May 28, 2019
When your mom friends ask how you’re doing, is your first response “Busy, busy, busy!”? It’s understandable, you’re the first respondent to your mini me’s needs, carpool, after-school activities, PTA… while of course attempt to maintain sanity, there’s a lot on every mama’s plate. If we’re being honest with ourselves, more often than not it’s really just a polite way of saying “I am stressed beyond words, bursting at the seams, but I wouldn’t dare say it out loud.”
Well, today we have an ayurvedic solution for you to try, adding to your repertoire in combating the proverbial stress of motherhood. With the rise of essential oil brands like Young Living and doTerra, the idea of utilizing aromatherapy likely isn’t too foreign. You know we all have that one friend who raves about her evening lavender stress relieving ritual every chance she gets.
We’re here to say: don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, because she’s on to something.
Whether you’re new to the mom game or are working your way through the teenage years, stress is a problem we all tussle with. In fact, 8 out of 10 Americans are strained by its negative impacts. The good news is that there’s an old school method that’s becoming ever popular: good old aromatherapy.
Benefits of Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has been used for thousands of years as a holistic healing treatment using natural plant extracts. It’s well known for its ability to relieve symptoms of stress, like anxiety and depression, boost happy moods while increasing energy levels, or to calm and soothe frayed nerves. Aromatherapy can even increase mental focus and help improve your sleep! Using traditional ayurvedic essential oil treatments can improve the overall health of your mind, body, and spirit, enhancing both your physical and emotional health.
Benefits of aromatherapy include:
● Managing pain
● Improving sleep quality
● Reducing stress, agitation, and anxiety
● Soothing sore joints and muscles
● Treating headaches and migraines
● Improve digestion
● Boost immunity
However, if you’re pregnant, be aware there are some essential oils you should avoid.
How to Use Aromatherapy
The great thing about aromatherapy is that it can be highly personal and customized to fit your mood and scent preferences, helping you overcome whatever life is throwing at you in a natural, healthy way. There are a number of ways to use essential oils in an indulgent sensory experience.
Inhalation
● Use a diffuser, one of the most popular ways to enjoy essential oils
● Try dry evaporation by placing a few drops on a cotton ball and set in a bowl nearby
● Create a steam treatment by steaming water with a few drops of oil, placing a towel over your head while you deeply breathe
Topical Use
● Make a bath and add a few drops to your water
● Mix your favorite essential oil with a carrier oil and use all over your body for a head to toe treat
The Best Essential Oils for Defying Stress
We highly encourage you to explore aromatherapy and its many options but to get you started down a path of tranquility; here are our top choices for saying goodbye to stress:
● Lavender is known for being highly soothing to the senses
● Bergamot uplifts the spirit, promoting happiness and wellbeing
● Lemongrass helps relieve anxiety, calming tattered nerves
● Neroli invigorates the senses while delivering a wave of relief from stressful emotions
● Lemon, Ylang Ylang, Orange, and Frankincense further promote a happy, stress-free day