Aromatherapy
4 Stress:
The Best Aromatherapy
Essential Oils For Stress
by Dr
Silvia Hartmann, Author of
Aromatherapy
For Your Soul
Aromatherapy 4 Stress
Introduction -Aromatherapy
First Aid Stress Busters -
Stress Soothing Aromatherapy
Essential Oils -
Stress Revitalising Aromatherapy
Essential Oils -
Aromatherapy 4 Stress Special
Pennyroyal -
How To Use Essential Oils To
Relieve Stress -
Massaging Stress Away -
Using Scent To De-Stress -
Aromatherapy 4 Stress Conclusion
A lot of people think of
aromatherapy as a slightly "woowoo"
hippie thing that doesn't pack a
punch, but let me tell you that
I've got a deep hole in my
computer case. I got it because
I placed a bottle of Rose
Geranium essential oil on it and
it must have leaked a drop or
two - and burned straight
through the so called
"indestructible" space age
plastic!
Apart from the fact that
aromatherapy essential oils are
madly concentrated - over a
million flowers go into a single
bottle of Jasmine, for example!
- it is their intensive
effects on the olfactory system,
human smell, that makes
aromatherapy essential oils such
a perfect choice for stress
relieving.
- Smell is the only one
of our major senses that is
not routed through the neo
cortex and goes straight
into the "reptilian brain" -
the oldest parts of our
brain, and the ones that
have a lot to do with how we
experience especially danger
and stress.
Aromatherapy essential oils
"cut straight through"
everything you're thinking at
that moment and which causes you
stress, much more profoundly
than being slapped around the
face to "snap you out of it" -
and much more pleasantly, at
that :-)
There is a huge range of
different essential oils
available on the market today;
these vary greatly in price and
quality but many very effective
anti-stress oils are cheaper
than a pack of cigarettes, and
last much longer, too.
Here are my top tips for
aromatherapy for stress - first,
the oils for different types of
stress, then what you can do
with them to help you de-stress
naturally, and profoundly.
 1.
Lavender
Lavender is really cheap and
even a full on "organically
grown, hand picked and sung to
sleep with Classical Music" type
variety costs very little.
Lavender is delightful,
refreshing, instantly cleans out
your mind of negative thoughts
and doesn't cause much allergic
reactions.
The Romans used Lavender
extensively for washing and
cleaning - for us, it clears out
stress beautifully.
 2.
Lemon
A lot of essential oils smell
like lemon, and all of them -
lime,
lemongrass,
lemon verbena,
petitgrain,
litsea
citrata,
yuzu to mention but a few -
are EXTREMELY good stress
busters. There was an
anti-anxiety technique making
the rounds some years ago that
relied on producing saliva (by
thinking of a lemon being
sliced!) because a dry mouth is
a sign of stress; and when
saliva production starts up
again, you are moving out of
stress.
This might have something to
do with it; either way, anything
with that lemon citrus scent is
excellent - and cheap.
If you find lemon too harsh,
go for lime - a great favourite
with many aromatherapists around
the world.
* A tip: If you don't
believe me, get a lemon or a
lime and put in your pocket. If
you get stressed, get it out and
smell it. You can really feel
the effects, right there and
then - and might decide to go on
to a slightly more userfriendly
and concentrated approach to
stress busting, namely investing
in a bottle of essential oil
instead!
 3.
Eucalyptus
All the various essential
oils with that sharp, clear
menthol/eucalyptus scent - like
eucalyptus itself, but also
ravensara,
bog
myrtle,
peppermint,
niaouli,
cajuput
- have a strong, instant impact
on stress and stressed states.
They are like a breath of
fresh air and a fabulous state
breaker.
Once again, and luckily for
us all, eucalyptus and its
friends are amongst the cheapest
aromatherapy oils available.
If you feel fragile and want
something that is less than a
slap around the head with a wet
fish to shock you out of your
stress, but something more like
a comforting blanket or a hot
bath to gently and powerfully
protect you from further stress
and soothe your existing stress
away, these oils are excellent
for moral support and finding
more inner strength.
 1. The Big Trees
That's not one oil, but a
general description for
essential oils made from - well,
big trees :-)
Pine,
cedarwood,
bay, fir,
cypress,
and their kind are immensely
soothing and very kind and
supportive, as well as very
strong indeed.
As the Chinese proverb says,
in moments of real stress, don't
pray for less stress but for a
stronger back - and the big
trees give you exactly that.
 2. Spiritual Soothing
If the kind of stress you
suffer from can be described as
spiritual stress (and if you
suffer from spiritual stress,
you know exactly what I mean!),
I recommend
frankincense,
angelica and
valerian.
These are not exactly cheap but
compared to medication and how
beneficial for soothing
spiritual stress they are, it's
well worth making the
investment.
 3. Emotional Soothing
Family stress, health stress
and all forms of emotional
stress respond very well to the
sages - sage itself is a very,
very powerful emotional soother
and my No. 1 recommendation for
people who have trouble with
stress related addictions.
Clary sage is a wonderful
emotional soothing remedy and
great against emotional stress.
If you feel you are
physically and mentally worn
down by endless stress and you
need extra help and energy to do
the things you need to do, these
oils are energizing and
rejuvenating.
These are all traditional
folk medicine healing herbs as
well and have a long, long
history of helping mankind feel
better.
 1.
Parsley
This is a great revitaliser
in every form.
As a herb Parsley is packed
full of vitamins and minerals
and as an essential oil, parsely
is literally bursting with life
energy.
Highly recommended for people
who are worn down by stress over
a long period of time.
 2.
Dill
Dill is one of my all time
favourites and one the essential
oils I personally use the most.
Dill is powerfully uplifting,
re-energizing and seems to let
the inner forces of nature rally
round and make another stand.
Highly recommended.
 3.
Cardamom
This herb is deeply
refreshing and cleansing and the
essential oil of cardamom is
like an ocean wave that washes
stress and misery from your
system and leaves you relaxed
and refreshed, in an instant.
Highly recommended.
 Essential oil of pennyroyal
is not that easy to find, and it
is one of those oils you should
handle with care, but its
effects on especially the mind
are truly amazing.
It is like where pennyroyal
is, unhealthy thoughts can't
remain, it is like they cannot
share the same space.
If your stress comes
primarily from thinking
unhealthy thoughts, you worry
too much, and stress is making
you sick with worry, pennyroyal
can really come to your rescue
and give you a chance to take
control over what you want to
think about.
Classically, you mix a few
drops of aromatherapy oil into a
carrier - like the sunflower or
olive oil you use for cooking,
or specialist oils you can order
from the same place where the
essentials come from - and
massage yourself with it.
This is a good thing and I
recommend this; focus on the
places in your body where you
carry the most stress.
For some, it's always in the
stomach where the stress "hits
home"; for some, stress
physically resides in the head,
neck and shoulders (especially
men), for some their stress is
mostly felt in the heart area.
But stress can be stored
anywhere in the body; it is
highly personal and can be in
the feet, the hands, the back of
the legs, the back.
Ask yourself, where do I feel
this stress in my body?
Hold a loving, healing
intention whilst you massage
yourself with your own healing
hands and allow the stored up
stress in those
ereas to flow away.
For people who are stressed,
I recommend to carry the scent
with them.
Put a few drops on a
handkerchief or paper towel
before you leave your home and
carry it with you in a small
ziplock bag or any form of
plastic bag that keeps the scent
inside.
When you get stressed, take
some deep breaths with the cloth
close to you through your nose
and allow the essential oil to
register into your neurology and
do its amazing stress relieving
thing right there.
- Breathe really
deeply and take long, long
breaths through your nose
and your mouth at the same
time.
- Close your eyes
when you exhale and let all
the stress go out of your
body with your breath.
- Repeat 3x or as
often as you like.
At home, you can use an oil
burner to put the scent into the
atmosphere at large as well, but
the real stress relief comes
from directly inhaling the aroma
of the essential oil from a
handkerchief or cloth. Don't let
it touch your face as there is a
chance of an allergic reaction
and treat essential oils with
respect; they are EXTREMELY
concentrated and very potent.
There is little you can do to
release stress that is as
reliable, affordable, and
EFFECTIVE as using aromatherapy
essential oils.
-
If you haven't tried
aromatherapy for stress,
please do!
It's a fascinating experience
and a very welcome respite from
the many stresses, worries and
problems we have to face every
day, and once you have
discovered this for yourself,
you have a readily available
source of home medication
against stress that has
remarkable effects on your
health and well being - in a few
little innocent looking bottles
on your kitchen shelf.
Dr Silvia Hartmann
Author, Aromatherapy For Your
Soul
http://aromatherapy4soul.com
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