Spring is a wonderful time of year. Summer, winter and fall may have their fans, but spring is clearly the most lovable of the four seasons. Why? The temperatures are moderate. We can say goodbye to freezing winter and have some time to enjoy the outdoors before the blistering summer temperatures.

Following the spring equinox, days begin lasting longer and nights get shorter. This gives you more light hours to get things done. Those extra hours of sun can be a major mood-booster, according to some research. It’s a great time to look around your home on the inside and outside and make a list of spring projects to repair and freshen your home from the ravages of winter.

Take this time to make a conscious effort to get your home environment back in tune with nature. Set up your spaces to take advantage of natural light – say, working by a window during the day – and make sure to turn off electronics at least an hour before bedtime.

This is a great time to incorporate aromatherapy in your day-to-day living, because along with spring comes allergies. Aromatherapy is a healing therapy using aromatic essential oils to improve the health of your body mind and spirit. What is an essential oil? Oils that are derived from raw plant material such as flowers, leaves, bark, roots, seeds and the peel. In most case distillation is the process used to extract the oils.

Aromatherapy can enhance both your physical and emotional health. Incorporating it into your life is really quite simple. You can diffuse it into the air or mix it with a carrier oil to apply it directly to your skin. You can also add a few drops in your bath water or in a spray bottle with some water and use it as an air freshener or linen spray.

Here are a few essential oils and their benefits:

Citrus oils have long been known to combat SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. Simply put, SAD is your bodies’ response to not having enough natural sunlight. Citrus oils such as orange, grapefruit and lemon have been shown to brighten your spirits.

There are lots of essential oils that can be used alone or combined to help relieve symptoms from allergies such as a runny, itchy nose or sneezing. Peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, sandalwood, frankincense, ravensara, lemon and lavender all have anti-inflammatory properties.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be giving some great, inexpensive and easy ideas to help your mind, body, spirit and home get ready for a fantastic spring of 2019.

Check out my blog for more information and aromatherapy recipes at sixtiesandsexy.net/blog. You can also email me at SixtiesAndSexy@gmail.com.

My name is Cindy Fera. I have been in the health and wellness industry for over 40 years. My goal is to share some tips to help you live your best life. Join me on this journey!