Essential Oils for Anxiety

Did you know that essential oils can help relieve the symptoms of anxiety? In this article, you will find several essential oils for anxiety to relieve any feelings of tension, worried thoughts, racing heart, or elevated blood pressure. Please read through to the end to find helpful recipes for these symptoms.

Anxiety is something that is normal and is healthy when experiencing certain situations, however, too much anxiety on the body can have adverse effects and often lead to a variety of symptoms that can affect the flow of life if left unchecked. Essential oils work to relieve symptoms of anxiety and anxiety itself. Research has shown essential oils to be effective at reducing anxiety, depression, and stress, but that does not mean essential oils cure anxiety altogether, but they can help significantly.

Anxiety is something that is felt when dealing with a problem at work, giving a speech, or making a crucial decision. Knowing the difference between normal anxiety and an anxiety disorder requiring medical attention can help a person to understand and treat the condition.

Anxiety plays an essential role in the survival of the person in certain situations of potentially harmful or worrying triggers. Anxiety triggers the body to jump into a mode known as the “fight or flight,” which boosts certain functions of the body to make the chances of survival higher when in a dangerous predicament.

The danger will trigger the release of Adrenalin into the bloodstream to boot functions such as muscle readiness, more energy, and alertness. In most situations of anxiety in modern times are less about dangerous situations but more involving work, family, health concerns, and other issues that require attention. Often making the body feel more anxiety than ever before reaching ultra-high levels and have adverse effects on the body.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

The most common disorder associated with anxiety is known as a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that includes the following:

• The feeling of restlessness, on-edge, or wound-up
• Easily tired
• Difficulty concentrating
• Easily irritable
• Muscle tension
• Easily worried
• Sleep-related issues, such as insomnia, trouble falling or staying asleep, unsatisfying sleep

Panic Disorder

People that have the disorder can often have sudden panic attacks. Panic attacks are unexpected moments of intense fear that come very quickly and climax within minutes. Panic attacks can arise suddenly or be triggered, either by a feared object or a situation.

Panic attack symptoms include:

• Sweating
• Trembling or shaking
• Heart palpitations or accelerated heart rate
• Shortness of breath or choking
• Feelings of impending doom
• Feelings of being out of control

Many people tend to worry about when the next attack may occur and actively try to avoid future attacks by dodge familiar places of known fears, situations, or behaviors with the attacks. Fearing the attacks and the endeavor trying to prevent panic attacks cause significant problems in a person’s life.

Phobia Disorders

A phobia is an extreme fear of or reluctance to certain situations or specific objects. Although it can be reasonable to be anxious in some circumstances, a phobia is far more severe to the real crisis that provokes such a feeling caused by the situation or object.

Phobia symptoms include:

• Take measures to dodge the feared situation or object
• Experiencing intense fear upon coming across an object or situation
• Have an irrational or excessive worry about confronting a feared object or situation

    Bergamot - Citrus bergamia - Research has shown that bergamot is established in the perfume for its harmonizing properties with other scents. The sedative abilities help to soothe nerves and reduce anxiety and stress. Studies done on humans and animals have proven bergamot’s effectiveness in relieving symptoms of anxiety and stress that come along with daily life. Bergamot has also been shown in a study published in 2015 that stated bergamot to help balance emotions, improve fatigue, and reduce saliva cortisol. Saliva cortisol is referred to as the stress chemical. Anxiety is a common symptom of stress.

Cedarwood - Cedrus atlantica - Cedarwood has many properties that are contributed to its chemical property known as cedrol that helps to promote a good night’s rest and to boost serotonin production within the body as seen in this study. Sleep disturbance is often contributed to by anxiety and helping to reduce its effects on the body is useful for dealing with the results of anxiety. Research done on rats has also shown cedarwood to have sedative assets and calmed rats down and help the sleeping rates of rats.

    Frankincense - Boswellia carteri - Frankincense has been renowned     for its ability to eliminate germs and to clean wounds to prevent     infections with its antiseptic attributes. This oil is also known for     being sedative that helps with reducing stress, anxiety, or even     anger. Frankincense is backed up in this study done on animals, frankincense was again showed to have anxiolytic properties. Frankincense has also been studied to show that it has anxiolytic properties that allow help to reduce anxiety and stress.

Geranium - Pelargonium graveolens / Pelargonium asperum - Geranium is excellent to help improve the emotional aspect of life and uplift mood. Research that was published in 2015 showed geranium to reduce anxiety within pregnant women during labor. The study was done on 100 women showed how geranium was effective at relieving anxiety during pregnancy and reducing diastolic blood pressure after the inhalation of geranium essential oil.

    Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia / Lavandula officinalis - Lavender     is a prevalent oil due to its relaxation and healing properties that     lavender brings to the table. Lavender helps to relieve insomnia     that may be caused by stress and anxiety. A study published in the     Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine was testing a     memory test with the aroma of lavender to see how participants performed the analysis while stressed. Inhaling lavender proved to be superior over those who had inhaled a placebo aroma. Research published in 2013 has shown that a 3% lavender oil spray on clothes reduced work-related stress for three to four days, this proves how powerful lavender is to relieve stress and anxiety even with just 3% of the actual oil being used. Lavender has been shown in a study to help ease anxiety and stress-related disorders (ex. PTSD) and help relax the brain.

Lemon - Citrus limon - Lemon essential oil is from the lemon plant known for its use in cleaning products all over the world because of its incredible disinfectant properties and also used for its uplifting and energizing properties. Lemon also possesses a chemical called linalool, which is known to help stress, boost sleep, and even antidepressant properties. Lemon also possesses antidepressant-like and anxiolytic properties that are known to reduce anxiety and stress within the body, as shown in a study published in 2006, showing the effects of lemon oil in mice.