Free your Mind: Aromatherapy
and Mindfulness Meditation
Chestnut Hill College
Health Services
Stressed out?
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
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.
Your Do-It-Yourself Relaxation Kit:
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Chamomile Tea
Almonds and Blueberries
Mindfulness Meditation
Aromatherapy
Eye Pillow
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
Mindfulness: Live in the Moment
Mindful Meditation
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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
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
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
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)
Aromatherapy
Lavender
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Calms the nervous system
Relieves anxiety
Lifts mood
Promotes deeper,
more peaceful sleep
Make Your Own Eye Pillow
1. Place about 3/4 cup of dry rice into a snack
size resealable bag. Seal it closed.
2. Place about 1 teaspoon of dried lavender
blossoms into tea bag. Tuck the flap inside.
3. Place the snack bag and tea bag into clean,
low cut sock.
4. Apply sticky velcro to sock cuff and seal it
closed.
5. Apply to eyes, lie down, breathe, and relax!
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.
“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