Essential Oils for Emotional Problems – Anxiety

ANXIETY

The mind-body connection becomes very clear with the symptoms of anxiety. In some cases causes the stomach muscles to tighten up in a spasm, causing terrible pain, while other people can feel stabbing pains in the chest and stronger, faster heartbeats. Not all symptoms are as dramatic. You might find yourself sighing a lot, gasping for breath, or needing to take in large chunks of air. It might even be that you’re running to the toilet all the time, getting headaches or back pain, or just unable to relax. A sense of fatigue is common, as are restlessness, insomnia, even tremors.

It can make you dizzy, perspire, or blush, and it can raise your blood pressure. Some people feel dry in the mouth, or belch a lot, feel nauseous, get diarrhea, or vomit. Can make a person feel so unwell they seriously wonder if there isn’t something physically wrong — which causes more anxiety, of course. Anxiety encompasses feelings of worry, unease, and fear. It’s as if the day is enveloped in impending doom.

Anxiety is a normal component of the human being and serves to keep us
aware of potential danger. But for whatever reason, and there may be more than one, our anxiety fills us with unease. Sometimes the anxiety is transient and can be caused by an identifiable event, but often people are anxious about ongoing issues such as their primary relationship or feeling unsupported, misunderstood, or insecure. For some people anxiety is a daily, generalized feeling of worry — mild to intense — about everything.

ESSENTIAL OILS TO HELP

• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
• Cedarwood atlas (Cedrus atlantica)
• Chamomile roman (Anthemis nobilis)
• Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
• Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
• Ho wood (Cinnamomum camphora ct. linalool)
• Juniper berry (Juniperus communis)
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)
• Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
• Neroli (Citrus aurantium)
• Orange, sweet (Citrus sinensis)
• Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
• Rose otto (Rosa damascena)
• Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora)
• Sandalwood (Santalum album)
• Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)

The following blends relate to the four anxiety types. Dilute 15–30 drops in 1 fl. oz. (30 mL) of carrier oil to make a body oil. Or make up a blend of oils using the proportions listed below and use the number of drops recommended for the various methods, such as bath or shower, and in all room and inhalation methods.

Tense Anxiety: Type 1

Symptoms: bodily tension, muscle pain, aches, sore body
Essential oils: sandalwood, lavender, clary sage, chamomile roman,
patchouli, ho wood

BASIC BLEND – MASSAGE/AROMATIC

Restless Anxiety: Type 2

Symptoms: overactivity, sweating, palpitations, dizziness, lump in throat,
frequent urination or diarrhea (overactivity of the autonomic nervous system)
Essential oils: vetiver, cedarwood atlas, juniper berry, chamomile roman,
frankincense, mandarin

BASIC BLEND – MASSAGE/AROMATIC

Apprehensive Anxiety: Type 3

Symptoms: unease, apprehension, worrying, brooding, overanxiousness,
paranoia, sense of foreboding
Essential oils: bergamot, lavender, neroli, rose otto, melissa, geranium,
cedarwood atlas, patchouli, orange (sweet)

BASIC BLEND – MASSAGE/AROMATIC

Repressed Anxiety: Type 4

Symptoms: feeling on edge and irritable, difficulty in concentrating, insomnia, feeling exhausted all the time
Essential oils: bergamot, melissa, neroli, rose otto, sandalwood, vetiver,
cedarwood atlas, ho wood, sandalwood

BASIC BLEND – MASSAGE/AROMATIC