Aromatherapy for Stress Relief: Discover the Healing Power of Essential Oils

At some point in life, everyone encounters stress. It’s a natural physical and mental reaction to challenging situations. Stress can be caused by work and family obligations, as well as big life events such as a bad diagnosis or the death of a loved one.

When you’re stressed, the body produces chemicals that increase your heart rate and breathing rate, as well as prepare your muscles to respond. In the short term, this reaction can be beneficial by assisting you in coping with potentially dangerous situations. However, if your stress reaction does not shut down and your stress levels stay high for much longer than is necessary for survival, it can be harmful to your health.

If you believe that dealing with life’s pressures is affecting your physical health, you should begin making lifestyle adjustments that will improve both your body and mind. Regular physical activity, relaxation techniques such as yoga, and time set aside for hobbies are all excellent stress management measures to consider. But so far, nothing can compare with the stress-busting benefits of aromatherapy and essential oils.

How Does Aromatherapy Help to Reduce Stress?

Aromatherapy has been used by cultures all over the world for decades. And now, current science is confirming that this age-old method can help improve mood and manage stress symptoms. Aromatherapy can boost mood, encourage relaxation, and reduce stress depending on the essential oil mixes used.

Our olfactory system plays an important role in helping us determine whether our environment is safe or not. Certain essential oils, such as lavender, clary sage, bergamot, etc, contain chemical constituents that elicit relaxation. When inhaled, these chemicals go straight to your limbic system and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for balancing out the fight-or-flight response. This response is frequently triggered by stress and causes our heart rate and blood pressure to slow and regulate.

Essential oils can be used for immediate stress relief when you feel yourself becoming agitated, or they can be used more preventatively to keep you calm and collected throughout the day.

What Essential Oil Blend Is Good for Stress?

Which essential oil blend to use will depend on the purpose, for example, to elevate your mood or to lead a calming effect. Before trying different blends, it’s important that you pay attention to the quality of the essential oils you get. It’s critical to use pure, organic essential oils because they have the therapeutic effects you’re looking for. According to the aromatherapist, low-quality oils can cause more harm than good. So when shopping for a stress essential oil blend, look for the words ‘pure’ and ‘organic’.

On some labels, you’ll find the word “natural.” Keep in mind that this is merely a marketing buzzword that has no bearing on the oil’s quality. You should also avoid the term “fragrance,” which implies that the oil is synthetic and intended for use as a perfume.

Here are a few stress essential oil blend combinations for you to try.

Lavender, Frankincense and Orange

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils for stress. Its relaxing and calming aroma is known to help with both physical and emotional stress. Several studies have found that smelling lavender can help alleviate anxiety, tension, and even depression. According to the studies, lavender was demonstrated to lower blood pressure, pulse rate, and skin temperature, indicating a reduction in the body’s stress reaction and an overall soothing impact.

Frankincense is a wonderful essential oil that many people believe can help raise and reduce tension as well as boost attitude. This well-known tree resin has a long history of medical and religious use.

Orange, like many citrus oils, is incredibly uplifting. According to one university study, orange and other citrus fragrances aid encourage relaxation.

To make this blend, you can diffuse 4 drops of lavender, 4 drops of frankincense and 4 drops of orange in a diffuser. You can also find ready-made blends of these oils which can save you money and time on buying them separately.

Lavender, Ylang Ylang and Roman Chamomile

The soothing and relaxing properties of ylang ylang essential oils are considered beneficial for dealing with mood issues. Thanks to its ability to regulate blood pressure and heart rate, ylang-ylang is very effective at helping individuals feel calmer. Roman chamomile’s relaxing aroma is very well known for reducing tension and anxiety.

To get the most of this blend, diffuse 5 drops of lavender, 2 drops of ylang-ylang and 3 drops of roman chamomile in a diffuser.

Bergamot, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang

Bergamot has a relaxing aroma that may instantly elevate a person’s mood. It has been utilised for medical purposes in the past. The unique perfume of patchouli, which is known for having a tremendous soothing effect, amplifies its benefits even more.

Diffuse a blend of 5 drops of bergamot, 3 drops of patchouli and 2 drops of ylang-ylang in a diffuser.

Introducing Aromatherapy to Your Daily Life

Using an essential oil diffuser to fill the air in your environment with calming scents throughout the day is only one of the ways of adding aromatherapy to your life. Other ways include:

Adding the Blend to Your Bath Water

During a stressful situation, soaking in a warm bath can help you find comfort. Adding essential oils to the bath water can enhance the experience even further, helping you relax and unwind.

Spraying the Blend to Your Bedding

An easy, natural technique to produce a relaxing and comfortable sleep experience is to spray essential oils over your pillow. It can assist you in falling asleep faster and sleeping more deeply throughout the night.

Applying the Blend to Your Pulse Points

An easy way to use essential oil is to apply the blend to your pulse points – behind the ears, on your wrists or ankles or over the heart. In these parts, blood flows close to the skin’s surface. This means applying essential oils to these areas allows them to swiftly enter the bloodstream, speeding up the rate at which you get the benefits.

Tips for Using Essential Oils

While aromatherapy is simple to use, there are a few things new users should be aware of:

  • Always use certified 100% pure essential oils and avoid synthetics.
  • When applying essential oils straight to your skin, always dilute them with a carrier oil.
  • When applying oil for the first time, you should test a small area of the skin to see whether there is any sensitivity.

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