Stress is part of life. It has a powerful effect on the body and takes its toll on both mental and physical well-being. It can cause headaches, nervous indigestion, or heart palpitations. Medical research now says that stress may be largely responsible for causing or at least promoting more serious disorders such as heart disease and allergies.
Stress also overworks the adrenal glands. Repeated release of an overabundance of adrenaline from these glands eventually disrupts the delicate balance of your brain chemistry and hormonal production. Initially this will make you feel like you are always on edge. Eventually, the adrenal glands become exhausted and the opposite reaction occurs. You become tired, sluggish, listless, and emotions may easily fly out of control.
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It is not always easy to avoid stress, but there are ways you can cope with it better. Fortunately, aromatherapy offers some of the best types of natural prescriptions for easing stress. There are many relaxing fragrances listed below in this article. For starters, incorporate these scents into your life in as many ways as possible. Then explore further and use the ideas and recipes available from our general Aromatherapy page.
When applying the oil formulas, give yourself several minutes of slow, deep, even breathing while you imagine how, with each breath, the oil molecules are entering your bloodstream, and spreading throughout your body, relaxing tight muscles and alleviating tensions and strain. These moments will soon become one of your favorite times of the day.
Lavender, bergamot, marjoram, sandalwood, lemon, and chamomile were found (in that order) to relax brain waves. Doctors Giovanni Gatti and Renato Cayola discovered that the most sedating oils for their patients were neroli, petitgrain, chamomile, valerian, and opopanax (which is similar to myrrh). In fact, neroli, valerian, and nutmeg are included in a blend patented by International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., for easing stress in the workplace. Aromatherapists find ylang ylang another potent relaxant. Need even more ways to relax? See Insomnia.
Essential oils that relax and sedate: bergamot, chamomile, lavender, lemon, marjoram, neroli, orange, sandalwood, ylang ylang
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