Aromatherapy for Stress Relief

Aromatherapy for Stress?

The alarm goes off and you drag yourself to the shower. You are exhausted because you had a hard time getting to sleep. Your brain slowly gets in gear and picks up where it left off late last night (or early this morning). The list in your mind comes into focus: Get the kids up, dressed, fed and off to school; Get myself dressed (do I have clean clothes?); Start a load of laundry before I leave; Fight traffic on the way to work; Get coffee at the drive-thru; Try to catch up at work; Kid's soccer practice; What shall we have for dinner? Need to get to bed early tonight..... The list goes on.

Our fast-paced modern lives lead to high levels of emotional, physical and mental stress. Maybe it's time to try aromatherapy for stress relief. Many people benefit from this natural approach to relaxation without medication. Let's look into how this simple and pleasant this remedy might work for you.

Spa - Just think about being pampered with beauty treatments and a long massage delivered by the skilled hands of a professional. For some, this is the ultimate in stress relief. But the spa experience isn't for everyone. Some prefer to relax in the privacy of their own homes. Others really don't have the time. Many of us simply can't afford it, at least not as often as we need it! But there is one part of the spa experience that you can duplicate at home, that's using aromatherapy for stress relief.

Methods - While the spa experience represents one end of the spectrum, there are several other ways to gain the benefits of aromatherapy for relaxation that are much simpler and less expensive. Try 2-3 drops of essential oil such as lavender in a steaming bowl of water, lean over the bowl covering it and your head with a towel. Inhale the aroma laced steam for 3-4 minutes then lie down and relax. Another option is to put 5-10 drops of oil in a hot bath and soak for 10 minutes. Certainly the use of an aromatherapy nebulizer or burner to diffuse the aroma into an entire room can also be beneficial.

The combination of aromatherapy through inhalation and absorption through the skin is even more effective. In fact, massage using an essential oil based massage oil relieves stress in three ways - aromatherapy through inhalation of the oil's scent, aromatherapy by absorption through the skin, and the muscle relaxing affect of the massage. Even if you don't have the benefit of a spa professional, massaging your own neck, shoulders, temples, and chest can do wonders.

Caution - Essential oils should never be taken internally. Essential oils should never be used on the skin undiluted, they should always be mixed with a carrier oil. The one exception is lavender, which can be used in very small amounts to treat pain or aid in healing wounds.

Using aromatherapy for stress relief at bedtime can be accomplished through the use of a lavender linen spray, lavender eye pillows, or simply putting a few drops of essential oil such as lavender on a handkerchief and pinning it to your pillow as you go to bed.

Essential Oils - What essential oils work best for stress relief? Obviously lavender is a favorite, but other common oils include Geranium, Chamomile, and Sandalwood. While these and other essential oils can have a positive effect on stress levels by themselves, a blend of oils may have an even bigger impact. Consulting an aromatherapist or purchasing a good book on essential oils and aromatherapy will definately be worth the investment.

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