How to Fight Anxiety + Stress with Essential Oils

Anxiety & panic attacks can be a crippling disease. You never know when it will hit. Sure, you’ve learned some of the key triggers and you go out of your way to avoid these. But the fear of an attack is always in the back of your mind when it comes time to do more than the everyday routine. Traveling is terrifying. Being anywhere other than your comfort spaces stresses you out and that apprehension even worsens the matter.

If this sound like you, I invite you to try something new. I’m not saying it will cure you. But neither will your medications. They might dull the monster, but they never eliminate it. Really, they probably only cover him up and tell him to sit in the corner. Thankfully, there’s a safer, all natural way to cope with anxiety and stress.

If you’re tired of putting drugs into your body that make you tired or numb, try essential oils. There are a few key essential oils that are perfect for keeping those anxiety attacks subdued. These oils could bring a new light to your life and free your mind.

Disclaimer: You should always talk to your doctor about the severity of your anxiety disorder if you are on medications before trying essential oils. There’s always a possibility that oils could interact with the effectiveness of your meds. Only use this guide if you have self medicated as having anxiety and general stress (in which you should still go see a professional), or if you’ve been cleared by a doctor and are looking for guidance.

Essential Oils for Coping with Stress

General stress is a much easier topic to tackle. One of the best oils for stress is lavender. A few of the key benefits of lavender is that it helps ease feelings of tension (aka great for the office). It also reduces anxious feelings and promotes restful sleep. A good night’s sleep on its own can greatly help with stress levels.

I find the best ways to utilize lavender for everyday stress is to either have it diffusing in your room, or applying a drop diluted with a carrier oil to your wrists. Another discrete way is to purchase some form of lava rock jewelry. They come in necklaces and bracelets of different forms, but they’re simple and wearable by anyone. All you have to do is add your favorite drop of oil to the bead and it stays with you all day. It will even release as your stress levels rise due to the rise in your body temperature.

Even something as simple as keeping a bottle of pure lavender oil with you and taking a few good deep breaths can help you through the day. If the stress of the day keeps you up at night, try diluted lavender on the soles of your feet before bed. Take whatever is leftover on your hands and rub them together. Inhale deeply. Ground yourself and prepare your mind for calmness. If sleep is your main concern, check out my other post dedicated to essential oils for deep sleep.

Remedies for Common Stressors

Below are many other great essential oils geared toward specific types of stressors.

• Worried: Cedarwood – diffuse after a stressful day to relax the mind and body.
• Angry: Patchouli – rub on temples or apply to the bottoms of feet to calm emotions. Ylang Ylang – put a few drops into Epsom salt bath for relaxation.
• Stressed: Frankincense – apply to the bottoms of feet to relax and balance mood swings. Vetiver – diffuse aromatically or use topically with other calming essential oils, such as Lavender to better help calm stress.
• Restlessness: Rosemary – diffuse aromatically or apply topically to help reduce tension, stress, and fatigue. Lavender – add to bath water to soak away stress.
• Nervous: Bergamot – diffuse in the classroom or at work.

Calming Anxious Feelings

Start by taking your anxiety and fear of panic attacks and allow it to motivate you to find a remedy. Don’t let it rule your life. You deserve to find peace. The beauty of essential oils is that they utilize the power of scent. Scent can easily transport you to happy places and moments in your life. Think of those times when a scent reminds you of your childhood, or a day in your life that meant something to you. Essential oils are able to snap you out of that black hole of anxiety and into a place of stability.

Scent is intertwined with the limbic system. This system is responsible for processing memory and emotions. Many essential oils high in the chemical constituent linalool are well known for their ability to reduce sad and anxious feelings. Lavender is high in linalool and when taken internally reduces anxious feelings.

Be sure to use a pure oil that is safe for internal use. Not all essential oils are safe! In fact, almost all oils that you find at the grocery store or other healthy food stores are not safe to ingest. If you or someone you know are interested in buying pure, food grade essential oils, please contact me here. Even if you just want more information, feel free to send me a message or comment below.

Topical + Internal Uses for Essential Oils

An easy and accessible form of essential oil therapy making a roller-ball blend using one or a few of the above essential oils and a carrier oil. Carrier oil examples are: coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, etc. The most comment is fractionated coconut oil (fractionated means it won’t solidify as easily as normal coconut oil.) I’ll list a few of my personal recommendations when it comes to mixing these oils according to scent.

• Lavender + Peppermint
• Bergamot + Vetiver + Lavender (great for sleep!)
• Frankincense + Vetiver

Personally, I have rollerball blends for many different reasons and ailments. Once this roller ball blend is complete there are many places on the body in which it is most effective. One of these is on the soles of your feet. The pores on your feet are a perfect door into your body. Another option is on the spine, or on the insides of your wrists. Lastly, the sides of your neck and temples allow for the scent to be inhaled as well as absorbed.

If you choose to take oils internally I recommend either adding them to water, or creating a mixture with honey and adding it to something like hot tea. Some of these oils don’t taste great so I like to get creative. A third way to ingest them is to add a drop to the roof of your mouth.

The final few options for using your oils when anxiety strikes is to keep a bottle with you at all times and inhale when needed. You can diffuse in whatever area you are in (at home, work, or even the car!) There are some very innovative and discreet diffusers on the market now. As I stated earlier, I’d really look into a lava rock bracelet if you repeatedly suffer from an anxiety disorder.

Please take a moment to share this post! You never know who could be silently struggling with anxiety and stress.