you know the contraindications for yourself or teens. Consider Ylang Ylang, Canaga odorata which has cardiotonic and heart tonic properties among many other properties. Ylang Ylang can aid with adrenal exhaustion, high or low estrogen, high cortisol, high insulin, and low thyroid, but its contraindication is to use caution with low blood pressure.

 

Woodsy essential oils are heavy and grounding. Most woodsy essential oils center the blend and center the individual. It's the "sigh" of the blend. When combined with citrus and florals, woodsy essential oils enhance the powerful properties of the formulation. Take Cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, and its benefits for the circulatory and lymphatic system, the essential oil promotes homeostasis, lymphatic drainage, and enhances circulation.

 

Spicy essential oils and their circulatory benefits such as its ability to induce heat, help to stimulate circulation and lymphatic function, allow for better blood flow and blood pressure function, and calm irregular heartbeats and palpitations. An essential oil that I absolutely adore is Black Pepper, Piper nigrum with its diuretic properties, also good for heart health, and lymphatic congestion.

 

Camphoraceous essential oils are minty, cool, and refreshing. Camphoraceous essential oils enhance our ability to breathe especially if one feels emotionally suffocated or overwhelmed, while offering  physical benefits for multiple body systems.  For instance, Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, also an herbaceous essential oil has supportive benefits for the circulatory system with its cardiotonic and diuretic properties; the essential oil helps with poor circulation, lymphatic drainage, and adrenal support.



Do you have a question about essential oils? Submit your question, here.

LEAN INTO:CouRagE EMBRACE: Honesty, Bravery, and Perseverance

By Renii Modisette • December 27, 2024
We begin to say goodbye to 2024 with cooler temperatures and yuletide attitudes as December ends. One thing is sure: self-regulation starts with the Self despite all else. In the last blog for 2024, I explore the sixth and final virtue, Courage, as well as three character strengths: Honesty, Bravery, and Perseverance, with the pendulum swinging both ways as a reminder we can make it through the first starting with Self. A great conclusion to the MTO Lean-in Series, which focuses on character strengths and virtues from the VIA Institute. I had initially planned to finish this series in October, but I found myself overwhelmed with school and work. I had convinced myself that I could push through despite feeling fatigued. However, I realized that the virtue of Courage also encompasses the character strength of Honesty. It was time for me to be honest with myself, which meant reevaluating the narrative I had created in my head. So, I took a break and reframed my internal dialogue to accept my revised story to remind myself that the pendulum swings both ways, so I must put myself first and focus on myself to overcome a self-imposed narrative that pushing through is the best way. I challenge you, amidst this season of giving and gratitude, to be honest with yourSELF—it's a personal journey. Is being honest with yourself a sign of bravery? Depending on who you ask, you might get different answers. In my opinion, yes, we are often harder on ourSELVES than anyone else is. Bravery is usually defined as resilience, facing fears, and not shrinking in the face of a threat or challenge. So, why can't SELF be a challenge? To help you navigate this solitary journey of self-awareness, consider the following statement:  "I AM in charge of how I react to others. I choose to respond in a positive way."

Where are you on the tightrope? MTO Lean-in Series, Part IV

By Renii Modisette • October 13, 2024
Hello October! Q4 is in full swing, with MTO KPIs still at the forefront. It feels like I was saying "Happy New Year" just yesterday. Towards the end of June, I began the MTO Lean-in Series, which focuses on character strengths and virtues from the VIA Institute. I learned about the character strengths and virtues while completing my Positive Psychology Practitioner studies and found them intriguing, especially in relation to enhancing my mindfulness practice. So far, I've covered Temperance, Transcendence, Humanity, and Justice. This month, I'll be discussing the fifth virtue, Wisdom, as well as three character strengths: Judgment, Curiosity, and Perspective. I'll then conclude the series with the sixth virtue in the November blog post. For more information on VIA's character strengths, please visit the VIA Institute website at https://www.viacharacter.org. WISDOM Let’s begin with I've coined the Wisdom Tightrope when discussing the virtue of Wisdom because it involves a balancing act depending on the situation. The first character strength, Judgment, is rooted in critical thinking to counteract faulty thinking and biased opinions. When overused, Judgment can lead to narrow-mindedness, and when underused, one isn't reflective enough. Ironically, it is often frowned upon to judge ourselves and others, yet our analytical mind somehow gets in the way, which allows us to debate whether something that is frowned upon should be up for discussion.

MTO Lean In Series: Part III

By Renii Modisette • September 2, 2024
This month's blog post features Part III of the MTO Lean in Series. In this edition, we discuss the virtue of Justice and two-character strengths. To learn more about VIA character strengths, please visit the VIA Institute.
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