Stress occurs when your natural equilibrium is disturbed, causing an imbalance between the body, mind and emotions. There is a wide range of causes, including emotional traumas, illness and excessive demands placed on the body and mind.
Symptoms should be treated early and not allowed to escalate out of control, as prolonged stress weakens the body's immune system and makes you more susceptible to ill health.
Essential Treatments
Treating stress is one of the major uses of modern aromatherapy, it encourages you to relax and restores a sense of balance. To treat stress using essential oils take a scented bath, burn oils or have a massage. You can also blend a soothing balm or perfume to wear on your pulse points.
Blending Oils to help you Ease Stress
All of these blends should be made using 35ml of the base oil of your choice and later dispatched into easy-to-carry bottles.
Top Note
Middle Note
Base Note
Releasing emotional stress
3 drops bergamot
3 drops pine
2 drops chamomile
2 drops neroli
Releasing mental stress
3 drops lemon
3 drops lavender
2 drops marjoram
2 drops ylang ylang
Releasing physical stress
2 drops peppermint
3 drops geranium
3 drops rosemary
2 drops vetivert
Overcoming trauma and shock
4 drops clary sage
2 drops rose
2 drops jasmine
Using Smell to Treat Stress
Ease physical or emotional stress by taking an aromatherapy bath or burn a soothing blend to help you switch off from everyday demands on your energy and time.
Releasing Emotional Stress
Emotional stressors can leave you feeling very off balance and sensitive to the slightest thing. It can often be difficult to avoid the people or situations that cause stress.
A relaxing, hot bath can help you release stress and is good for calming the emotions, as well as soothing the body. Make the bath a special and pleasurable event, using candles instead of electric light to reduce eye strain.
Try to reduce your social activities and commitments and maintain more space for yourself. At the same time you can surround yourself with fragrance, using an oil burner or vaporiser to fill the atmosphere around you with your favourite stress-fighting scent.
Releasing Mental Stress
Mental stress is often the result of being overstretched at work or struggling with difficult situations. It can build up over a period of time and suddenly hit you.
Using blends in an oil burner or vaporiser on an ongoing basis can help you to ease your mental stress. Try burning the 'releasing mental stress' blend on a daily basis to help you feel relaxed to let go of stress when you are at home.
Make up a batch of the blend of your choice from above so it is available to your at all times.
Add a few drops of the blend to your pillow as well to make the time during which you are resting an occasion for letting go of mental stress as well.
Overcoming Trauma
When you experience a sudden shock or trauma, a lot of stress is generated. This type of stress is almost like a sudden blow, it does not build up like other types of stress, but is suddenly heaped upon you.
In such a circumstance, it is important that you keep the blend to hand so you can apply it whenever you feel the need, when the stress starts to get on top of you.
For this reason making a balm or perfume, or a massage blend to carry in a small bottle, is a good idea.
You can then apply the blend to your pulse points at any time as you begin to get rid of the stress and become able to function normally once more.
Releasing Physical Stress
One of the most common tendencies with any sort of stress is to store it physically in your body. Knots of tension in your neck or shoulders are a byproduct of modern living. You may suffer from stress induced migraines, which can be very debilitating.
Massage is the ideal way to release physical stress an give you time to catch up with your life. You could complement your massage with soothing music to help you unwind.
A massage will then help your body relax and release physical stress, and the pleasure gained from a good massage also helps soothe mental and emotional stress.