TIPS & TRICKS FOR MANAGING STRESS, ANXIETY AND MOOD SWINGS

Stress, anxiety and mood swings affect us all in different ways. With the hurdles that 2020 has challenged us with, we may be more susceptible to feeling various emotions that are more difficult to manage. Fortunately, our essential oil can work together to kick stress, anxiety and mood swings so we can continue living to our potential. 

Below we have answered some common questions about anxiety, stress and mood swings that you could be struggling with. 

 

What is the Best Essential Oil For Stress?

Bergamot oil is a clever choice because it helps to satisfy the brain! It is calming but it doesn’t make you sleepy, I like this one for work. Lavender True is one that has been featured in hospitals to help reduce anxiety and improve sleep naturally, very calming for the evening and before bed. Sandalwood is what I call ‘deeply soothing’, it gets used in anger therapy and is very good for helping with pent-up anxiety  If I had to single out just one essential oil for helping to combat stress, it would be Petitgrain Bigarade, also called the poor man’s Neroli, because its effects support a wonderful balancing of nerves and emotions.

 

You can diffuse up to 10-20 essential oil drops into your space or add 1-2 drops to pulse points, or, in a crisis, inhale deeply, direct from the bottle.

Petitgrain Bigarade

petitgrain-bigarade-essential-oil

What is the Best Potent Stress Less Essential Oils Combination?

Stress Less as an easy-to-use clinical blend that I developed to synergise the power of all the calming, harmonising qualities of the above oils (and others). It has been refined over many years of prescribing oils from our Natural Health Clinics and is well-balanced to allow for clear, calm thinking – not too stimulating or too sedative, which can happen if you don’t know what you’re doing. 

 

Diffuse in the home and at work, apply a drop to pulse points 3-5 times a day, use 10 drops in a bath. It can be used every day and is save for pregnancy

Stress Less 

 stress less essential oil

What is a Natural Healthy Approach That Stops Stress in the First Place?

We all struggle with finding balance and if we get out of sync, we get stressed. For me what works are 2 fundamental safeguards, which I also like to recommend to my clients: scheduling daily and weekly with a focus on my aims but also prioritising healthy choices (not just work) e.g. good regular food, exercise, meditation, alcohol limits  (only socially and in moderation). This one is common sense really but establishing a clear intent helps to keep all things in the picture without sudden conflicts. Into this, I integrate my oils because they help to sustain a healthy balance also. Plus, there is intent in the ritual of aromatic medicine that helps to keep the goal of harmonic, productive living clear in my mind.

 

What Essential Oils Have the Power to Make Us Feel Happier?

Well, certainly there are oils that are uplifting and energising in a ‘euphoric’ way. They work on a molecular level when aroma enters the nose and connect with receptors at the brain to stimulate electrical impulses directed at the limbic system (the brain’s emotional control centre connected to emotional memory, heart rate, stress levels and hormone balance). 

The first rule is: use pure, organic, slow-extraction essential oils because these have their original molecule size intact (small enough to interact as a compatible ‘body’ molecule) and are without impurities that would interfere with the healthy process.

The second rule is: remember that memory and emotions are subjective, so what works for someone else might not work for you. Having said that, the citrus oils are very vitalizing and uplifting and Orange Sweet at the same time brings harmonising and comforting qualities – it works for me!

 

What is the Best Essential Oil for Anxiety?

This is an interesting question because my answer depends on gender. The physiology of women tends to make their anxiety issues interdependent of hormone balance and so Clary Sage would be my recommendation. When sheer overload is the underlying factor, then I would go for Bergamot because it helps to calm the part of the brain that doesn’t allow us to be satisfied but still allows us to function with high clarity. For men, research shows that it is definitely Sandalwood that helps with anxious thinking, and Cedarwood is an economic alternative. Application would be the same as for stress above, perhaps with greater frequency.

 

What Essential Oil Helps Balance Our Moods?

Again, gender plays a part in the choices. For a general boost to mood, I find the Citrus oils all to be effective. They are energising and cleansing and so offer a ‘reboot’ to stagnant settings! We have a clinical blend called Uplift that has a strong citrus synergy. 

Manic or hyper moods need calming, so I might go for Lavender or Sandalwood for men.  Hormonal endocrine imbalances of oestrogen, testosterone or progesterone are best addressed with essential oils like Clary SageTarragon FrenchSage and German Chamomile: Pure. At the clinic, I will recommend Woman Support as a powerful balancing synergy for women and mature girls.

Sandalwood Australian

sandalwood-australian-essential-oil

 

What Must-Have Essential Oil Should Everyone Have?

Well, Lavender is probably the best known essential oil for a good reason. It has calming, cleansing and soothing qualities and is wonderfully family-friendly. However, for anxiety and stress, I would probably recommend a clinical blend like Stress Less because you get 7 or 8 essential oils in one - greater effect and great value.

  

CAN ESSENTIAL OILS BE USED ALONGSIDE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE TO TREAT STRESS, ANXIETY, AND MOOD SWINGS?

Yes, absolutely, in fact, they are quite unique as they are using a completely different absorption pathway than natural remedies or allopathic medicines which are generally ingested.