Anxiolytic Aromatherapy: Reducing the Stress Impact in Our Lives

Usually, when we hear the word Aromatherapy we think of essential oils, particularly Lavender, sweet floral aromas, bath salts, salves, body butter, quiet places, peace, and pure relaxation.

Anxiolytic Aromatherapy comes from the word “Anxious or Anxiety”, its Latin base, Anxietas. This type of Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils and natural ingredient personal care products that focus on the support and reduction of stress and anxiety in our lives.

Aromatherapy goes back to the times of the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks, Romans, and the Chinese and to almost every Indigenous tribe on the planet.

Stress is number one when it comes to emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual dis-ease. It can affect our mind, our body, and our overall outlook on life. This is why more and more people are turning to natural pathways to reduce the effects of stress in our lives.

Today, with 40 million people in the United States, not to mention the rest of the world, 18% of the population between 18-60 years old suffer from OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Phobia, and GAD, General Anxiety Disorder with 450 million people worldwide who suffer from some type of anxiety, or mental stress disorder. Most of which are on some type of pharmaceutical synthetic drugs such as fluoxetine, clonazepam, monoamine, and sertraline just to name a few.

This is where Anxiolytic Aromatherapy comes in but before I continue, I want to make it clear that Anxiolytic Aromatherapy supports the reduction of stress and anxiety disorders. Any illness such as those mentioned above should be treated by a physician or by a psychologist’s consultation.

Signs of Stress-Related Issues

On the emotional/mental level, signs of stress and anxiety-related issues are insomnia, depression, mental confusion, and lack of appetite or overeating. Reduced energy levels are also a factor.

On the physical level, stress can lead to gastrointestinal problems, acne breakouts, skin irritations and it can affect other internal organs.

Finally, on the spiritual level, for some, if we are depressed our entire outlook on life is affected. Our inner spiritual belief system, whatever it may be suddenly collapses and we don’t know which way to turn. It is my personal belief, if we aren’t balanced on the inside then everything outside of ourselves becomes unbalanced too.

Our Vital Energy

Everything I’ve mentioned above is called Our Vital Energy or Life Energy. Aromatherapist and Director/Founder of the Aromahead Institute describes Vital Energy as this:

“Vital Energy reveals itself in the shine and clarity of your eyes, the radiance of your skin, the spring in your step, the tenor of your voice, the tone of your muscle, your readiness for action, your balance of expression and introspection, and your overall joy and satisfaction in life.

What is Stress?

Stress is the negative emotion that comes up when we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. We can actually think ourselves into the realm of stress! When we worry about the past or the future and our inability to control either one, we don’t realize the only place we have control over is right now. We can control the present by choosing how we react to every situation in every moment of our lives.

Here are some of the negative emotions we may experience when under stress: Irritability, desperation, worry, doubt, fear, uncertainty, jealousy, rage, anger, frustration, and despair. There are many more but I think you get the idea.

In today’s world, I’m sure everyone would agree. Stress is a factor in everyone’s life at some point in time. The traffic on the freeway during rush hour or having to wait in a long line at the supermarket when you need to be clear across town in 15 minutes to pick up the kids from school. Or there might be issues involving family/marital relationships, our jobs, money, and how to pay the bills! Unfortunately, the list is endless. So how do we eliminate stress from our lives? Well, the truth is we can’t.

Here’s the good news. We can eradicate how we react to stressful situations by taking care of our Vital Energy and learning the many different ways we can use nature’s gifts such as essential oils, to support our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Primarily, we need to nourish our bodies by eating a healthy well-balanced diet. Plenty of fruits and vegetables and drink at least 6 glasses of water per day.

Exercise is another important part of our nourishment because as we exercise, we release nervous tension and stress which often settles itself within our muscles and joints. This is where lower back pain comes from, tension headaches, and shoulder/neck pain.

Any type of physical movement, whatever appeals to you and your lifestyle is good. Go for it!

Fortunately, we have natural products such as personal care products, clean eating, and mindful exercise practices which enhance our goal in reducing how we react to stress in our lives.

With our minds relaxed, and our bodies are well-nourished and healthy, when stress arises we will be able to address it without blowing up and hurting ourselves or others with our words and/or actions.

Below I’ve listed some practices you can try at home.

Relaxing Lavender Bath Salt Recipe

A warm soak in the bathtub after a long day at work is a wonderful way to relax and de-stress!

In a plastic bowl (glass isn’t the best idea to use when in the bathtub) add:

3 oz. of Epsom Salts

1 tsp. of Honey (optional)

6 drops of Lavender essential oil

1 tsp of Almond Oil

Epsom Salts are a great way to draw out inflammation, pain, and tiredness from your body. If you’re feeling overly tired and out of sorts, Epsom Salts are the way to go. Make sure the water is warm/hot and soak in it for up to 20 minutes.

Before bed, put your computer and cell phone away. Read, write in your journal or listen to relaxing music.

In the shower

If you don’t have a bathtub add 1-2 drops of Lavender oil to the shower floor. When the hot water comes on and the steam rises enjoy Lavender’s soothing aroma!

On the Go!

Lavender, Frankincense, Thyme Linalool, Bergamot, Sweet Orange, and Sandalwood are some of the many essential oils which are known to have relaxing, sedative-like qualities which ease our minds when we’re very busy overthinking everything!

Place 1 drop of your favorite oil on a tissue and carry it with you in your purse or pocket. When you need to inhale the soothing aroma. Take some deep breaths and practice gratitude.

I hope this information helps. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me. Stress is a real thing and it can deeply affect our lives but we can find ways to deal with it.