Sensitive Leadership, Resilience and Pure Essential Oils

Sensitivity, Leadership, Resilience and essential oils – unlikely bedfellows? Not at all. 

The more research I do into the highly sensitive trait, the common challenges and strengths that come with the Highly Sensitive Person’s (HSP’s) unique physiology and crucially, what helps me personally as an HSP, the deeper I go into the importance of maintaining an underlying foundation of wellness.

I’ve come to realise that resilience doesn’t come from sporadic spa days, booked as a last resort when our nervous systems are on the brink of collapse; instead resilience is a lifestyle.

The idea of resilience being the ability to ‘bounce back’ in the face of adversity – quite honestly grates for me. I wonder whether this definition and expectation of resilience has been created by the 30% of the population who are not sensitive. For those of you familiar with the orchid, tulip, dandelion theory of sensitivity as a spectrum, those would be the dandelions. Which would mean the current view of resilience doesn’t work for 70% of the population.

HSPs in particular, will rarely bounce back, shiny and good as new when bad things happen. They can and will, however, process what has happened deeply, bear the emotional scars and if they have done some personal development work, will often bounce forward, incorporating the lessons from the situation, to go forth wiser and better prepared.

This idea of bouncing forward, not back is at the heart of a new model of resilience I have developed – it’s called Revolutionary Resilience. Revolutionary, because it is built on ideas drawn from Nature, self-awareness, seeing sensitivity as a strength and making decisions that focus on legacy, not short-termism.

Revolutionary Resilience is my antidote to the – in my view – toxic ‘bounce back’ culture that can leave many of us feeling inadequate and less than others.

So where do essential oils fit into this new model of resilience?

As the first Alerters of our species, we will respond to things before others do. Sadly this includes toxins. Because of our innate physiology, HSPs can be more prone to stress which can lead to illness – if we’re not actively practicing self-care.

But when we make the effort to create healthy environments for ourselves, this doesn’t have to be the case. This is the key to thriving as an HSP. 

I pay attention to what I put on my body and what I consume because I know I have a highly responsive nervous system. Over the years I’ve noticed how certain foods disagree with me and the way they make me feel when I eat too much of them. I’ve worked with Nutritionists in a bid to improve my gut health, tried eating exclusively plant-based foods, taken umpteen supplements and tests. All of which helped to a degree.

But I wanted to take responsibility for my own health. To find a way to maintain my wellness without needing to go to the doctor or book a consultation and pay someone every time I felt something was ‘off’ in my system. 

I started to explore dοTERRA pure essential oils and initially, their supplements, containing these potent, nature-derived essential oils. It was only after taking them for a few months, when I had a week without them before I received my next order -  that I realised how effective these supplements actually were. My niggly aches and pains, that I’d blissfully forgotten while taking the supplements, started to resurface. I noticed the dip in my energy levels. This was accidental proof that the supplements were working to create a foundation of wellness and resilience for me.

As I learnt more about the essential oils, I was able to use them for emotional support. Feeling stressed? I turned to one of my favourites – Balance. Tipping into overwhelm? Out came Copaiba. Dog jumping all over my guests? Turns out Copaiba calms him down too. 

My cleaning products have now been replaced. No more headaches or needing to open the windows wide when cleaning the house. No need to squint to read through the long list of incomprehensible ingredients on the labels to see if they are toxic. 

The same is true for my everyday personal care products. I can use them with complete confidence that they aren’t adding to my toxic load and are probably even doing me good from the addition of the pure essential oils.

Through reducing my toxic load and using products that enhance my wellness rather than depleting it, I am steadily building my resilience. My nervous system is being supported by Nature every day. 

Now, when life gets busy and things don’t go according to plan, my baseline level of coping is much higher than it used to be. These pure essential oils are part of my daily routine, along with as-regular-as possible exercise, good sleep and other HSP-self-care necessities, so when inevitable setbacks occur, I’m able to bounce forward. 

To be truly resilient as an HSP requires investment in a daily practice. A cumulation of healthy habits that support our sensitive nervous systems and build a strong foundation. I’ve found essential oils to be extremely effective in doing this, which is why they now form a core strand of my coaching support for sensitive female leaders.

To find out how you can incorporate pure, essential oils in your daily routine to build your resilience, join one of my free workshops, or get in touch to arrange a call. 

Being able to show up consistently and effectively as a sensitive leader is so much easier with a healthy nervous system and good health.