Slay Your Demons: Top Essential Oils for Anxiety

Did you know that almost twenty percent of adults in the United States experience anxiety? That’s over forty million people, without counting the percentage of children that also experience anxiety.

With so many people experiencing this, anti-anxiety remedies abound. One such remedy becoming popular is essential oils for anxiety.

Essential oils, when chosen correctly, can be very useful in easing your anxiety. If you don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll tell you everything you need to know – how to use essential oils, what the best essential oils are, and what you need to keep in mind while using them. All you need to do is keep reading.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are concentrated liquids collected from plants. Each essential oil is made up of a unique chemical compound that has different benefits for your mind and body.

Essential oils are also called volatile oils, ethereal oils, or simply by the name of the plant they were extracted from – such as oil of clove.

Essential oils are typically stored in amber glass bottles. This is because the material amber glass is made of prevents the harmful effects of sunlight from deteriorating the essential oil.

Essential oils have many different benefits, ranging from things like soothing a stomach ache up to their purpose in this article – soothing anxiety. They have been used effectively for thousands of years.

How Do I Use Essential Oils?

Essential oils can be used in two main ways – applied to the skin or inhaled. When using essential oils, whether topically or inhaling, it is important to remember to dilute them. Otherwise, the chemical concentrations could be harmful.

If you’re applying essential oils to the skin, you could do this by taking a bath. Add about five drops of the oil of your choice to the tub as it fills and take a soak to relax and get some relief.

Another way to use essential oils topically is to get a massage- whether it’s a friend giving it to you, a professional, or even yourself. Dilute the essential oil of your choice into a carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or apricot kernel oil first.

The best way to inhale essential oils is to use an oil diffuser. This will gradually release the essential oil of your choice into the air so that you don’t inhale too much of it at once.

Unlike applying it topically, you do not need to dilute the oil in a carrier oil before you diffuse it. However, some people do it anyway because they enjoy the scent of the carrier oil they use.

Important Safety Rules for Using Essential Oils

The most important rule when using essential oils for stress relief is to do your research. Oils that have been deemed safe for the public to use may not be safe for you personally. You could have an allergic reaction or display sensitivity to them.

Next, watch out for the essential oils you use if you happen to have any pets. The oils that pets can handle are not always the ones that you can handle. Given how much smaller pets are than humans, even just a little essential oil – diluted or not – can have detrimental effects on them.

In a similar vein, never use essential oils around babies under six months of age. After six months, it is safe to diffuse certain oils only for up to an hour around them. Until your child is about six years of age, consider consulting with a doctor before you introduce any new essential oils to them.

Lastly, never apply essential oil to your skin that you haven’t taken care to dilute first. The concentration of undiluted oils can cause skin irritation or burns. Some susceptible people can even develop an allergy to that oil as a result.

Best Essential Oils for Anxiety

Now that you’re fully prepared to use essential oils safely, it’s time to get into the most effective relaxation essential oils. Many of these are also good essential oils for sleep.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils out there. Not only does it help with anxiety but it also assists in areas such as sleep, muscle relief, headache relief and even burn relief.

Lavender oil is thought to soothe anxiety by impacting the limbic system – the part of your brain that controls emotions.

Chamomile

Chamomile is well known for its sedative properties – you may have seen it in various types of tea meant to assist with sleep. Chamomile oil can reduce the symptoms of mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder.

In addition, chamomile can assist with pain relief or inflammation.

Ylang Ylang

Ylang Ylang oil comes from the flowers of the Cananga tree. It is known to have a calming effect on you by lowering your blood pressure.

When used in a blend with several other oils, it also helps with your heart rate and cortisol levels.

Jasmine

A much-loved scent, jasmine is used in anything from fragrances to bases for certain types of tea. Jasmine oil is shown to significantly calm anxiety without inducing tiredness as other essential oils do.

Jasmine oil soothes anxiety by calming the nervous system.

Check Out Our Blog

Now that you’ve learned all about how to use essential oils for anxiety, you’re ready to start your journey into aromatherapy. While you’re waiting on getting those essential oils in, why not check out the rest of our blog?

We offer information on many topics in a variety of fields, such as business, health, and home improvement. No matter what you’re interested in, we’re sure one of our other articles will catch your eye.