Aromatherapy Can Relieve Stress

Are you always irritable, tensed, impatient and do you experience different physical reactions such as increased heart rate and headaches when facing situations which you have difficulty in coping with? If so, you are stressed.

However, you need not worry because it is normal to face stress at some point in time as it is one of the inevitable parts of modern life. It is normal to be stressed during of celebration, sadness, responsibilities, illness, work or school life, environmental adjustments and changes in personal relations. What is not normal though is when you have difficulty in coping with stress because it may take a toll on your health and wellbeing.

One of the natural and alternative ways of relieving stress is through a 6,000-year old form of therapy called aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses essential oils from flowers, herbs, trees and other plants to affect your mood. The most popular are jasmine, eucalyptus, rose, tea tree oil, lavender oil and lemon. There are many ways of using it to relieve stress.

It may be diffused in air through candles and burners and it may be topically applied on the body through baths and like body oils.

But you may ask: how does aromatherapy relieve stress? What is the relation between activation of the sense of smell and relieving stress?

When you use essential oils on your body, they work in two ways to relieve your stress. First, these essential oils have pharmacological effects on the body. When applied to the skin, aromatherapy oils kill fungi and microbes. It also seeps in through the layers of your skin and penetrates the blood stream. Second, the aroma of the essential oils used in aromatherapy has beneficial effect on the brain through the sense of smelling.

The olfactory system is a powerful part of the human body as the nose can distinguish 10,000 different smells. Through the sense of smell, these essential oils activate your limbic system and improve that part of the brain which controls the emotions, that is why, if you inhale such sweet scents, you will feels relaxed and relieved.

You can perform aromatherapy to relieve stress either through aromatherapy kits or you may seek professional service. However, you should be careful because some people have allergic reactions to essential oils. In case of doubt, always seek professional advice.

Aromatherapy can energize you, activate your senses, make your mood better and in the process help relieve your stress and promote a healthier body. What makes it as a good remedy to help relieve your stress is that it is all-natural, safe, not costly and has no side effects.

Aromatherapy is an easy, delightful way to feel good while enhancing your health. This alternative practice contributes to wellness by utilizing our instinctive sense of smell.

Therapeutic aromatherapy can:

o Relieve stress
o Elevate mood
o Promote health.

What’s not to love?

The practice of using fragrant plants to heal is nothing new. It dates back thousands of years and across many cultures. The method of extracting the oil from plants was discovered way back in the Middle Ages. In fact, there is evidence of healing botanical oils used in ancient China, India, and Egypt. Obviously, aromatherapy is not a passing fad!

Exactly what are these precious oils?

Essential oils are the scented liquid extracted from the flowers, leaves, fruits, and grasses of certain plants. Even trees can produce beneficial oils. The natural chemicals that give plants their unique essence, or scent, are removed via steam or pressing. This results in concentrated oils, which form the basis of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is defined as: the use essential oils to support and balance the mind, body, and spirit. This occurs by either inhaling the scent or applying the oil to the skin. When using on the skin, essential oil must first be mixed with carrier oil, such as almond oil, jojoba, or grape seed oil.

Warning: Never apply undiluted essential oil directly on the skin. This could cause an adverse reaction.

Aromatherapy Treatment

The human body enjoys a powerful sense of smell. When inhaled, an odor makes its way to the part of the brain that controls moods, memories, and the capacity to learn. Various fragrances are used to produce specific results, such as….

* Peppermint and eucalyptus oils stimulate the mind.
* Lemon and rosemary revitalize a tired body.
* Chamomile and lavender promote relaxation and soothe the spirit.

Aromatherapy is recognized as a complementary medicine that is used in conjunction with traditional medicine. For instance, cancer patients may receive aromatherapy as supportive care while receiving conventional medical treatment. Aromatherapy is not a cure. Rather, it’s a method of improving the quality of life by reducing stress and anxiety.

Indoor fountains are certainly beautiful features for any home, but they are also healthy and useful with a number of therapeutic benefits. For additional relaxation, try aromatherapy! As the idyllic sound of flowing water washes over you, inhale the sweet and relaxing aromas of heated essential oils for maximum stress relief and muscle tension alleviation. To better understand how this works, let’s quickly learn about aromatherapy and indoor fountains.

“Aromatherapy” is basically the science (or art, depending on who you ask) of diffusing heat over volatile essential oils to elicit a particular smell. Depending on the oil extract burned, each distinct aroma boasts unique physical and psychological benefits. Some are said to improve concentration and mental clarity, while others have been linked to the alleviation of certain ailments, including respiratory problems and headaches.

By mixing and matching essential oils you can create a number or results. Certain combinations will enhance your focus and calm by promoting increased serotonin production in your brain, while other combinations will help rejuvenate your complexion or improve your immune system. Many oils boast anti-viral, anti-septic, and anti-fungal benefits to increase their therapeutic value.

Indoor fountains also help you relax; these simple-to-install features are gorgeous pieces of artwork, too. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes to match your decorative taste, and they are make up of a variety of different materials, from sturdy and natural slate to epoxy resin, and or elegant copper and stainless steel. Water fountains are normally smaller in size an more versatile than a outdoor garden fountain, they also are less messy.”

Indoor fountains help you relax by producing sound-masking white noise, which drowns out obnoxious external clamor like traffic. Water fountains also make negative ions, through a process where cascading water breaks the bonds holding the H20 molecules together. Then end result is negative ions. By using negative polarity airborne particles such as bioaerosols, dust, and allergens are bonded together. In other words, indoor fountains can purify the air you breathe! This not only promotes improved respiratory function, but it also enhances your body’s natural immunities to disease.

When water fountains and aromatherapy are combined, the result is an amazing combination one-two punch of relaxation therapy. By turning your water fountain on while your burn a floating plate of essential oils in the base. This method is extremely effective for eliminating stress while relaxing your senses. Let the serenity of flowing water and beauty and delicious smells of aromatherpay create a place of total relaxation and peace.

Stress makes it all too easy for us to just shut down, and ignore the things that really matter in life. But what if you could reduce your stress just by engaging your sense of smell? It’s been discovered that aromatherapy can produce real, long lasting results. It can soothe frazzled nerves and help you to relax. And there’s nothing you need to do except smell.

Scented baths are also popular ways to relax. Since they relax your body with the warm bath water, they help to take the aromatherapy effect even further. A good long soak in warm bath with a scent such as chamomile is a way better way to relax than eating a Twinkie. To say nothing of the fact that it has no calories (unless you drink it, which you really shouldn’t).

Aromatherapy isn’t spraying perfume onto a pillow. Perfumes are commercial blends of scents, which are NOT the same as aromatherapy oils. They are also known as essential oils, and they’re made from plant extracts.

Some plant extracts have a calming effect. The essential oils that are known to deliver the best stress relief are lavender, patchouli, chamomile and geranium. You’ll also finf that there are several tools available to allow you to put puffs of essential oils into the air around you, so you can have these desired fragrances all through your environment. Or you can just add a few drops to a cotton ball and take a whiff.

Relaxation is not the only possible goal you might have. Maybe you’re feeling sluggish, tired and exhausted because of a particularly stressful situation. The best extracts for shaking off the malaise are peppermint and ginger as well as citrus scents like lemon and lime.

And there are some other neat effects you can garner from essential oils. Rosemary will help your mind feel less clouded, and resolve your confusion a bit. Sandalwood is awesome if you’re suffering from sleeplessness or depression. And juniper berry is excellent if your stresses tend to boil over into anger.

Of course, you should consult a doctor or other suitably qualified person before ingesting any extracts – while aromatherapy can benefit most anyone, there is always the slight chance that it could be an unknown allergy that you might have. It’s better to be safe than sorry, after all. But smelling them should be reasonably safe. Not to mention that aromatherapy can be practiced most anywhere – home, car, possibly even your office (if your co-workers aren’t bothered by it).