Essential oils help with anxiety... a lot!

From time to time everyone has suffered anxiety to some degree, and its horrible! I have struggled with both very low and sad feelings, lack of motivation as well as intense anxious feelings.  It kept me home alone, saying “no” to things out of fear, and on days I couldn’t breathe and my skin felt like I had little ants crawling around inside. No fun at all!  These terrible feeling were not going to rule my life! Using essential oils was one way that I combated anxiety, in a totally safe and natural way. The beauty of essential oils is that they are natural, extracted from flowers, leaves, bark or roots of plants

Below I’ve compiled a list of different therapeutic essential oils you can use to uplift the mind and body. You can use just one oil at a time or blended together they create a beautiful aroma, that can add a bit of harmony and balance to your life. Essential oils can ease anxiety from the very first time using it, however consistency is the key for a total and lasting effect.

Remember what appeals to one person may not appeal to the next person. And not all essential oils smell "beautiful", but they do have wonderful therapeutic benefits. That's the super important thing when dealing with anxiety. Also remember, they are not a magic potion, but instead a beautiful way to promote harmony to the body, mind, and spirit one day at a time.

1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Considered the most common essential oil, lavender oil benefits include having a calming, relaxing effect. It’s considered a nervous system restorative and helps with inner peace, sleep, restlessness, irritability, panic attacks, nervous stomach and general nervous tension.

2. Rose (Rosa damascena)

One of the benefits of rose essential oil is it’s very settling to the emotional heart and perhaps the second most popular after lavender for relieving anxiety and depression, helping with panic attacks, grieving and shock.

3. Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides)

Vetiver oil has a tranquil, grounding and reassuring energy, often used in trauma helping with self-awareness, calmness and stabilization. A nervous system tonic, it decreases jitteriness and hypersensitivity and is also useful in panic attacks and shock.

4. Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)

This popular essential oil can treat anxiety and depression due to its calming and uplifting effects. Ylang ylang helps with cheerfulness, courage, optimism and soothes fearfulness. It may calm heart agitation and nervous palpitations and is a moderately strong sedative, which can help with insomnia.

5. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

Bergamot is commonly found in Earl Grey tea and has a distinctive floral taste and aroma. Bergamot oil is calming and often used to treat depression by providing energy; however, it can also help with insomnia induce relaxation and reduce agitation.

6. Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

A peaceful, calming scent, chamomile benefits inner harmony and decreases irritability, overthinking, anxiety and worry.

7. Frankincense (Boswellia carteri or boswella serrata)

Frankincense is great for treating depression and anxiety because it provides a calming and tranquil energy as well as spiritual grounding. In aromatherapy, it helps deepen meditation and quiet the mind.

How to Use Essential Oils for Anxiety

Essential oils can be used in three different ways: aromatherapy, ingestion or topically.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy for anxiety is very popular because our sense of smell triggers powerful emotional responses. We process so much information through our sense of smell — in particular, in an area of the brain adjacent to the limbic region.

When the scent of an essential oil is inhaled, molecules enter the nasal cavities and stimulate a firing of mental response in the limbic system of the brain. These stimulants regulate stress or calming responses, such as heart rate, breathing patterns, production of hormones and blood pressure. Aromatherapy can be obtained by using it in a bath, as direct inhalations, hot water vapor, vaporizer or humidifier, fan, vent, perfume, cologne, or diffusers.

Oral Application

Many essential oils can be ingested by the mouth; however, it is critical to make sure that the oils you use are safe and pure. Many oils on the market may be diluted or blended with synthetics that are unsafe for ingesting. 

The most effective way to consume them, according to “The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils: The Science of Advanced Aromatherapy,” is to add a drop of oil in a glass of water or in a teaspoon with honey. You can simply add a drop or two underneath the tongue. This is beneficial because the blood capillaries are so close to the surface of the tissue under the tongue, allowing them to pass more quickly into the bloodstream and travel to the different areas of the body where they’re needed. 

Other oral application options include capsules, adding a drop or two to your favorite beverage, making a tea, and cooking.

Topical Application

Topical application is a process of placing an essential oil on the skin, hair, mouth, teeth, nails or mucous membranes of the body. When the oils touch the skin, they penetrate rapidly.

Since they are so potent, it is important to dilute and blend with a carrier oil, such as sweet almond, jojoba, olive, avocado or coconut oil. You can apply the blend directly to an affected area, on the bottoms of the feet, rims of the ears, using compresses, in baths or through massage.

Easy EO Neck Rub

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 drops pure lavender oil
• 3 drops pure bergamot oil
• 3 drops pure rose oil
• 3 teaspoon coconut oil or almond oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Blend the lavender, bergamot and coconut or almond oil in your palm and rub onto your neck for natural anxiety relief. You can also rub onto the bottoms of your feet. This is perfect for anytime or just before bed.