Every spring, Mother Nature goes through an extraordinary transformation. And perhaps one of the most beautiful aspects of springtime is when all the flowers go into bloom.
These blossoms are certainly a sight for sore eyes after a long, cold winter, and they definitely help to lift the spirits. But flowers can also help to overcome negative emotions and stress in other ways, too.
One way is with flower essences – a simple method that taps into some serious flower power. And what better time to introduce flower essences into your life than during springtime?
What are flower essences?
Flower essences are tinctures. They were developed by a British physician, Dr. Edward Bach in the early 20th century. He believed that disease was the result of negative emotions held within the body. So, he set out to identify the emotional healing power of flowers to help address and overcome this.
That lead to the development of his now-popular Bach Flower Remedies, a collection of 38 flower essences, which are aimed to address negative emotion.
How are flower essences made?
Flower essences are tinctures. The flower, or simply the petals themselves, are placed in a bowl of water. Everything is left to sit as the energy of the flower transfers to the water.
Then, the flowers or petals are removed from the water, and a preservative – usually brandy – is added to turn this flower-infused water into a tincture.
What’s the difference between essential oils and flower essences?
There are many natural remedies to increase wellness, and it’s easy to confuse flower essences with other popular remedies. So, it’s important to remember that flower essences and essential oils are very different things.
The biggest difference is that flower essences focus on the vibrational energy of the flower, whereas essential oils tap into the actual physical properties of the plant’s oil.
Another big difference is that essential oils are fragrant substances and one reason why they’re commonly used in aromatherapy. Flower essences, on the other hand, are fragrance-free.
How to use flower essences
Flower essences are used to help heal negative emotions and stress. But this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
It’s easy to simply identify stress as just stress. And if we’re experiencing a negative emotion, we don’t tend to dive very deep to identify exactly what we’re feeling.
We usually stop at, “I’m stressed”, or with other vague statements. But there are many different types of negative emotions. And knowing which one you’re experiencing is key to using flower essences effectively.
In fact, each of the 38 flower essences is meant to address a specific negative emotion and type of stress.
So, the first and most important thing to do before taking a flower essence is to become self-aware. This allows you to dig deep and uncover what you’re feeling and why.
You can become more aware of your negative emotions by asking the following questions:
- How am I reacting to this situation or thought?
- What is causing me to react this way? (Fear, worry, anger, guilt, insecurity, etc.)
To help you identify with your emotions, it might help to journal or talk about it with a close and trusted friend, or coach.
Once you explore your emotional experience, you can look for the flower essence(s) that best support your current emotional need.
For example, Stephanie Gailing, a flower essence therapist, and astrologer shares that stress occurs because you lack confidence and don’t trust your abilities, leading to overall feelings of insecurity. In this case, a good match would likely be the flower essence of larch.
Similarly, if you’re impatient, rushed or a bit impulsive, the appropriately-named essence of impatiens can help.
Flower essences for specific stress and negative emotions
Perhaps one of the most challenging things about experiencing stress and negative emotions is the fear that no one understands you. But once you get to know flower essences, it will seem like they’re made with you in mind.
To give you an idea of just how specific they can be, here’s a brief introduction to flower essences that may support emotional well-being.
- Elm: When you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities
- Beech: When you’re overly critical and judgmental and don’t tolerate others and yourself
- Cherry Plum: When you’re afraid to lose control, and even experience suicidal ideation
- Hornbeam: When you’re mentally fatigued and tend to procrastinate
- White Chestnut: When you have too many thoughts running through your brain
- Willow: When you’re feeling resentful and bitter
Even though it’s great that there are 38 specific flower essences – each for a specific type of negative emotion and stress – let’s face it. When you’re feeling down, it can be difficult to analyze your feelings objectively.
Therefore, if the stress and negative emotion are overwhelming, and you just want support and relief, look no further than a flower essence blend called “Rescue Remedy”.
It’s a mix of rock rose, impatiens, clematis, star-of-Bethlehem and cherry plum. This careful blend can support you in restoring emotional balance so that you can make a more specific flower essence choice later on – if you want.
How to take flower essences
When it comes to taking flower essences, you can either apply them directly to your skin or dilute them first.
If you chose to dilute them, add two drops of the flower essence into a glass of water and sip throughout the day. If you’re choosing multiple flower essences, you can mix up to seven or eight flower essences together in the same glass.
If you don’t finish the glass by the end of the day, you can place it in the refrigerator to save for the following day. Or, you can also make smaller dilutions to ensure that you finish them by the end of the day.
How many times should you sip it? Four to six times per day is usually a good place to start.
You can also take your flower essence straight, without any dilution, simply by dropping the tincture into your mouth. It may taste strongly of alcohol, but it works just as effectively as when you dilute the flower essence and take them that way.
If you have an alcohol sensitivity, it’s possible to find alcohol-free flower essences, so you can tap into some gentle flower power without any discomfort.
Flower essences are a wonderful way to invite Mother Nature’s healing touch into your daily life. They’re a gentle and safe way to address negativity and stress and to support emotional wellbeing.
Still, need assistance with flower essences then click on the link below for some insight…
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