You want to live fully and deeply? We do! At Meridian we have learned that in order to be as vibrant and healthy as we want, we have to learn to be our own best and disciplined advocate for good health. Good health isn’t just an inheritance, it is also a choice. With the additional understanding we have about good health, Latter-day Saints should be the healthiest people on earth.

That’s why we’ve started a new section called ‘Meridian Living Well’, beginning with this article today. In these articles and short videos, we will introduce you to new, cutting-edge products to improve your health and well-being, teach you about practices and ideas that help you feel young and vibrant, give you insights on how to maintain your energy and so much more.

We will put our Meridian Living Well stamp of approval on those products and ideas that we think deserve our special recommendation.

Our first article today talks about how to work with essential oils and transform your life by doing some simple things. Many of us buy oils and then let them sit in a drawer because no one showed us how to use them. The short articles and videos will teach you what to do with ideas ranging from helping children happily go to bed to boosting your own immune system.

The demonstration and use of other products and health ideas will regularly appear on our Instagram feed: @meridianlivingwell. Follow us there and take a step toward becoming who you want to be—a healthy and vital person with energy and well-being to spare.

Today’s article is by our essential oils expert, Rachel Tomsick, mother of four, and very pro-active health advocate.

You don’t have to look too far to find someone who loves using essential oils. You may even have a collection of your own oils that you’ve purchased in hopes that bringing them home would be enough to suddenly know how to use them! Perhaps you are skeptical, like I was, as to their efficacy.  I am here to tell you; these little bottles of gold have become mainstream for a very good reason. They are powerful! I have owned several essential oils for years. I had collected them to sit on a shelf and maybe pull out to diffuse on a rare occasion. But I was missing out.

I had no idea of the potential of what I owned.  For this reason, we have decided to start a Meridian Living Well community centered on education and support for the wellness products offered through this site. As with anything, your oils will only be as effective as your use of them. The good news is that the learning is so fun and rewarding! We are with you every step of the way.

My Journey

Three years ago, I received a wakeup call that started me on a journey of wellness that has forced me to open my heart to solutions beyond the status quo. After struggling with fatigue, pain, blurred vision, and fainting spells, my doctor informed me that I have Lupus. A common autoimmune disorder where your immune system attacks healthy tissue. At first, I was in denial. No thank you, sir. I did not identify as someone who was sick. I had children to raise, little league to get to, and I had planned to return to my career when my baby was in the full-time school.

The tricky thing about disease is that it doesn’t disappear because you don’t acknowledge it. It doesn’t go away because you wish it wasn’t true. And, honestly, no one identifies as ill. You don’t grow up to think “I am going to be sick when I get older.” As I have gradually accepted this part of my mortality, I have been set on a path that has taught me priceless lessons. In truth, this disease has been a part of my spiritual journey. I have even come to be grateful for it.  Sometimes it takes getting sick to understand the value of being well.

One thing I did not want to do, is hop on a life-long medication with serious side effects and hope for the best. After much thought and prayer, I felt strongly to be an agent for my wellness. I began to research remission stories. I consumed any health story with a happy ending. I hoped to duplicate the success in my own life. The more I learned, the more I realized that the conventional means of treating chronic illness, autoimmunity and many other ills, are just not enough. There may be something more than what my doctor prescribed. Each step or action I have taken in pursuit of wellness, has been important. It put me in the mindset to “try anything,” if you will.

Hidden Treasures

Recently, a friend told me a true story that felt like parable. Her grandmother who was an avid “rock hound.” She obsessively hunted for and collected rocks. Her large family felt embarrassed and a little resentful of their matriarch’s hobby. They couldn’t go anywhere without being slowed to a halt in pursuit of some stone or another. Compounded with the lengthy outings was the fact that her heavy collection needed to be moved from one home to another when their somewhat transient mother changed abodes.

They didn’t want to bring their friends over for fear of being judged for the magnitude of amassment. Prior to her death, this grandmother had given almost every possession away save her beloved rock collection. It remained in a storage unit and her children, never quite understanding her fascination with them, quickly gave away the lot.  A few years later, our facilitator was at her mother’s home and came across a dirt-covered stone about eighteen inches high abandoned in a corner of the garden.

“Do you know what that is?” she asked her mother rushing to examine the crystal more closely.

 “It’s just one of the rocks your grandmother gave me a few years ago,” her mom replied without interest.

 “This stone is worth no less than $2000, mom!” she exclaimed.

Her mother couldn’t believe the value of the thing and mentioned that these were the types of rocks, numbering in the hundreds, she had left in her storage unit that the family had quickly disposed of. Viewing them as a burden, they’d likely given away their inheritance.

How foolish! A small investment of time to learn and a willingness to set aside their pride would have likely paid off in the thousands!

What has stopped you from exploring something unknown?

Is it a paradigm? A lack of knowledge? A lack of time or energy to dedicate to learning something new? It may feel like a lifestyle that you aren’t ready to embrace. Before I started, my answer to those questions would have been “all of the above.”

You can follow us on Instagram @meridianlivingwell as we share more of our daily life trying to live a clean lifestyle with oils!

When a trusted friend of mine began to shout from the rooftops that oils had helped her worried daughter sleep more soundly, had helped improve her own skin, and was offering her powerful emotional support, I tuned in. It resonated with me. I was amazed at the ways her family used the oils. She had even found an easy and safe way to clean her home and replace so many of the toxic chemicals we use in our air, on our bodies and on our surfaces. All in an easy-to-understand one-stop shop. I dove in and haven’t looked back. My family is better for it. My life is better for it. I feel more in control of my mind and body. I get so excited to learn more ways to help those I love take control of their wellness too! It has become my passion.

 A Community of Support

With Meridian Living Well, our goal is to show practical ways to make Pure, Therapeutic grade essential oils a part of your home, family and life. The allure that holistic healing offers is appealing, but the implementation can stop us. It doesn’t seem convenient but let us help you. This community is waiting to hold your hand and walk you through learning how to use this incredible tool to become more empowered for your overall wellness.

You can follow us on Instagram @meridianlivingwell as we share more of our daily life trying to live a clean lifestyle with oils!

Things I’ve learned:

  • Self-reliance is more than canned goods and dry wheat. It’s storing up health in my body. It’s recognizing how my spirit and body are connected and being a good steward through self-care. 
  • Learning new ways to make my family feel better is so much fun! It is rewarding work to create wellness.
  • Creating processes that support my wellness and longevity is always worth the effort. Great health start with great decisions.
  • Health and Wellness is a process and not an event.

Five ways you can use your starter kit oils from Day One:

Respiratory Support

  • Put a drop of Peppermint oil in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together and then cup your mouth and nose and inhale deeply. Feel as your lungs open up and your sinuses clear. We use this every morning to help us wake up and get ready for the day.
  • Add a drop of peppermint oil to a cotton ball and throw it in your purse or your teenager’s backpack to keep energized through the day.

 Sleep Support

  • Diffuse Lavender oil at night to support a peaceful night’s rest.
  • We use Lavender and Frankincense for a foot or neck massage prior to sleeping. This routine has become a crucial part of bedtime for us and our children and has made it such a better experience for everyone. No more yo-yo bedtimes for the kids!  It is also so nice to have a moment to connect at the end of the day.
  • Lavender Water: Mix 15 drops of Lavender Oil in a 4 oz spray bottle, add 2 tsp of watch hazel and Distilled water to the top. Spray on the pillow and sheets before bed.

Immune Support

  • One drop of Lemon Vitality oil in a glass of water each morning will promote healthy digestion, help to detoxify your gut and make your water taste better too.
  • Using Thieves Oil in your diffuser will help build up your immune system and make it easier to fight off infection.
  • Thieves oil on our feet prior to shoes and socks daily for a powerhouse defense against germs and contagions.

Mood Support

  • Calming Roller: Add 10 drops Stress Away, 10 Drops Valor, 6 drops Citrus Fresh, 5 drops Frankincense to a 10 ml roller bottle (linked here), top with a carrier oil of choice. We love fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil. This roller is a must-have for big feelings, worries and stress. Use this roller along the spine, behind the ears, and on the forearms. Great for kids and parents alike!
  • Happy Kitchen Spray: Combine 10 drops Lemon, 10 drops Citrus Fresh and 5 drops lavender in a 4 oz spray bottle. Add 2 tsp of witch hazel and fill to the top with distilled water. This will eliminate any odor and encourage peaceful, happy feelings. 

Cleaning

  • The Premium Starter Kit from Young Living comes with a single use Thieves Cleaner concentrate. This concentrate is enough for one to two 16-ounce bottles of full-strength multi-purpose cleaner. We use this cleaner for counters, bathrooms, hardwood, tile, stainless, and everything in between.  Made with nontoxic, plant-based materials and infused with powerful essential oils, you can feel good about what you are putting on the surfaces of your home. Not only that, but this non-abrasive cleaner leaves a streak less shine and smells like Christmas. I will often add a few drops of Lemon or Citrus Fresh for added power and a lovely smell.
  • Thieves also comes as a hand soap, laundry soap and dish soap. All of which we use and LOVE. It also makes it easy to ask my kids to help with chores, knowing the products they’ll use are free of harsh toxins and chemicals.

(Find all of our favorite Essential Oil Tool Kit Items and Diffusers at the end of this post)

Oils have gradually become the first line of defense in our home. It didn’t happen overnight, but as I have consistently sought out ways to embrace them, we have found that there is basically an oil for everything. Our home smells amazing and we have replaced all of our candles with clean diffuser blends.  And now we want to help you to do the same.

How to get Young Living Oils and be a part of the Meridian Living Well Community:

Sign up as a MEMBER– this does NOT mean you will ever have to sell anything, just means you get 24% off prices!

It just means you are getting a starter kit with the most popular oils, and a Young Living Diffuser at a significant discount.

ORDER HERE

Sign up as a MEMBER to get the 24% off! (See below for FAQ). Reminder you do not have to sell it. And you can skip to step 3 if you do not want to get product monthly. (We go thru- thieves, certain oils, NingXia Red and more so I like to hand pick what I get monthly and earn rewards points for more free product).

Next you can choose to set up your Essential Rewards monthly auto ship, we highly recommend this as a way to order those things you wish to have outside the kit and begin to cut toxins from your home with YL cleaning products.

When you sign up as a wholesale member, you have the option of joining our private wellness group on facebook, which is where you can learn everything you need to know about using your oils & connect with an amazing, inspiring community.  If you are interested in selling the oils and sharing about the company, I am passionate about helping women earn income to help support their families! We have monthly business bootcamps & provide mentorship to everyone who joins our tribe!

You can follow us on Instagram @meridianlivingwell as we share more of our daily life trying to live a clean lifestyle with oils!

For a complete list of Oil Essentials to get you started, here are links to all the items in our Essential Oil Tool Kit

Fractionated Coconut Oil
Jojoba Oil
Roller Bottles
Wool Dryer Balls
Amber Spray bottle Kit
Humidifier/Diffuser Combo
Label Maker