I heard an interesting conversation regarding stress and trauma today. For the most part, we associate trauma with “traumatic” events such as death, divorce, injury, and illness. But trauma is on a spectrum. We can experience the stress of a breakup, a lost job, or a bad hair day, and we still become paralyzed, confused, lazy, and lost.

The bigger question is, does stress stop us or does it start us? Does stress help us learn to maneuver, or does it make us want to curl up in a ball and wait for things to blow over? How do we benefit from facing our trials and tribulations? Does stress stretch us or strain us?

Aloe vera is our burnout essence. We work and work and play until we can’t do it anymore. We might feel on top of our game, accomplishing our action list, moving our mountains, and feeling we can do even more, but we can’t keep that pace indefinitely. This essence works to manage our time and energy. This remedy makes us pay attention to where we need more energy and where we need less.