Essential oils are one of the most gentle and effective natural remedies for anxiety.
Almost everyone has to deal with anxiety. Anxiety is now a common problem and it can easily interfere with everyday life. In fact, more than 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety daily.
Anxiety is caused by many different problems. What triggers your anxiety today, may be a completely different set of circumstances to those which made you feel anxious last week or last month.
Here are some of the everyday situations you may be experiencing. Any one of them can easily cause anxiety:
- Telephone and face to face interviews
- Stress caused from living a fast-paced lifestyle
- Confrontation with another person
- Talking to a senior person at work or within the family
- Change, i.e. moving home, buying a new house, starting a new job or school
- Driving alone or in heavy traffic
- Preparing for or taking tests and exams
We all have days where we are struggling with a particular set of circumstances and we aren’t ‘at our best’. If you are anything like me you have experienced days or maybe several days where you have felt stressed and anxious.
I have used essential oils almost daily for over 20 years. To cope better on days where I feel anxious, I always reach for essential oils. I find the gentle support they offer lift my spirits and help me through the day-to-day trials of life.
Essential oils enhance my life almost every day. To me they are invaluable. I would hate to have to manage without them.
How Do Essential Oils Work As Natural Remedies For Anxiety?
In his wonderful book “Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit,” Gabriel Mojay defines aromatherapy as…
“…the controlled use of essential oils to maintain and promote physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being…”
He goes on to explain how essential oils are natural remedies for anxiety and the tools of gentle therapy…
“…The fragrances of the oils are inhaled through the nose and mouth. They are almost immediately sent to the section of the brain that controls blood pressure, breathing, hormones, heart rate, and stress levels. As the fragrance hits the receptors in this area of your brain, it relaxes your mind and uplifts your spirit….”
Many essential oils are super-effective natural remedies for anxiety. Each oil has specific qualities and can be used for particular types of anxiety. Just as every person is different, anxiety is also different for every person. Different essential oils can be chosen based on the type of anxiety present.
Following are 19 essential oils are natural remedies for anxiety caused by a particular set of circumstances.
‘Must-Have’ Essential Oils To Use As Natural Remedies For Anxiety:
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Aniseed Essential Oil:
Using aniseed oil when feeling anxiously sad, withdrawn and introverted is beneficial. Aniseed oil is comforting and gives us courage when our anxiety comes from mixing with others when we are feeling tired and stressed.
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Benzoin Essential Oil:
Benzoin can help at times when we feel nervously anxious due to physical and emotional upheaval or crisis. Benzoin oil is a relaxant, sedative and anti-depressant. It helps to raise our spirits and uplift our mood. It relieves tension and nervousness.
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Bergamot Essential Oil:
Anxieties caused by unexpressed anger and frustration can be soothed by bergamot essential oil. Bergamot’s relaxing and releasing effects relieves nervous depression and anxiety. This essential oils is calming and promotes feelings of confidence, optimism and joy.
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Clary Sage Essential Oil:
Anxieties caused by emotional confusion, mental fatigue and indecision can all be helped by essential oil of clary sage. Clary is a well known oil for fighting depression by restoring clarity and boosting mental strength. Clary restores hope, boosts self-esteem and self-confidence.
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Fennel Essential Oil:
Fennel relieves anxiety by working as both a tonic and a stimulant on the nervous system. Anxieties caused by an overthinking or congested mind can be cleared away by fennel. Essential oil of fennel can promote confidence, strength and courage leading to mental clarity, happiness and spontaneity.
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Geranium Essential Oil:
Calming, balancing geranium lifts the spirits of the chronically anxious. Geranium oil fights anxieties caused by agitation and frustration and when emotions overwhelm the mind. Liberating and nourishing, geranium oil puts us ‘at ease’ and restores our sense of security and personal drive.
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Lavender Essential Oil:
Lavender offers a calming scent which has a powerful anti-anxiety, relaxing effect. When we feel nervously anxious, shy panicked or stressed lavender oil can help. Lavender calms strong emotions and allows us to recover our mental and emotional equilibrium.
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Lime Essential Oil:
Inhaling the scent of lime oil fights anxiety caused by fatigue, nervous exhaustion and self-doubt. Lime energizes our thought process, instills us with positive energy and clarity of thought. It’s uplifting and refreshing scent lifts us out of the heaviness of our anxiety and restores our sense of fun.
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Mandarin Essential Oil:
The fragrantly beautiful citrus aroma of mandarin is a mild sedative. Mandarin oil eliminates anxieties caused by sadness from past trauma. It soothes our nervous system and lifts us emotionally. Mandarin is refreshing and uplifting and promotes feelings of serenity and peace.
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Melissa Essential Oil:
Melissa essential oil is also known as the ‘Elixir of Life’ and works to rid anxieties caused by feeling pressurized and agitated. Melissa can help when we feel overwhelmed by emotions. Soothing and cooling, melissa instills feelings of clarity, serenity and security in us.
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Neroli Essential Oil:
The stabilizing and relaxing citrus scent of neroli makes it a powerful antidote to both acute and chronic anxiety. When we feel sensitive, easily agitated and alarmed, neroli can relieve that tension and stress. Neroli relaxes the nerves, uplifts the spirits and restores the feeling of emotional harmony.
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Orange Essential Oil:
Oil of orange is cheerful, relaxing and dispersing. When we are anxious because we are mentally exhausted or feeling hopeless or insecure, orange oil can help. Tension, anxiety, stress and frustration all fall away as this sunny citrus oil works it’s magic and imparts feelings of optimism and happiness.
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Patchouli Essential Oil:
Patchouli dispels anxieties caused by overwork and overthinking and worry. Excessive mental activity leading to fatigue and subsequent anxiety can also be helped by the sweet, warm fragrance of patchouli. Patchouli oil gently uplifts, stabilizes, gladdens and inspires the mind.
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Pettigrain Essential Oil:
Pettigrain is the answer when anxieties are caused by irritation of the nervous system or when we feel panicked, confused and insecure. Calming and relaxing, pettigrain oil provides us with feelings of security and emotional strength. Pettigrain gives us self-assurance and hope.
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Pine Essential Oil:
Pine oil relieves anxieties caused by mental stress and nervous tension. When we have anxiety caused by needless feelings of responsibility for our self and others, pine oil is able to disperse those feelings. Pine oil instills a sense of self confidence and inner strength in us that promotes positive energy and joy.
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Rose Essential Oil:
The beautiful aroma of rose oil, ‘the queen of flowers’, helps us fight a variety of mental and emotional anxieties. Rose oil works especially well when we have feelings of grief or are emotionally wounded, insecure and vulnerable. Oil of rose is calming, supporting and soothing and promotes feelings of happiness, confidence and security.
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Spikenard Essential Oil:
The warm, calming oil of spikenard soothes persistent anxieties and emotional wounds. Spikenard oil releases obstructions that stand in the way of stability. Spikenard replaces despondency and anxiety with serenity, stability and a profound sense of peace.
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Thyme Essential Oil:
Thyme oil helps the chronically anxious, the demoralized, pessimistic and fearful person. Thyme oil is fortifying and uplifting. It instills courage, drive and morale in times of poor self-confidence and pessimism. (avoid during pregnancy)
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Ylang Ylang Essential Oil:
Ylang Ylang’s mild sedative effects are soothing and calming on the nervous system. When we have severe and fearful palpitations and want to be alone, ylang ylang oil soothes, relaxes and uplifts us. It harmonizes the mind and instills confidence in us for what lays ahead.
How To Best Use Essential Oils For Anxiety / Methods of Application
There are many ways to use essential oils as natural remedies for anxiety. What method you choose will depend on your current situation:
Massage/Body Oil:
Dilute selected essential oils with a natural carrier oil like jojoba oil. Use 5-10 drops of essential oil in 25mls carrier oil and simply massage it into the body.
Use In The Bath:
Up to 6 drops of oil can be dropped under warm running water to be dispersed through the bath water. Simply relax and inhale the fragrance.
Add To Unscented Body Lotion:
Essential oils can be are diluted with unscented body lotions. Use essential oils at a rate of 1-2%. If I’m going out for the day, I used this method after showering in the morning. The fragrance stays with me all day. Personally, I don’t use essential oils on my face.
Diffuser / humidifier:
Using an electric diffuser or humidifier can work well for using your favorite essential to set the mood. They both allow you to gently inhale your favorite fragrance if you are spending some time in one room.
Vaporization:
This is one of my favorite methods to use when I’m at my desk. Add a few drops of your selected oil (or a combination of oils) to a burner containing water.
Aromatic Spritzers / spray bottles:
Mix up to 10 drops of oils with an ounce of spring water. Shake before spritzing to mix the oil(s) through the water and spray on the body like perfume. It’s a very refreshing way to use essential oils.
Steam Inhalation:
Steam inhalation requires you to add a drop of oil to a bowl of warm water and breathe the steam in through your nose. Putting a towel over the bowl and your head can be calming and effective.
Direct Inhalation:
Placing a few drops of essential oils on your pillow or handkerchief allows you to inhale as needed. This works well when sleeping.
We hope you enjoyed our article on essential oils as natural remedies for anxiety, and found it helpful.
