I am a big time essential oil enthusiast. Not only do they smell heavenly and have so many ways to utilize them, they also have so many benefits, too. The last few weeks I've been using a new blend I decided to throw together one day, it instantly blew me away how much I loved it so I decided to do some deeper research on the blend and the oils it consisted of.

            Where do I begin with this recipe!? It's calming. Peaceful. Uplifting. Anxiety fighting. It smells good and it's only made with three essential oils.


            I typically do equal parts for each essential oil with this blend, whether I put it in my diffuser or use it with my favorite way to "wear" essential oils (my homemade necklaces made of hemp string and stones). Breaking down this oil recipe, I wanted to share with you a bit on what each oil brings to this blend...

Lavender

Sweet Orange

            - it acts as an antidepressant
            - it's uplifting

Peppermint
            - it fights anxiety
            - helps fight pain, nausea, and other forms of discomfort

            And those are just a few of the things each oil does! But I wanted to focus on the properties that make this blend so incredible so I limited it to those benefits. Let me know in the comments below if you plan on using this blend or if you've ever used any like it! And if you do try it, let me know what you think!

            If I accomplish anything in this life, it's to see all the beauty and diversity that God's created in the world. For as long as I can remember I've been struck by the travel bug. I honestly can't remember being happier than I was the first time I left everything familiar and discovered the full, undying extent of my wanderlust in Córdoba, Spain. I wrote about some of my favorite bits that have remained like snapshots in my mind, so without further ado...

I LEFT MY HEART IN SPAIN, AND WITH ME I TOOK WANDERLUST...

            I took walks through tangled, intricate gardens, designed with perfect intention. I set foot in buildings whose architecture moved my soul to emotions of gratitude so extreme I'd never quite felt before. The world fell still while I stood on top of castles and temples, watching the city and landscape dissolve into the horizon. And during this time I discovered undoubtedly, whether I was mid-exploring an old church, caught in a breathtaking view, drinking lemon Fanta at a market, dancing at my brothers wedding, or  doing something as simple as sitting on that balcony, that I would never stop dreaming of this feeling again. That wanderlust had caught me, heart and soul, and I was destined to find it again.

1. ARE MY ACTIONS GUIDED BY LOVE OR FEAR?
    
            Although I pray and pray that I'll be guided by love, I'm absolutely a slave to fear. Most of it stems from my anxiety and my overwhelming fear of failure and disappointing others. I have good days where my actions are guided by love and I'm filled with a peaceful heart over the things I'm pursuing because I'm doing it out of complete love and joy. But there are the other days that seem much more frequent when it feels like I'm mostly doing things just to keep from feeling anxious.

2. WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT WHEN I AM ALONE?

            Honestly, so many things. But I'm in this constant mindset of my potential. Of the type of person I feel I am in my soul but I don't always know how to express on the outside. My head is always stuck on the possibilities of things, the infinite directions choices can lead us. I'm also a terrible over thinker, so sometimes things get blown out of proportion. And I'm a huge daydreamer, my imagination is always going.

3. WHAT MOVIE MADE ME CRY THE MOST?

            Dude. So. Many. Movies. I am such a cry baby when it comes to movies and books and shows. I get way to invested in fictional stories and characters. My Girl. Me Before You. A Walk to Remember. 10 Things I Hate About You.

4. WHAT ARE THE BEST AND WORST PARTS OF MY PERSONALITY?

            The best thing: I always put other people's happiness and peace before me. I'm pretty empathetic about how other's are feeling and their experiences and I can't stand to be in a better state than those around me. I'll do anything to lift others up and make them feel important.

            The worst thing: Kind of goes along with the best thing, I'm really not at all a social butterfly and I'm not good at expressing myself. I tend to internalize everything and I'm really not good at conversation either. I can write about things all day long but as soon as I have to speak them my whole brain turns to mush. So as much as I do connect and empathize with others, I can't always express it and it never gets across the right way to the other person.

5. HOW WOULD MY PERFECT PARTNER TREAT ME?

            Someone who constantly guide's me towards God's grace as I will him. That's always in my mind been the one ideal I aspire to in my relationships, or rather a necessity to it. Someone who also pushes me to love myself, love others, and to work hard. And ultimately someone who is fiercely loyal and faithful.

6. WHAT TIMES AM I MOST INSPIRED?

            I'm always most inspired late, late at night, but even more so in the early morning. Weekend mornings are my absolute favorite because I can wake up with the sun, give time to my morning rituals, and in return I'm always super productive.

7. IF I DIDN'T KNOW HOW OLD I WAS WHAT WOULD I ASSUME?

            I've always been such an old soul and I'm such a homebody. So soulfully, probably a lot older. But appearance wise, I really still look like I'm a teenager.

8. WHEN DO I FEEL THE MOST LIKE MYSELF?

            Writing. Photography. Art. Traveling. I wrote about it in a lot of detail here, talking about all the things that made me feel most alive.

9. WHAT DOES LOVE FEEL LIKE?

            Everything on intensity. 

10. WHAT GOOD COMES FROM PAIN?

            I look back at the times where I was at my worst and in a lot of pain, and foremost I witness an abundance of growth. You can't grow from being comfortable and it's every bit true that you can't find beauty without knowing the ugly. 

11. WHAT IS WORST, FAILING OR NEVER TRYING?

            Hands down, never trying is so much worse. There's truly nothing more awful than wondering 'what if.' And ultimately success is impossible without failure. There's a lot of learning and growth through the failure. And that's coming from someone who is terrified of failure.

            Today I wanted to share with you something near and dear to my heart. As someone who struggles with anxiety and has definitely been through seasons where I've let it get the best of me, I've always found that God's grace was the constant to pull me out.

            Jesus led this perfect life and yet died so that we who live such imperfect lives would not be held accountable for our sins when it came to our eternity. He overcame the world so that we wouldn't have to. I often find myself in awe when I think of the kind of life Jesus led, and how much more there must be to it that we've only scratched the surface of. All the things he witnessed and all the lives he touched during his brief time on Earth and here we are and he's still completely changing our hearts, wrecking us and remolding us to this very day.

            John 16:33 says:


           I've always known John 16:33, and the message behind it has always been a big deal to me, but it wasn't until I read a book called Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko (an incredible book, by the way) that my whole heart shifted with this scripture.

            "Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble, but he instructed us to take heart, because he has overcome the world (John 16:33). It is interesting that he said 'take heart,' because heart is also translated as courageousness, so he is saying 'take courage.' We often think of courage as an emotion or attribute that you either have or don't. Not so. Jesus' command is for you to take it from his hand - as much as you need... As we wait on the Lord, our hearts are strengthened, and we see things that are invisible and can then do things that are impossible."

            So when Jesus said heart, he was talking about:
                        courage
                        boldness
                        bravery
                        determination
                        faithfulness
                        fearlessness
                        firmness
                        fortitude

          And the beautiful thing about this is that it's not because of who we are, but it's because of who Christ is. Christ, his grace and his love, is an endless source of courage to take on the world with. And it doesn't matter how anxious, scared, weak, fearful, sinful, undeserving, or broken you feel. We are instructed to take from God's hand, and as much as we need. How pure and whole is that kind of love? It kind of leaves me speechless.

            To this day I've never looked at those words the same way. Sometimes even the word heart in a completely different context will call out to me. It's often too easy to let our anxieties get the best of us, we let fear control us and dictate are actions. Knowing that God has all the courage we need and we have access to it, lifts all that weight off our shoulders. There's something totally infinite and unconquerable about it, and that's all because of who Christ is. 

Listening: to this playlist full of worship songs
Making: stone wrapped hemp pendants
Welcoming: the last weeks of summer, happily
Eating: garlic hummus and pita crackers
Drinking: lots and lots of La Croix
Watching: Criminal Minds
Reading: Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist 
Wishing: desperately for a good thunderstorm
Smelling: lavender essential oil
Praying: that I may find my own place in the next few months
Loving: how connected I feel to this blog I'm creating
Playing: my guitar, when I'm feeling inspired to
Thanking: God every day for his love 
Missing: a lot of my good friends and family that don't live so close to me
Writing: almost everyday, which I'm loving, and I really have this blog to thank for constantly inspiring me to pursue my writing
Discovering: how incredible natural products are working in my skincare routine
Thinking: a lot about traveling
Feeling: faithful that God will provide in this next chapter of my life