Today Connie adds essential oils (EOs) to our recent discussion of reflexology for help with PTSD and anxiety. There are many EOs that fit well in this category. Connie has gathered information on several of them for you. She includes a testimonial from an M.D. who has recently discovered the benefits of EOs for her own 17 year journey with anxiety.
by Connie Scheel
The wide array of benefits of essentials oils is coming to light for many people all over the world. In my experience, many people start using EOs – like I did – for physical ailments such as pain, flu and colds, or to help with sleep challenges. Stress and anxiety are, also, common challenges where people are looking to EOs for relief, balance and peace.
Last month I shared about Young Living’s Orange EO and how it may help with depression and anxiety, and how it has touched many people. I’m so grateful to be a conduit for peace and balance to the world via EOs. This article has sparked many conversations, and also brought a few inspiring stories. I’ll share an exceptional story at the end.
Essential oils work to bring your body, mind and soul into balance. The Young Living Product Guide describes it well with, “Each essential oil’s complex, pleasant, and unique scent activates the limbic system — the brain’s center of emotion and memory — differently. While some essential oils may uplift the spirits, others may empower you to release negative thoughts and habits. Essential oils can be your key to a more fulfilling and balanced emotional life.”
Stress and anxiety are often multi-layered and serious challenges that may require a blend of balancing modalities. That has certainly been true for me. Even before my journeys through gynecologic cancers I struggled with depression, but didn’t know about EOs then. EOs may play a vital a role in finding peace and emotional wellness along with other tools like gratitude journal, meditation, walking, Tai Chi, Yoga, relaxing music, and sometimes prescription medication. I like to use EOs to enhance those other wellness tools. EOs blend in with these well by using a room diffuser, your essential oil diffuser bracelet, a homemade spritz, inhaling directly from the bottle, and, of course, rubbing EOs into the bottoms of your feet.
Peace & Calming is one of my favorite EOs for balancing depression and anxiety. It’s a blend of tangerine, ylang ylang, blue tansy, orange, and patchouli EOs. It’s blended with the intention to purge the body’s systems of nervous emotions and increase emotional wellness. It’s a personal favorite of my family and many other families because of it’s effectiveness. It’s considered safe to use on children, and particularly helpful to them after busy days. I’ve been sharing about this particular EO quite a bit in the past couple months as more people are courageously looking for help with depression, anxiety and stress.
My friend Ann Mears, M.D. shares her uplifting story.
My panic disorder started my 3rd year of medical school. I went to the ER 3 nights before my 1st night of call. My first rotation was OB and, being in El Paso, I knew I’d personally be delivering a lot of babies that first night. My panic attack mimicked an asthma attack and so, after a full lung work up, I was sent home. I went back to the ER the night before my 1st night of call with symptoms of another asthma attack, but my lung work-up was again normal. The doc said I was having panic attacks and gave me an Rx for Xanax. I saw the pediatric psychiatrist with whom we rotated and she started me on Paxil and Ativan. Within a week my symptoms were gone. And so started my now 17 year journey with panic disorder. Through med school, residency, and private practice, I’ve been on multiple anti-anxiety /anti-depressant medications. They’d get changed due to side effects; but every time I tried to stop them or even cut my dosage, the anxiety and panic returned. Eighteen months ago we found a tremendous church and I have grown enormously in my faith. I’ve learned that deep-seated fear, shame, or guilt – though hidden from the outside world – manifest themselves in our bodies. As my walk of faith has deepened my relationship with Jesus, I’ve found myself strongly wanting to be able to stop my anxiety medication. Again, when I’d tried stopping my medication previously, the panic attacks returned with a vengeance. Connie introduced me to EOs and I felt they they might be just the “added ingredient” needed to assist me in stopping – if not at least cutting down on – my anxiety medication. I got my Premium Starter Kit of YL EOs and decided to bite the bullet. I cut my medication, citalopram, from 40 mg to 20 mg and began using Stress Away and Peace & Calming both topically and on my EO4Balance diffuser bracelet. It’s been 2 weeks now and I am still currently at 20 mg of citalopram. I literally thank God that I haven’t had a panic attack nor any increase in general anxiety. I put Peace & Calming on my diffuser bracelet and just smell Stress Away about 3-4 times a day. I plan on cutting my medication to 10 mg daily here in the next week or so. I fully anticipate continuing to be able to decrease and, hopefully, stop my anxiety medication after 17 years of use with the aid of EOs!!!”
Many thanks to Ann for sharing her fantastic EO story! If you’ve been struggling with anxiety, stress or depression I hope that Ann’s story is encouraging to you.
Left to Right: Ann Mears, Andi Swatts and Connie Scheel taken on June 8, 2014 at a Young Living Introduction gathering.
Young Living offers many EOs to help bring balance to stress and anxiety.
Lavender is known as the Swiss Army knife of EOs as it’s an overall balancer to the body and the mind. In the article, Lavender Oil for Anxiety and Depression, Jeremy Appleton, ND, reports that “Lavender oil aromatherapy has been shown to be effective in the management of anxiety and depression and small and medium-sized controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials.”
Frankincense is known for it’s stress relieving properties. Ancients used this EO to treat every conceivable illness known to man, and it was more valued than gold. Researchers today have discovered that the sesquiterpenes in frankincense help to stimulate the limbic system of the brain as well as the hypothalamus pineal and pituitary glands. The sesquiterpenes allow this EO to go beyond the blood/brain barrier. (For a deeper understanding of the blood-brain barrier click here- Blood-Brain Barrier/How the Oils Work.)
Ylang Ylang was the topic in my February article, Dancing with Ylang Ylang Essential Oil: “…relief from anxiety and a boost in self-confidence… I found that ylang-ylang EO can be used for depression, anxiety, hair loss and intestinal problems.” I came across a study on PubMed from September of 2006 titled Relaxing effect of ylang ylang oil on humans after transdermal absorption and was fascinated and grateful that this study showed that ‘At the behavioral level, subjects in the ylang ylang oil group rated themselves more calm and more relaxed than subjects in the control group. These findings are likely to represent a relaxing effect of the ylang ylang oil and provide some evidence for the usage of the ylang ylang oil in aromatherapy such as causing a relief of depression and stress in humans.’”
Bergamot may calm the body during times of stress and mild anxiety. It’s benefits may be enhanced when combined with orange and/or lemon EOs. It has a light citrusy scent, and it the prominent flavor in Earl Grey tea.
These single EOs are wonderful. However, I love the Young Living blends as you get the benefits of several different EOs in 1 bottle.
Valor may be helpful for “anyone who needs to increase feelings of self-control, anyone seeking a balancing effect on emotions or an emotional uplift during times of despair, or individuals who often find themselves in stressful situations or are easily stressed”, quoted from Young Living Valor Product Info. This balancing blend includes frankincense, blue tansy, spruce and rosewood. I use Valor on my essential oil diffuser bracelet every day, and love how it acts as perfume as well an emotional balancer.
Stress Away is a blend that is quickly growing in popularity. It comes with every Distributor Premium Starter Kit for good reason! It’s Young Living product page says, “Stress Away is the first product to contain the unique stress-relieving combination of lime and vanilla pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils. Stress Away also includes copaiba and lavender to reduce mental rigidity and restore equilibrium. Featuring powerful plant constituents, such as the cedrol found in cedarwood and the eugenol that occurs naturally in vanilla, Stress Away may help induce relaxation and reduce occasional nervous tension.”
Joy is a blend of a few of the single EOs I shared above and is luxurious and uplifting. It has Bergamot, Ylang ylang, Geranium, Lemon, Coriander, Tangerine, Jasmine, Roman chamomile, Palmarosa, and Rose.
The Premium Starter Kit that Ann talks about includes a room diffuser, 5ml of Stress Away and the Everyday Oils Collection which contains 5-ml bottles of Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, Joy, PanAway, Peace & Calming, Purification, Thieves, and Valor. It’s a fabulous value and wonderful way to start – or continue – a wellness plan. Notice that most of the EOs I’m sharing about in this article come in this kit. To find out more or to place your order, please go to my Young Living website and enroll as a Distributor and enjoy 24% off retail pricing.
If you’d like an essential oil diffuser bracelet, visit my Etsy Shop EO4Balance. I welcome custom orders!
NOTE: This is for informational purposes only. No diagnosis, treatment, prescription for any health condition is intended or implied. Please consult your medical professional.
