I broke a small bone in my left hand last month and have been wearing a cast that isolates my pinkie, ring finger and wrist for close to a month.
During this time I was surprised to discover how much I rely on my non-dominant hand to wash my hair and put it in a ponytail, type, drive, exercise, and even put a harness on and walk my dog.
I assumed that once the cast came off, life would return to normal.
I was wrong.
The cast came off two days ago and I not only am still struggling to regain use my two fingers and wrist (literally struggling at the moment to even type this post), but I suddenly feel MORE VULNERABLE because the injury that was previously obvious to the outside world with the cast is not invisible to everyone but me.
I look the same, but I don’t feel the same.
Which got me thinking about the invisible scars that so many of us carry in our hearts, minds and bodies.
This includes intense, deep and sometimes constant pain that may feel overbearing to us, but invisible to the outside world. If we look good, it is often assumed that we feel good.
Or even worse, our complaints to the contrary might be dismissed. I was guilty of this myself. In 5th grade, my daughter broke her arm and wore a cast for 6 weeks. Once it healed, I made the mistake of encouraging her to return to her gymnastic team immediately. My previously fearless girl was terrified and refused to participate in her favorite sport. I never understood this choice, until now.
Now that my cast has been physically removed, I almost feel more vulnerable. My hand still hurts (actually more so now that my immobilized muscles and tendons are struggling to return to their previous health) yet the protective shield is gone. Which means I could get hurt. And that is scary. More so, perhaps, because it is unacknowledged and diminished.
Embracing Your Fear
The goal isn’t to “overcome your fear” or turn it off. It’s to feel it, embrace it and learn from it. And fear isn’t all bad.
Fear and excitement can feel very similar. In fact, my brilliant friend Naomi Panzer leads young women through an exercise where they document what fear feels like in their body. She then asks them to document what excitement feels like in their body. Every time without fail, fear and excitement generate the same response in the body. You can watch the full interview in my upcoming Resilience Roadmap Summit.
Dr. Sue Morter uses yoga poses to help work through and release emotions, like fear. Dr. Morter notes that fear shuts down your body’s center of personal power located in your solar plexus.
Located in the upper abdomen above the stomach and below the lungs, your solar plexus is associated with your confidence, intuition, sense of self, responsibility, and your ability to be in control of your life, move forward and overcome obstacles or challenges.
These symptoms may be your solar plexus expressing emotions through physical sensations. It means you need to check-in with yourself and make time for some self-love.
When we contemplate something that is going to take us out of our comfort zone – that could be a positive opportunity or a challenge – your solar plexus activates and starts to express emotions through physical sensations. For example, you may experience physical pain, like a knot in your stomach or physically begin to shake or quiver. You might associate that quiver with fear, nerves or anxiety and consequently shut down and move away from situation. A knot in your stomach can literally feel like you are contracting in on yourself to protect against the outside world.
Dr. Morter uses yoga poses to help breathe into the fear so you can move through it. Essential oils can also be used to help mobilize and breathe through the emotions in your solar plexus to release fear.
Essential Oils to Embrace Your Fear and Release Invisible Scars
Essential oils can energize and balance your solar plexus and third chakra to help embrace and release fear and support your ability to think more clearly, stand in your power, and take actions toward resolving the fearful or anxiety-producing situations.
Unlike the heart chakra which I support with Heart™ blend or the throat chakra which I support with Thyroid Support™ blend, the solar plexus chakra does not easily lend itself to one blend, as it plays a number of roles on the physical, mental and emotional levels.
For example, on the physical level, the solar plexus chakra is associated with the digestive system, autonomic nervous system, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach, , spleen, small intestine and kidneys.
On the mental level, solar plexus imbalance may present as perfectionist tendencies, oversensitivity to criticism or the fear of being judged, need to control, or competitiveness.
When balanced, it allows you to open your mind to possibility. It feeds internal self-worth and enhances your energy to handle life’s setbacks and face each challenge as it comes.
On the emotional level, solar plexus chakra imbalances may manifest as fear, anxiety, anger, doubt, distrust, sadness or poor boundaries such as the need for constant external validation or approval. The solar plexus chakra is closely linked to the issue of personal power which relates to how you view yourself in relation to others in their lives. Those with a “victim mindset” who have no sense of control over their lives will often manifest an imbalance in the solar plexus chakra.
These imbalances can affect the digestive organs of the body as well impair adrenal and kidney function.
By strengthening and stimulating the solar plexus chakra, you can help embrace your fear and release invisible scars.
6 Essential Oils for the Solar Plexus Chakra
As I mentioned above, the solar plexus does not easily lend itself to one blend. The following 6 blends in order of priority can help support the physical, mental and emotional health of the solar plexus.
1. Kidney Support™
Fear is often associated with your kidneys, two bean-shaped organs that sit on top of your adrenal glands and regulate the balance and flow of fluids in your body, by selectively filtering out or retaining various minerals and electrolytes. In Chinese medicine, fear is associated with the water element, as water is symbolic of your unconscious, or that which you do not understand and therefore might fear. These feelings of fear and paranoia can be held in your kidneys impairing function.
Kidney Support™, when applied over your kidneys (one inch up and out from belly button), back of neck, or around the outside of earlobes, can help dispel fear, and assist you in feeling safe.
Kidney Support™ contains Cedarwood which helps the brain focus, especially with anxiety disorders and increases energy to the solar plexus chakra. Spruce supports the nervous and glandular systems. helps balance the solar plexus, and calm anxiety and stress.
2. Small Intestine Support™
Healthy solar plexus energy lets you set clear boundaries to support healthy relationships and self-care. Small Intestine Support™ helps you fortify and embody your third chakra, which helps strengthen your energetic field, so external energy does not penetrate your field.
Small Intestine Support™ contains a proprietary formulation of boundary supporting essential oils including grapefruit which helps to move stagnant energy and is said to address a person’s self-acceptance and release self-abuse patterns. In addition, Mandarin oil is known to help disperse stagnant energy within the solar plexus and release tension and frustration. Similarly, Lime clears trapped emotions and thoughts, helping to overcome stagnant energies and stimulates your drive for clear boundaries.
Apply 2- 3 drops of Small Intestine Support™ around the belly button in a clockwise direction. It is also helpful to apply around the ears and over the heart.
3. Liver Support™
The solar plexus is sometimes called the abdominal brain because it regulates the abdominal organs, like your liver. Depleted solar plexus energy depletes energy from your liver which presents as liver problems. Liver Support™ helps support your emotional liver health. For example, Helichrysum in particular helps to strengthen and fortify the solar plexus.
German Chamomile helps the liver to release stagnant energy, purify the liver and to discharge toxins. Lavender is an adaptogenic essential oil that works wherever balancing is needed and is often used as a “rescue” remedy when high emotions are present. Lavender encourages release of pent up feelings, dispersing stagnant life energy. It works to cool and calm an overactive liver, restoring emotional balance.
Apply 2- 3 drops of Liver Support™ over the liver (right side of the body under the breast). You can also apply with a castor oil pack over the liver or place a drop or two on the palms, rub hands together, cover your nose and inhale.
4. Intestinal Mucosa™
In medical terms, your solar plexus is known as celiac plexus as “celiac” refers to the abdominals and “plexus” is the collection of nerves in one location. This network of nerves, including your vagus nerve, transmits messages to the brain from the abdominal organs.
Your small intestine, and the intestinal mucosa that keep it healthy, play a critical role in this gut brain communication. Your Intestinal Mucosa™ protects the cells of the small intestine and nourishes “good” bacterial flora which in turn feeds the lining of the small intestine keeping it robust, healthy and able to support the final steps of digestion, allowing only appropriately digested food particles to be absorbed.
Intestinal Mucosa™ is formulated with a proprietary blend that includes Cypress improves circulation which stimulates sluggish intestines and helps support healthy solar plexus energy. Similarly, Nargarmotha helps support the health of the organs in the solar plexus, including your stomach, intestines and liver.
Apply 2- 3 drops of Intestinal Mucosa™ in a clockwise circle around the belly button.
5. Adrenal®
Your adrenal glands help determine and regulate the body’s stress response by secreting key hormones that regulate energy production and storage. Prolonged periods of stress can deplete our reserves of these hormones. Supporting your adrenal glands and their energy reserves helps to support healthy function of your solar plexus.
Much like adaptogenic herbs, Vibrant Blue Oils Adrenal® blend helps increase the body’s ability to adapt to stress and maintain healthy adrenal function. Rosemary essential oil, in particular, is known to support adrenal function, as it naturally relieves stress and nervous exhaustion and stimulates the immune system. A 2007 study found that Rosemary oil decreased cortisol levels in saliva when inhaled.
Adrenal® blend also contains several stimulatory oils like Thyme and Cinnamon that help you feel invigorated, revitalized and energetic. Smell Adrenal® though the left nostril or apply 1-2 drops to the adrenal glands (on the lower mid-back, one fist above the 12th rib on each side).
READ THIS NEXT: Essential Oils for Adrenal Fatigue
6. Digest™
Designed to alleviate digestive stagnation, Digest™ contains a proprietary formulation of powerful solar plexus supporting oils like Juniper which helps clear stagnation in the solar plexus. Juniper helps to increase circulation in the kidneys and liver and free up constricted energy.
Similarly, Ginger can gently stimulate your solar plexus and support healthy digestive function. Peppermint is also known to be soothing for digestion and supportive of the liver. Apply 2- 3 drops of Digest™ in a clockwise circle around the belly button.
Featured Oils:
Ready to get started? Click the links below to order today:
- Adrenal® available here
- Digest™ available here
- Heart™ available here
- Intestinal Mucosa™ available here
- Kidney Support™ available here
- Liver Support™ available here
- Peppermint available here
- Small Intestine Support™ available here
- Thyroid Support™ available here
