How to Relieve Anxiety With Essential Oils

Essential oils can relieve anxiety and promote a relaxation response in the body. Used either as individual oils or as blends, these oils can be surprisingly effective. A gentle and pleasurable way to soothe fear, restlessness, and negative emotions that often accompany anxiety, aromatherapy is a safe and easy way to induce a sense of well being. While it is best to seek medical help for chronic anxiety and panic attacks, essential oils are certainly worth a try for short term anxiety related to specific events. Learn more about how to use essential oils for anxiety here.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Aromatherapy diffuser
• Essential oils of lavender, orange, vanilla, bergamot, and Roman chamomile
• Carrier oil

1. Use good quality, 100% pure essential oils only. Buy essential oils from a reputed company that guarantees that their oils are not adulterated or diluted.

2. Make a massage oil with a few drops of lavender essential oil mixed into a capful of carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or almond oil. Massage into arms, hands and feet using long soothing strokes just before going to bed to calm anxiety and promote relaxation.

3. 
    
   orange essential oil to improve mood

   Diffuse sweet orange essential oil either with an aroma lamp or a aromatherapy diffuser in a room. An Austrian study concluded that the essential oils of lavender and orange reduced anxiety and improved the mood of patients in the waiting room of a dental office. Use it in a child's room to reduce anxiety before an exam, or in the living room while doing that stressful phone interview.

4. Buy a vial of pure vanilla essential oil and put it into your purse. Sniff it just before an anxiety invoking situation like public speaking, an interview, or an office presentation. Vanilla is said to invoke memories of childhood and produce an instant sense of calm and fearlessness.

5. Experiment with blends of various essential oils to ease anxiety. Essential oils of lavender, bergamot, orange, lemon, Roman chamomile, vanilla and sandalwood are some of the best known oils to ease stress and calm the mind. Less is more when it comes to essential oils, use just a few drops in a bath, diffuser or nebulizer to get benefits from the aroma of an oil.

6. Consult a physician for acute anxiety and panic attacks. Aromatherapy should not be used to substitute for proper medical treatment. Essential oils can be used as a complement to a comprehensive plan to relieve anxiety that also includes breathing techniques, dietary changes, and other grounding exercises.

Tips & Warnings

• Lavender essential oil is mildly sedating, it is better to use it just before going to bed.
• Add a drop of an anxiety relieving essential oil to an unscented lotion or soap.
• Essential oils are potent, use a few drops only.
• Keep essential oils away from children!

Resources

• Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety and improve mood in a dental office
• Essential Oils for anxiety
• Free images for articles and blogs

[gisellebe]

on 8/8/2009 Another great natural health article, thank you! I have tried using lavender essential oil for stress reductions before and was impressed. I will try blending the oils.

[kittykat3]

on 8/6/2009 Great article on how to relieve anxiety with essential oils. 5*

[georgelarson]

on 8/3/2009 Well written and useful article on stress relief with essential oils. Thanks.

[sonni57]

on 7/28/2009 I love essential oils I didn't know they could get rid of anxiety, but it makes sense.

[ReuseItAll]

on 7/27/2009 This is a terrific article. I've began experimenting with essential oils this year and I'm really enjoying using them. This is great advice for me! Thank you.