Free your Mind: Aromatherapy and Mindfulness Meditation

1. Free your Mind: Aromatherapy and Mindfulness Meditation Chestnut Hill College Health Services

2. Stressed out?

3. Long-term stress can cause: • Weight gain • Getting sick more often • Bad mood / temper • Anxiety and panic attacks • Headaches • Difficulty concentrating / poor memory • Upset stomach • Poor sleep • Heart attack and stroke

4. Stress is all around. So what can we do about it? • We cannot prevent stressful moments from happening. • We CAN decide how we will react to stress. vs.

5. Your Do-It-Yourself Relaxation Kit: • Chamomile Tea • Almonds and Blueberries • Mindfulness Meditation • Aromatherapy • Eye Pillow

6. Mindfulness: Live in the Moment Be aware. Be present. Be exactly where you are. Experience all the sensations of right now. An Exercise: A cup of tea

7. Mindfulness: Live in the Moment Mindful Meditation • Be aware and present in the moment • Short, easy breathing practices • Focus on your breathing to quiet the mind • Take a moment for yourself to relax • Can be used any time of the day

8. Mindfulness Meditation Practice An Exercise: Three Breaths Dr. Michael Baime, Penn Center for Mindfulness As soon as he rings the bell: • Close your eyes or look down at the floor • Listen closely • Try to take it seriously

9. Mindfulness Meditation Practice An Exercise: 3-minute guided sitting meditation Dr. Michael Baime, Penn Center for Mindfulness First 30 seconds: Notice what is happening right now in the mind and body Next 2 minutes: Bring attention to the breath and moment to moment sensations Last 30 seconds: Return to the sense of your whole body

10. Where to find more information • Audio: Guided Mindfulness Meditation (Jon Kabat-Zinn) • Borrow 4 CDs for free from Health Services • Upload from CD to iTunes and mp3 player • Classes: Penn Program for Mindfulness (Michael Baime) http://www.pennmedicine.org/stress/ • Book: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness(Jon Kabat-Zinn)

11. Aromatherapy Lavender • Calms the nervous system • Relieves anxiety • Lifts mood • Promotes deeper, more peaceful sleep

12. Make Your Own Eye Pillow • Place about 3/4 cup of dry rice into a snack size resealable bag. Seal it closed. • Place about 1 teaspoon of dried lavender blossoms into tea bag. Tuck the flap inside. • Place the snack bag and tea bag into clean, low cut sock. • Apply sticky velcro to sock cuff and seal it closed. • Apply to eyes, lie down, breathe, and relax!

13. Make Your Own Eye Pillow • Can be placed in refrigerator for cooling effect • Care of eye pillow: • Machine wash sock after periodic use (remove contents prior to washing) • Keep rice away from moisture. Replace rice if it gets wet. • Replace lavender when it loses its aroma. Try other scents such as peppermint for a more awakening sensation.

14. “If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.” -Mary Engelbreit “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” -Mohandas K. Gandhi “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look once in awhile, you could miss it.” -Ferris Bueller