Feeling a little off lately? Is the stress in your life is becoming a bit more than you are comfortable with managing? Are you being awoken at night by pain in your muscles and joints, but you haven’t exerted yourself or least you haven’t that you can recall? If you are shaking your head yes to these questions as you are reading it – you might need to look into introducing a new way of reducing your stress and pain levels. This new way? It might be one that you heard people talking about, but you don’t really know how it works or what it entails. Its called aromatherapy and it involves the use of essential oils into your daily routine.
Essential oils have been used for centuries in numerous cultures for the management of pain, stress, anxiety and even skin conditions as it is a completely natural method. These essential oils are all derived from plant-based sources without the use of harsh chemicals or unknown agents. Instead, all the benefits are taken from the plants themselves to be transformed through a pressing or steam/water-based method. This removes the oils and its benefits from the plants chosen without harming the plants in any way.
What is it about aromatherapy that makes it so beneficial to us and how should you properly use essential oils to manage unpleasant conditions of your body and mind? Keep reading to find out!
Table of Contents
What is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the method of using essential oils for a health-related benefit. Generally, the scent of the essential oils is inhaled through the nostrils, traveling to the brain to kick-start hormonal influxes that reduce stress, pain, anxiety and more.
Benefits of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy can decrease the levels of stress, tension and anxiety a person is feeling because the scent travels to the brain and releases positive feelings. The essential oils hit the center of the brain and will basically trick into believing that the negative ailment is gone, allowing relief to flood the body of the user.
Using Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Properly
There are a couple of different ways to incorporate essential oils and in turn, aromatherapy, into your daily routine:
- Use a diffuser or a humidifier to effectively disperse oils of your choosing throughout the air of your home. You can use hot steam appliances, reed diffusers (sticks of slight wood that soak up the essential oil and releases a light but noticeable fragrance) or even use essential oils diluted with water in a decorative bowl. Place them out of the way of children and pets to avoid accidents that could result in a rash or burning of the skin as pure essential oils are strong. Allow the scent of the essential oils to travel through the air and when in the room with your aromatherapy; breathe deeply through the nose, hold it for a couple of seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth. This is also reduced tension and stress while teaching you to control your breathing – definitely useful during a panic attack!
- If you have children under the age of 30 months; contact their doctor to determine what, if any, essential oils are safe for them to breathe in.
- Use a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, shea butter, or sunflower seed oil, to create your own skin balms or creams. These carrier oils contain numerous moisturizers to soften and soothe irritated skin while the essential oils become diluted enough to be placed on the skin. Choose essential oils that will benefit your ailments, such as lavender for anxiety and stress or cinnamon for fatigue, as it will boost your energy levels almost instantly. You can even choose essential oils that are made for pain relief and when massaged into the skin, will soak into the muscles, providing you with much-needed relief.
Conclusion
Why not try aromatherapy and essential oils in your daily routine as a natural method to manage pain, stress and other conditions? It’s completely safe when used properly and you don’t have to worry about putting chemicals or ingredients you can’t even produce into your body. There is a reason that essential oils and aromatherapy have been around for millennium and that is because it will work on some level for you. While granted, you might not feel a complete sense of relief, there will be some benefit to using essential oils, whether it is a major or minor one.
The use of aromatherapy is completely safe for adults, children, and pets but it is recommended that if you are using a humidifier that produces hot steam; it is out of the way of children and pets. As mentioned earlier, never place pure essential oils directly onto the skin during aromatherapy sessions as they are very strong and can cause a burn on the skin or a rash.
If you have any concerns using essential oils, please talk to your doctor about them and you can even discuss your concerns and ailments with a professional at your local natural health store!
