Depending on the situation, it usually starts at the center of my back. Muscles tighten, my shoulders hunch up towards my ears… my jaw begins to clench and pop. Teeth grinding, stomach churning, palms sweating. Stress and anxiety present themselves differently in each and every one of us, but I’m willing to bet you’ve experienced these symptoms — or something like them — at some point yourself. We’re a society of chronic stress, an awful fact, and what makes it even worse is that many of us don’t even realize that we’re affected by it. We go about our lives, accepting that twisted jaw and knotted stomach as an inevitability, something to live with, but slowly, that secret — or not-so-secret — stress might just be killing us.
Your body is trained to react to stress in many of the same ways it reacts to a perceived threat. Theoretically, a mountain of bills (or hey, our taxes) may seem far less scary than running from a wild animal, but our bodies don’t see the difference. While we may not be constantly under attack by outside forces, dealing with your day to day life can be enough to make your body feel as though it’s fighting a battle. While vastly different, each stressful situation, whether life-threatening or simply inconvenient, triggers a fight or flight response, releasing adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. Adrenaline increases blood pressure and boosts your energy supplies, while cortisol releases a surge of glucose into the bloodstream, curbing certain functions that wouldn’t be productive in a dangerous situation and even altering your immune system. Yes, all that can happen from just looking at a packed calendar and feeling stressed out, or thinking about an upcoming test. If you’re chronically stressed, this means your body is reacting this way all the time, which can translate to some serious health risks, including:
- Insomnia
- High blood-pressure
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Increased anxiety
- Hormonal imbalances
Scary stuff indeed. Which is why we need to work towards eliminating — or at least decreasing — our stress, whether chronic or not. Today is National Stress Awareness Day, so what better time to take a step back, and really, truly assess how you feel? What is causing you anxiety? What’s stressing you out? How can you work towards eliminating those situations in your life, or at least work towards lessening their effects.
While chronic stress and anxiety should be assessed by a professional, something that always helps me decompress and de-stress is scent. Scent is an extremely powerful thing. It can conjure memories both good and bad, excite us, soothe us, even encourage us to sleep. Today I’m sharing an essential oil blend that I concocted to ease a troubled mind and put nerves to rest. Read on for my stress-relieving, anxiety-soothing recipe:
Materials:
Dark glass roll-on vial or dropper bottle (dark glass protects against sunlight)
20 drops patchouli essential oil
30 drops cedarwood essential oil
25 drops lavender essential oil
30 drops ylang ylang essential oil
20 drops bergamot essential oil
Jojoba oil (optional)
Combine all the oils in the glass vial. Depending on the size of the bottle, the liquid won’t likely fill it. You can leave as-is or dilute with the jojoba oil to create a moisturizing oil for hands and body.
Uses (undiluted):
Rub a few drops between your palms and breathe in the scent deeply for an instant calming effect in stressful or anxious situations.
Add a few drops to warm bath water for a soothing, stress-relieving bath.
Add a few drops to your body moisturizer and apply as you usually would (avoiding the face).
Mix with 1 part water, 1 part plain witch hazel and add to a spray bottle to create a relaxing room spray (avoid spraying on light fabrics).
Benefits:
Patchouli: A natural anti-depressant and sedative. Stimulates the release of serotonin, lifting the mood and easing fears and anxieties.
Cedarwood: Eases nervous tension and stress-related disorders and can be used as a sedative, promotion restful and restorative sleep.
Lavender: Relieves restlessness and exhaustion, promoting relaxation and calm.
Ylang Ylang: Lowers blood pressure and bolsters the nervous system, reducing stress on the nerves and repairs past damage.
Bergamot: Reduces pain and nervous tension, easing sleeplessness, high blood pressure and even helping symptoms of depression.
I carry a bottle of this with me while traveling to ease stress and anxiety on long flights (love travel, hate flying) and keep it close by to calm my mind throughout a busy day.
+ How are you recognizing National Stress Awareness Day? Please share in the comments!
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These oils seem so pricey, though, whenever I come across them :(
Thank you for sharing this. As a chronic stress sufferer, I also think that scent is a great way to relax the mind. When I come home from work, the first thing I do is light some incense and put some essential oils in my oil burner. I usually alternate between peppermint and lavendar.
Thank you for sharing this tip. I’ve been wanting to buy bergamot oil for a while now, the smell is wonderful and really calms me down. I’ve also realized that most of my stress comes from all the “woulda, shoulda” in my mind. I’ve been trying to be more patient, to accept a situation even if I want to change it. It’s we are all in kinda of hurry. We don’t choose happiness anymore, just tasks, accomplishments, success. We are never fullfill when we are searching for fullfillment. I’ve now been experimenting saying no to a lot of stuff/situations. Most of my stress comes from me thinking i should do all and be all. Cold running water on the wrists is also great for momentaneous anxiety!
So weird! On my commute this morning I was listening to a podcast about essential oils for muscle pain – this is full of awesome information!
Warm Regards,
Alexandra
http://www.littlewildheart.com
Thank you for this! I, too, suffer from chronic stress/anxiety and I’ve been looking for non-pharmaceutical ways to help ease stress and tension, particularly when there’s a big project or travel involved.
Thank you for this!
Oh my thank you ! I have been looking for a essential oil DIY ! I suffer with so much tension in my neck and back, I am definitely going to try this DIY.
Lifestyle blogger | http://www.LifeWithSaph.com
Thanks for sharing! I’m always on the lookout for small ways to help manage stress and anxiety. I’ll make some to mix into my next batch of beeswax balm!
<3
http://www.whattodowithlemons.com
This sounds like it would work wonders for my anxiety- thanks so much!
DIY LUSH BATH BOMBS + DEMO // ROSE, GLITTER, NEBULA + COLOR CHANGING
Thanks
I am a Ylang Ylang oil devotee but your post made me think I too can try these blends. In today’s highly stressed world, these essential oils are like a godsend. Thanks for sharing these DIY tips.
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Thank you for this
This sounds absolutely wonderful. I have a number of the EO’S on hand but will need to order the others. TY for sharing!
Thank you so much for posting this! What a wonderful read. I was diagnosed + medicated for severe anxiety disorder about two years ago. Anti-depressants made me become a zombie so I stopped taking them – and now I’m going to try this recipe. :)
Elise
Hi I love sound of this blend for anxiety. Can I use the blend
Directly on my wrist or should I use a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil to dilute for direct skin contact. Thank you!
Ruthie – You can add the jojoba oil as a carrier to dilute :)
Hi there! Just wondering how many mLs this will make?
Thanks for this my boss has really been stressed lately with some family issues so this will help :)
@Isabel 20 drops = 1 mL
20+30+25+30+20=125 drops
125 / 20 = 6.25 mL
wondering if you can dilute oils with pure coconut oil instead of jojoba or sweet almond?
ilene – Yes, coconut oil works as well but keep in mind it solidifies at certain temperatures. You may need to run the vial under warm water to turn it back to liquid if the air is cool.
What is the ratio of carrier oil to the EO blend? Also, it was mentioned to rub a few drops undiluted between the palms of your hands and inhale. Aren’t there concerns with using undiluted oils on the skin?
I was wondering what dilution would be good for a rollerball bottle 10 ml.
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Actually (to the person who stated these were expensive oils), they are not. The only time they are overpriced is if you go with the two companies that are MLM’s. Several other fantastic companies sell their oils much more reasonably priced and they are as superior in quality as the MLM’s oils. Having said that, this is a great recipe for a calming blend. Thanks so much for posting it! I will be making a master blend of this later today. :)