How to Not Be a Good Host
UPDATE 3/20:
I wrote this blog 8 days ago and yet it feels like a year ago already.
We’ve been isolating for about 5 days, making an early trip for groceries every few days … This morning we did our last grocery top up to anticipate what we’ll need for the next 2 weeks. I think it’s smart to prepare for that happening even if the talk of a complete shut down are only rumours.
I wrote another post a few days ago, Times Like These … there is and will continue to be alot of good that comes of this. For now - we are loving our daily walks and facetimes with family over coffee.
Keep well friends,
xx
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How are you doing?
These are unsettling times aren’t they?
I’ve been feeling it too … bummed, stressed, overwhelmed …
I was supposed to be heading to Arizona for a leadership retreat with over 4000 of our high level doTERRA leaders.
Last week at this time, I had just finished preparing the workshop I had prepared on the topic of ‘Life by Design’ (oh the irony here)
I had shirts printed. lunches + dinners + meetups planned for that cherished face time.
All was just cancelled. Poof.
And it was the right thing to do.
Many events + conferences have been cancelled in an effort to reduce the community spread and “flatten the curve” . The South x Southwest conference and Tony Robbins and the NBA and many schools.
This all being prior to the WHO announcing this virus as a global pandemic yesterday.
Regardless of what we believe is going on right now with this virus, the reality is, it’s going to change the way we carry on for the next few months.
Within minutes, it seemed that toilet paper + hand sanitizer were wiped clear from the shelves and many of our fave OnGuard products suddenly out of stock.
Yesterday, I posted a DIY hand sanitizer to my oil community after reading through the recommendations from the CDC that recipes must include over 60% rubbing alcohol to be effective. Only to discover that rubbing alcohol is now vanishing off shelves and what is avail has been jacked up to be over $30 when last week it was only $5.
Things are evolving quickly.
If not within the spread itself, certainly within our access to products + our scheduled plans.
Fear moves fast.
It can feel overwhelming.
I know I have felt overwhelmed these last few days with the ripple effect of it all. If you’re feeling afraid, or overhwelmed or stressed right now, you are not alone. An event like this can feel like the rug has been ripped out from underneath you.
I really feel for families where there is no residual income stream integrated. Kids will be staying home due to school cancellations, and parents will be relying on support around them to continue to work.
Healthcare workers and first responders need to have extra immune reinforcements in place to stay strong as they will be more needed than ever.
Deep breaths.
There are theories that all of this is a farce with a political + vaccine agenda backbone to it … “the same people that sell the panic, sell the pill”
There are theories that all of this ‘panic’ is ridiculous and that this is nothing to be worried about when compared to the death rates we have with cancer, overdoses and car accidents.
There are theories that this is biowarfare and theories that the spread is being influenced by the recent install of 5G.
To be honest - I’ve held all of those theories over the past few weeks. And I could see this coronavirus vaccine coming a mile away. They’re paying people to test it as we speak.
We know how well fear sells - it’s the great motivator in buying + voting.
This is why we are also seeing many companies preying on fear and marketing their products as a cure. The FDA already has a list going.
And while fear is much like a virus, we do have an actual virus that is spreading quickly. And each of us have a responsibility to do what we can. There is a cost to waiting … this is a good article that explains that in more detail.
So …
How can we strike that balance of being informed + prepared, but not letting it consume us?
How do we come back to state of power and calmness and presence while the world is spinning?
And what is this whole thing here to teach us?
The gift within times like this is the opportunity we have, to go left while everyone is going right. To be calm and be ready for anything.
To practice self agency and support homeostasis.
See, ultimately the cage being rattled right now is the belief that someone is coming to save us all.
Image c/o Thirty Seconds Out
Tap tap … is this thing on?
It’s up to you.
It’s up to me.
I hypothesize that this is the barrier most people face when starting with doTERRA for example.
The whole lifestyle suggests more ownership, less outsourcing of your power.
I was ripe for it when I started using the oils 7 years ago. The marketing at that time was ‘be ready for anything’ … that made my cells light up! And it was the truest marketing I’ve ever experienced.
But even in times like this, many people struggle with this idea … they’ve gone their whole life believing there is someone out there that is going to make everything right again or heal them.
This transition towards self agency and personal health responsibility can be the tough.
But little by little, the trust with oneself grows.
Yes it’s true that this virus is something we’ve never dealt with before. And it appears to be spreading by double with each day.
It’s looking for hosts.
It’s looking for humans that are stressed, inflamed, overweight, anxious, drugged, toxic loaded, unprepared, government reliant and the fear filled.
If you’re new here, I have devoted the last 7 years of my work to teaching people how to become empowered self agents. To step into their power and not outsource as much as they were brought up to believe they needed to. What you will see in a time like this, is an illustration of who has been practicing self agency and personal health responsibility prior to this.
So, our most important question becomes … am I a good host?
Or how can I take ownership and live as though no one is coming to save me?
How to not be a good host:
Let’s get to some practical ways to prepare, to stay strong and be confident through this time.
If you have the feeling that the system you e subscribed prior to how, isn’t working anymore, let’s look at what a new system could look like.
This moment in time, offers us all a great opportunity to upgrade the way we are taking care of ourselves and our family …
Slow down and release the pressure valve on your calendar. This is a tough one for me because I’m such a planner … I mean you might know I’m the biggest fan of the colour coded Google Cal and Maximizer is my #1 strength. I love to squeeze the juice out of every minute I’m given. But I know how important it is to slow it all down right now. To be home with my crew and to enjoy more cooking and crafting and creating and playing and laughing.
Stay home. It’s the smartest + most responsible thing you could right now. Take this time to dial up the Hygge vibes, read books, listen to calming music + play games. Trade in the Narcos and Pandemic for Jim Gaffigan, Ricky Gervais, Friday Night Lights + Schitt’s Creek. On my Instagram, I have this highlight of Shows + Documentaries to check out.
Kids at home? Here’s a cute essential oil science workbook for them, pick up a bunch of paints + blank canvases to create on. I’ve also included a page above, out of the Supernatural Guide of 3 fun creations your kids can make (aroma play dough, bubbles + aroma crayons). Activate the free 30 day trial of Adventure Academy which makes learning fun and check out this crowdsourced spreadsheet of ideas parents have submitted.
Prepare some DIY plant creations for extra protection throughout the day as you do what you need to. I’ve also put these recipes into images 👆above for you:
➕ Hand Sanitizer: in a 30 ml bottle, add 4 tsp rubbing alcohol, 1 tsp fractionated coconut oil and 20 - 30 drops doTERRA OnGuard. Spray on hands when you don’t have access to soap + water. Rub hands together for 20 seconds. The CDC recommends that at least a 60% volume of alcohol be in the formulation. This DIY has 66%. I’ve also included an image below for how to make this DIY sanitizer using your empty 15ml essential oil bottles. You’ll need to purchase this spray head to pop on top. Alternative: OnGuard Sanitizer.
➕ Foaming Hand Soap: to a foaming soap container, add 2 tbsps unscented liquid castile soap, 1 tbsp fractionated coconut oil, 10 drops each Peppermint + OnGuard. Keep at all bathroom sinks and you can fill a little travel pump for hand-washing while you’re out. Alternative: OnGuard Foaming Soap
➕ Immune support roller bottle: to a 10ml roller, add 20 drops OnGuard and 10 drops Frankincense and fill remainder with fractionated coconut oil. Roll + Massage into neck + chest morning and night if you’re going to be out or if you feel run down. Alternative: OnGuard Rollerbottle
➕ Immune support all purpose cleaner: to a 16oz glass spray bottle (or add a spray top to an empty sparkling water bottle): add 2 tbsp OnGuard Cleaning Concentrate + 10 drops OnGuard + 10 drops Peppermint and top up with water. If you don’t have OnGuard Concentrate, sub with 1/4c rubbing alcohol or 1c vinegar and top up with water + oils. (If you want over 180 DIY recipes like this, check out my Supernatural Recipe Guide)Sleep longer + deeper. Buy yourself a pretty silk pillow case + eye mask. Massage vetiver into your feet and drop Serenity into your diffuser. Create a little routine to do with your kids at night. Mine choose their fave kids roller blend and I massage it into their forehead, behind their ears and bottoms of their feet while we talk about our day.
Hand Washing: Be extra mindful of what you’re touching. When I used to manage a district of Starbucks stores, my stores knew that one of my pushes was that all bathrooms had a garbage can right near the door, to encourage people to use their paper towel to open the door first. Flush the toilet with your foot. And gone are the days of public handshakes. This is a good time to review what proper hand washing looks like with your kids - choose a song they need to sing that is at least 20 seconds long. If you choose to wear a surgical mask, it will solely be to help you not touch your face or to protect others.
Supplements: Daily: Vit D + K2 and doTERRA Lifelong Vitality, PB Assist + DDR Prime Softgel.
When run down: Vitamin C and Elderberry Syrup. Note about Vit C: aim for 30g per lb of bodyweight. So if you’re 130lbs you need about 1800mg each day. I like to use a scoop of 2000mg Ascorbic Acid daily (such as Sufficient C)Nutrition: by far the most impactful and within your control. Focus on more whole foods, less packaged, low sugar. Stock up on freezer fruits + veggies. Prep homemade chicken soup to store in the freezer and integrate a daily nutrition boost smoothie with a few cups of organic greens, a cup of pineapple, 1 tsp of chia seeds, 1 tsp cacao nibs, 1/2 tsp of camu camu and collagen powder. Add immune protective herbs/veggies to dishes such as oregano, thyme, garlic and onions.
Stay hydrated. Drink your bodyweight in ounces of water daily. Adding 2 drops of Lemon essential oil and a serving of chlorophyll would be a smart addition. If you have friends joking/not joking about how they will be stocking up on wine, they are simply telling you about their prep to BE a good host.
Keep your body moving. Get fresh air each day near the trees. Roll out your yoga mat and try some free classes online from Down Dog Yoga.
Engage your lungs more intentionally to increase oxygen. Here are 3 new practices to try. Apply a drop of breathe or eucalyptus to palms and inhale before you begin.
Have a healthy stock of these essentials should you need to stay in the house for 4-6 weeks. This may seem absurd to you right now, but if the community spread continues to double each day, there will be many stores closing because they won’t have enough employees to work. Of course, we always have the online option, but you will see prices hike up due to supply + demand, just as we’ve seen with a few things already this week. Your question here is: If we had to stay in the house for 2 months, would we be okay?
Here’s a list of things to consider:
➕ Water: filtered + sparkling + coconut for electrolytes. If you don’t have a home filter, you might want to purchase a Brita pitcher.
➕ Toilet Paper: I had to. But also wanted to give you a different option. I just ordered 2 of these new Tushy Bidets. I’ve actually wanted to install a bidet for years and this is simple
➕ Frozen Fruit + Veggies: good time to fill the freezer with prepared freezer meals (I have lots of recipes here you can browse)
➕ Canned or bulk legumes/lentils/beans, canned fruits + veggies, soups
➕ Nut or seed mylk cartons and cans of full fat coconut milk
➕ Dry pasta + organic mac/cheese
➕ Steel cut oats
➕ Nuts + nut butters
➕ Seed + high fiber crackers
➕ Cheeses, jerky + olives
➕ Dog Food
➕ A kit of Batteries, Candles, Flashlights and an extra container of gas for your carIf there were 7 Essential oils that I would highlight as being smart to have in your home, it would be these. I’m not at liberty to share the research on why, so you can either trust me or you can take some time to research each of these oils on PubMed. ps friends - this isn’t the time to mess around with imitation essential oil brands. You need the real deal.
➕ On Guard: protective immune support; it comes as straight oil or diluted in a rollerbottle
➕ DDR Prime oil: healthy cell creation / apoptosis; it also comes as a softgel which I recommend taking daily
➕ Rose roller bottle: the queen, very protective; massage daily into chest
➕ Copaiba: engages many immune receptors within the endocannabinoid system. Take a drop under your tongue each morning or a softgel daily.
➕ Oregano roller bottle: powerhouse immune support; massage into feet at night and put socks on
➕ Eucalyptus: powerhouse respiratory support + lung expansion; massage a drop into chest and pull shirt over nose to form a breathing tent
➕ Frankincense: the king; add a drop under your tongue at night and add a drop to moisturizer on face + chest; it comes as straight oil or diluted in rollerbottle
I shared this post with you as I was taking inventory of our own preparedness. I find I am most calm + peaceful + in my power, when I feel prepared. And so, I want to end on that most important note. There is so much within your control.
Peace within your home and white space in your calendar will turn out to be your most effective strategy. Anytime you’re feeling the overwhelm and fear creep in, repeat this to yourself several times calmly: “peace begins with me.”
No fear, love bugs.
Stay safe, stay informed, stay calm and use your Adaptiv system as you do.
We’ll get through this. Take care of yourself and each other in this time when so many are acting selfish. We are all connected and what we do individually, we do for the whole.
Take this opportunity to look at where in your life you can make some upgrades and be ready for anything. Because that will repel this virus more than any bottle of $30 rubbing alcohol ever could.
The invitation is here.
Much love,
Ange
Ps … the double irony of my workshop being called Life x Design, is that I didn’t realize that this week we would all have the opportunity to actually live it.
Helpful Resources:
✔️ This blog as a video or as a podcast
✔️ If you’d like to join me for my next free essential oil + wellness class on March 24 @ 2pm. The topic is Immune Support Love.
✔️ If you’d like to be prepared with over 180 of the best DIY self + health care recipes, check out my Supernatural Recipe Guide.
✔️To see all the products I use + love, click here
✔️ To purchase essential oils, ordering info here.