Energy Magic

The Best Aromatherapy Essential Oils For Stress

Aromatherapy 4 Stress:

The Best Aromatherapy Essential Oils For Stress

by Silvia Hartmann, Author of Aromatherapy For Your Soul

Aromatherapy Bottles Divider

Aromatherapy 4 Stress: An Introduction

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.

Aromatherapy First Aid Stress Busters

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.

Stress Soothing Aromatherapy Essential Oils

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.

Stress Revitalising Aromatherapy Essential Oils

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.

Aromatherapy 4 Stress Special Recommendation: Pennyroyal

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./p>

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.

How To Use Essential Oils To Relieve Stress

Massaging Stress Away

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.

Using The Scent Against Stress

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.

Aromatherapy 4 Stress - In Conclusion

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.

Silvia Hartmann

Author, Aromatherapy For Your Soul