Dealing with Stress

What's the culprit behind 75 - 90% of all visits to primary care physicians? You can probably guess...

It's stress. And ALL its related problems.

You may not have had to visit the doctor's office as a result, but odds are if you're alive and breathing, you've had a run in with "bad" stress!

Stress starts by stimulating our bodies' hormones - which change and respond to stress' "poking". If it's not properly controlled, our bodies can get "stressed-out" which is when we start feeling anxious, depressed or moody along with some possible nausea, headaches, insomnia or high blood pressure... all possible symptoms of stress according to WebMD. Doesn't it just sound so lovely?

But believe it or not, stress isn't always a bad thing! It's when our bodies get stuck in a stress response for too long and begins to break down the headache begins...

The human body, however, is designed to function just fine under pressure and alongside stress. Dr. Axe points out in his article that if handled correctly, stress can keep us focused and attentive and help us control some bad reactions like digestive issues and unhealthy food cravings.

Essential Oils for Stress

And guess what? Essential oils can help our bodies react the RIGHT way to stress. So don't stress it!

Here's a list of a few of our favorite oils to help keep stress in its place...

Lavender

• Soothes the nervous system

• Balances blood pressure

• Helps reduce anxiety

• Adaptogenic (calming to overstimulated areas and energizing to under-stimulated areas)

• Helps calm shock & panic attacks

Bergamot

• Helps uplift & relax mood

• Balances hormones

• Helps reduce mood swings

• Helps relieve anxiety & depression

• Helps encourage restful sleep

Atlas Cedarwood

• Helps manage stress

• Helps reduce anxiety

• Helps encourage restful sleep

Frankincense

• Helps reduce depression

• Helps reduce anxiety

• Supports meditation & focus

Ylang Ylang

• Helps balance breathing rate & heart function

• Helps lower high blood pressure (Caution: can interfere with low blood pressure & low blood pressure medication)

• Calms & soothes nerves

• Helps reduce anxiety, depression & mood swings

• Helps manage stress

• Helps boost mood

P.S. - Lavender, bergamot and frankincense is my personal favorite anti stress combo... I love the way the bergamot’s deep citrus blends with the spice of lavender and frankincense!

And Here's How to Use Them...

If it starts in our hormones, our brains end up having to deal with it... 

Thus, inhaling the oils is a quicker shortcut to the brain than absorption through the skin - so diffusing your blend of anti stress oils or directly inhaling them is the way to go!

Try mixing them up or combining a few with a citrus oil like lemon or orange. Citrus oils help balance a blend and are great energizers… perfect way to give your blend an extra boost to beat stress! 

If your interested in more anti stress oils and recipes, check out our IG feed @verdantessentialoils or follow us on Facebook @verdanteo!