8 Best Essential Oils for Stress Management
Have you had some stressful days lately when nothing seems to want to work out for you?
You have a project to complete at work, need to show up for multiple meetings and your kiddos are screaming in the background…
Or you have been trying to work at home while being a mom, a teacher, a chef, a janitor, and a friend to play with. All day. Every day. And when you are ready to fall into your bed you realize that the dishes are overflowing the sink? These are just some snip-its from my life.
We all know that a healthy diet, quality sleep, exercise, relaxation all contribute to reducing stress… but now comes the stressful part, how to make time for all that?
One simple and easy step you can do: incorporate essential oils into your daily life. It is easy and does not take a lot of your time.
One of my favorite ways to calm mind body and mind is to diffuse essential oils. Just by slowly inhaling the aroma slows down your heart rate. When your heart rate is slower, you are out of the fight or flight mode (running away from the tiger) and you will be able to think better with your brain again.
(Have you had those “I wish I hadn’t said those things while I was angry” moments?)
Here are my favorite essential oils that help reduce stress and bring a little calm to my crazy days:
Lavender – is a very popular essential oil for its calming and soothing effect. It is also a great addition to body care products. Try to add a drop to your favorite non-scented lotion.
Orange – is a favorite for its calming property and aids in easing anxiety. Try to diffuse a mix of lavender and orange.
Roman Chamomile – its sweet aroma can help create a calming atmosphere that can be especially useful with restless children.
Sandalwood – is my ultimate favorite with its woody aroma. Mix it with a little orange essential oil and I am taken to a whole new world of calm. (It can be pricey so try Cedarwood instead if you like the woody note.)
Ylang Ylang – means the “flower of flowers” has a very sweet, floral aroma with a relaxing effect. My kids love this smell. This can be very powerful, so I diffuse only a few drops.
Jasmine – is very famous for its strong yet sweet fragrance and calming properties.
Vetiver – is another woody favorite. It has an earthy and grounding aroma with relaxing properties.
Bergamot – is citrus, somewhere between a sour orange and lemon. My boys love to diffuse lavender with bergamot before bedtime. Bergamot helps release emotional pain and stress.
There are personal preferences to essential oils, so listen to your body and mind, what feels good for you.
I recommend paying attention when diffusing around small children and pets as they can be more sensitive. Make sure to run the diffuser for a shorter period of time (depends on the size of the room) and that the room has ventilation or leave the door open so your pet can leave.
Next time you feel a bit on the edge, notice what you feel, how your body reacts when you start feeling the stress? As soon as it starts, you can train yourself to
· Calm yourself down by taking some deep breath - inhale your favorite essential oil
· Stand up and walk away – set up your diffuser and get a glass of water
Try this: next time you feel stressed out, open a bottle of lavender, orange, or ylang ylang essential oils and take a few deep breaths through your nose with your eyes closed and repeat the word in your head “release”.
When it comes to using essential oils the quality of the oil is very important. Safe essential oils are unadulterated, genuine, and pure. Essential oils are not regulated by the FDA. The brand of essential oils I use and recommend is Young Living, as I know these are high-quality pure oils that are safe to use.
New to essential oils and not sure how to get started?
CLICK HERE to get your Young Living Premium Starter Kit. This kit contains the most used essential oils and blends, a stylish diffuser, and a small booklet that introduces you to the use of essential oils. The box also contains other Young Living products to sample.
