Relieving Stress with Essential Oils
How to use essential oils to relieve stress
A little stress and tension are useful to help you achieve your goals
and can be inspirational for creative work. If you are too relaxed, it
feels as if you are resting or on holiday, and this can make it
difficult to accomplish your tasks. However, too much stress is a common
complaint these days, and when stress and tension become overwhelming
you need to have some techniques to help you relax.
Stress starts in the mind and the emotions, but swiftly moves into
the physical body, causing tight muscles, shallow breathing, headaches,
insomnia and loss of appetite. Once embedded in the body, the stress
must be released physically as well as emotionally and mentally. Try to
avoid too much alcohol and caffeine. Even though they seem to help in
the short term, they stress the body further and are therefore
counter-productive.
Useful remedies to relieve stress using essential oils
- Massage is the best way to release physical tension. Try to visit
an aromatherapist regularly if you find yourself feeling stressed out
a lot of the time. A full body massage with appropriate essential oils
releases physical stress, calms the mind and emotions, and in this way
helps prevent stress arising again too quickly.
- Self-massage can also be very beneficial in releasing physical
stress. Focus on the neck, shoulders and chest, and if stress gives
you a headache, massage your scalp as well. Choose essential oils that
are good for tense muscles, such as lavender, rosemary, marjoram and
roman chamomile. Include emotionally calming oils that are also
sedative to help calm the mind, such as bergamot, neroli, rose otto,
benzoin, Clary sage, jasmine, melissa and sandalwood.
- Bathing with calming essential oils also releases stress from
mind, emotions and body. Include frankincense to help deepen your
breathing, which promotes calm and relaxation. Geranium is primarily
balancing, so if you need to be active after the bath, you will still
have some energy. Thyme is good for fatigue and exhaustion; it helps
revive and strengthen mind and body, and also stimulates the appetite.

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