Episode 253: Promoting Happiness In Your Life

Happiness has been shown to have many benefits in our lives. But how do you bring more happiness into your day? Today we'll talk about how you can do just that.

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Today we're excited to talk to Artemis Skye McNeill, author of The Happiness Habit, about how you can bring more happiness into your life.

doTERRA: Artemis, thank you so much for being here with us today.

Artemis Skye McNeill: It's really my pleasure, Annie.

doTERRA: I am so excited to talk about this topic because I think it's something that everybody needs in their lives.

So, my first question is what does it mean to build a habit?

Artemis: I love this question. If I may start by sharing a quote from my first book that states, "Everything we do is in search of a feeling." Connecting this aphorism to habits—which, by definition is a settled or regular tendency or practice: whether we have chosen it consciously or subconsciously, and whether it's good or not so good for us—but, we practice these actions or habits because we are in search of a feeling that we have somehow connected to them.

In contrast, The Happiness Habit, by definition or motto is, "Make decisions today that your future self will be empowered by." This awareness, connected to habits assuages or tempers our actions, and puts them to our advantage, allowing us enrichment, better quality of life, empowerment and contentment with each habit that we incorporate.

doTERRA: I love that.

And a follow up question to that, because I think we've all struggled with this, is how can we help ourselves build a habit?

Artemis: Great question. So, we can build or cultivate these happiness habits, or these beneficial habits in several practical ways.

First, we want to be clear on why we want to incorporate a habit in our life or our daily routine.

Then we can use a method called stacking, which simply means link your goal habit to something you are already doing. For instance, say you would like to start using Clove oil in your morning dental hygiene routine. Simply put that oil on your bathroom sink and link it to brushing your teeth an existing habit, whether before or after. So, the two become linked. You have now stacked a new positive action to a current action.

Another way to build a habit is silent positive reinforcement. It can be as simple as smiling to yourself or giving yourself a mental pat on the back every time you implement your new practice. An extra bonus when incorporating essential oils into our daily routine is that smell is associated with memory through olfactory nerves which are cranial. So when you give yourself positive reinforcement connected to essential oil implementation, a positive mood memory to that action is being built.

doTERRA: That is incredible. And like you said, combining two things together to make the one habit, as much as we can do, to make it easier for ourselves to have those positive actions in our lives. I think that's incredible.

Now, what is your advice for cultivating happiness in our lives—for bringing more of that in?

Artemis: First and foremost, I would say find your purpose. Having purpose puts meaning in our lives. That is the ultimate motive for happiness. Find it. Define it. Make your purpose as clear as possible and then build your life around it.

For example, my purpose is a spiritual one. It's a God centered one. I live by words of wisdom that state, "There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." I invest time around that principle. I volunteer my time to help others improve their quality of life. My practice is based on giving, educating and empowering others as I assist them to achieve a healthier, happier lifestyle. So, the choices I make become clear and meaningful when connected to my purpose.

And I love to hear feedback when others achieve this as well.

doTERRA: That is incredible. And in connection with that, how do you recommend using essential oils aromatically or topically to affect our environment and help us build this habit of happiness?

Artemis: This is one of my favorite questions.

So, doTERRA essential oils are an intrinsic part of my happiness habits and I promote them for my family, my friends, my clients, which I endearingly call all of them my well-oiled machines.

So, I personally use them from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. In the morning, I swipe the incredible botanicals of Immortelle on my face and Gua sha for a few minutes. I breathe in, Arise or Align with my morning stretches. I begin my oral hygiene with a Clove and Fennel rinse. I put a few drops of Lemon in my morning water. I spritz my sheets and pillowcase with a DIY blend I have made for a fresh cleansing bedroom environment before I make my bed. I use Eucalyptus and Rosemary in the shower to awaken my senses and open my sinuses.

I use Align or doTERRA Console^® when engaging in my mindfulness practices. I add a drop of Cinnamon to my coffee or tea. I diffuse a variety of blends, among the plethora of choices I have at my disposal. I used dōTERRA Balance^® and Brave^® before this interview.

At night I cuddle up with Adaptiv^® or Copaiba, doTERRA Serenity^® or Vetiver. Oils are included in my recipes, cleaning, laundry, skincare, uplifting. As you can see, I can go on and on.

So, incorporating these high quality essential oils has become second nature to me, and some of the happiest habits I can have. And I believe we can all become well-oiled machines.

doTERRA: I absolutely agree. And looking at taking those doTERRA products even further beyond the aromatic or topical use, what products do you recommend using internally to help us when we're stressed or worried, or maybe just have some big emotions that we're dealing with?

Artemis: Sure. Yes. Well, there is no shortage of these wonderful oils to create a calming environment even when taken internally.

As a practitioner who focuses on gut and emotional health, when those big emotions start knocking at our door and we get those anxious butterflies, I like to greet them first with a tummy blend like DigestZen^®.

Then cleansing and recentering my emotional environment, I may incorporate a drop of Clove or Frankincense to the roof of my mouth. Then I use a blend of Melissa, Bergamot along with Wild Orange internally for added support. But there are so many other wonderful go tos like Ylang Ylang, Clary, Sage, Copaiba, Lemongrass, Camomile.

And that's where I get to choose, based on that big emotion that's coming up, the product that I want to offset the challenge.

doTERRA: Absolutely. And that's what's so incredible about having so many options, is that you can tailor it to whatever you have coming your way.

Now, finally, Artemis, how do we keep our happiness habit going when life gets difficult? Because we know it will, we will be presented with challenges. How do we keep that happiness going?

Artemis: Yeah, that's such a powerful question, Annie, because like you said, we will all face those difficult moments.

Since we know this beforehand, we can have a plan of action. I mean, we can't prepare for everything, but we can have certain things in place. Another inspirational quote I actually have and use and apply with my clients is, "Use your strengths to offset your weaknesses." So, prepare ahead of time with a strength you have at your disposal that can be made equal to the weakness or challenge you may be facing.

You could even say here we're incorporating a happiness habit. Whether it's taking time out for prayer or taking a few minutes to sit and breathe mindfully. We can write out our emotions in a journal, we can reach out to a trusted friend or a wellness counselor. And even here we can stack some essential oils to assist like Brave Touch or diffusing Spanish Sage or rubbing doTERRA Balance on our feet, back of neck, or doTERRA Console over our heart chakra.

And then finally, I'd say, give yourself permission to just stop for a few minutes. It's okay. I'll finish with a final prescriptive quote that I have, and it says, "Stop running long enough to feel the beauty of standing still."

doTERRA: That is absolutely beautiful, Artemis, and thank you so much for sitting down today and helping us learn more about how we can cultivate that happiness in our life. I think we will all benefit from putting so much of this into practice.

Thank you for being here.

Artemis: Thank you again. It was a pleasure and I love being a small part of this doTERRA podcast legacy.

Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a wellness advocate near you to place an order today.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.