Essential Oils for Anxiety
Our physical stress response is truly an intelligent system within the body. Imagine you are driving and the person in front of you suddenly brakes. The stress response causes your pupils to dilate so that your vision and perception improves, your heart rate increases to pump extra blood to muscles so that you can brake quickly or swerve out of the way
The feelings caused by stress and anxiety are often an important signal. The message may be that something is not right, and we need to be aware of our surroundings. Anxiety can be associated with an identifiable cause and the feelings subside after the event. Sometimes we feel nervous, wired, or even frightened and we do not understand the cause. This is the difference between useful stress and anxiety. Either way essential oils can be a huge support during these times by calming the nervous system, improving physical symptoms of stress and providing comfort to the mind.
Some Causes of Anxiety
Can range from physical health, to lifestyle and personality traits.
This may include:
thyroid issues,
or mental health issues like depression.
Life circumstances:
long work hours,
trauma,
caring for loved ones.
Mindsets that may develop to anxiety include:
perfectionism,
pessimism,
low self-esteem,
a tendency to be self- critical.
There are as many factors contributing to the development of anxiety as there are approaches to dealing with anxiety.
Symptoms of Anxiety and Useful Essential Oils
Anxiety can produce a wide range of symptoms; a racing heart, aches and pains, headaches, blurred vision, digestive changes, difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, fatigue and low moods. Aromatherapy is a gentle and natural approach that can be helpful in the treatment of anxiety.
A few helpful options:
The beauty of aromatherapy is that there are so many ways to incorporate essential oils no matter your life style. A diffuser, a massage, a blend of your favorite essential oils could even be applied as a perfume
These should always be diluted
Here is a chart you may refer to
Dilution percentage 0.5% 1% 1.5% 2% 2.5% 3% 5%
drops of E.O.
per 10 ml bottle 0.5 3 3 5 5 7 11
of carrier oil
dilution guidelines are the recommended aromatherapy standard: Note: There are 2 tablespoons in 1 ounce. So, if working with tablespoons is more comfortable for you, please use that chart.
OUNCES: Infants & Children 0.5% 3 drops of EOs per ounce of carrier 1% 6 drops of EOs per ounce of carrier Adults 2% 12 drops of EOs per ounce of carrier 3% 18 drops of EOs per ounce of carrier 5% 30 drops of EOs per ounce of carrier
10% 60 drops of EOs per ounce of carrier
TABLESPOONS: Infants & Children 0.5% 1.5 drops of EOs per tablespoon of carrier 1% 3 drops of EOs per tablespoon of carrier Adults 2% 6 drops of EOs per tablespoon of carrier 3% 9 drops of EOs per tablespoon of carrier 5% 15 drops of
EOs per tablespoon of carrier 10% 30 drops of EOs per tablespoon of carrier
