Aromatherapy and essential oils seem to be on everyone’s lips these days. In recent years, we could hear many good things (and many myths) about this holistic and natural form of therapy. This resulted in the fact that today, one can find essential oils in pharmacies, beauty stores and even supermarkets. And other aromatherapy tools like candles, bath bombs and skin products are widely available as well. So can you also benefit from this type of therapy and beat various health issues, especially your stress-related problems?
What Is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a natural way to boost mood and health using essential oils and other scents. This form of complementary therapy uses oils with intense smell extracted from plants. These oils can be absorbed through skin pores (such as during massage or bathing) or inhaled through the nose (using diffusers, scented candles and bath products). The oils have scents that have a significant effect on the hypothalamus, which affects the secretion of hormones that regulate many bodily functions, such as your stress levels, your mood, your metabolism and even your sex drive.
Reducing Anxiety
One of the main reasons people reach for aromatherapy is stress relief. We live in such times when stress is an integral part of existence, and while it might be impossible to avoid it, stress can definitely be relieved. Even hard science agrees that aromatherapy can help with stress, proving that intensive care patients feel less anxious with essential oils. To reduce your daily stress, you can use essential oils around your home to provide you with improved mood and a positive outlook. While lavender, chamomile, bergamot, rose, and lemon are known stress-relievers, you can also opt for sweet smells that remind you of your grandma’s kitchen or fresh earthy smells to ground you. Use whatever scent makes pleasant memories come forward for you because aromatherapy is very subjective.
Energizing
Stress can often paralyze you and make it hard to function. You can use energizing scents to spring to action if that happens to you! Certain smells, such as lemon and other citrus fruits, can be very energizing, even when you’re at your lowest of moods. Rosemary is also a pleasant smell that can do a lot of good for your mood. And what do you do when you’re too overwhelmed with stress to go shopping for essential oils? Today, you can rely on easy and fast online shopping and grab a box of essential oils to be delivered directly to you. These quality oils can be at your place in a few days, just when you need the help of scents the most.
Aromatherapy For Nausea
In many cases, stress and anxiety can have physical symptoms like stomach issues and nausea. If that often happens to you when you’re anxious, you can try to soothe your stomach with relaxing scents. According to research, aromatherapy can be as effective as some over-the-counter nausea drugs, but without any side effects, so it’s worth a shot. Peppermint oil is one of the most effective nausea killers out there. It’s relaxing for your entire body, including your stomach, so when you feel a wave of nausea coming, try inhaling some peppermint oil. Ginger is another cure for nausea, especially caused by motion sickness, but it can also help with stress-induced stomach issues. If you feel nausea due to pregnancy or stress about the pregnancy, lemon oil might help.
How To Practice Aromatherapy At Home
With aromatherapy, you don’t have to visit expensive therapists or book spa sessions—you can easily practice this healing path at home. Start by placing your infuser somewhere in the middle of your room and fill it with essential oils. You can also wash your body with scented water before bed. For the right strength of the scent, a few drops of oil in two cups of water is all you need for a nice scrub. There are also scented lotions you can rub into your skin or scented candles you can light up while you watch TV, do yoga, read or cuddle with your partner.
As you can see, aromatherapy is an excellent addition to your life. It’s an easy and affordable way to relieve stress and improve your mood without suffering any unwanted side effects. So try it out yourself today and see how it makes you feel.
Author Bio
Diana Smith
is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in business and marketing related topics.
In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.