Two Ways To Use Essential Oils To Reduce Anxiety
About 40 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder in America, making it the most prevalent mental health issue in modern times. While there are medications you can take to manage the condition, these prescription drugs often cause undesirable side effects. An alternative option to help reduce or eliminate anxiety is to use essential oils, which have been proven to provide numerous health benefits. Here are two ways you can incorporate essential oils into your life to enjoy their natural calming effects.
Body Massage
One effective way to use essential oils to reduce anxiety is to get body massages using them, which can help in two ways. The smell of the oils can have an immediate impact on your emotions in both a physical and psychological way. Studies have shown that scents can trigger positive memories and feelings. For instance, the smell of chamomile can bring back good memories of having tea with people you love, which may disrupt thoughts that are causing you to feel anxious. Other scents, like lavender, have been shown to have a sedative effect when inhaled.
Secondly, the massage itself will work out the tightness in your body and help you relax. It may also help work out toxins and impurities that may be contributing to your anxiety. And you don't necessarily have to get a full-body massage either. In one pilot study, researchers discovered that even a 5-minute hand massage using essential oils helped lower anxiety and depression. Therefore, when you're feeling anxious, giving yourself a hand massage using essential oils may help calm you down.
Scent Diffuser
A second way to use essential oil is with a scent diffuser. As mentioned previously, scents can have a physical and psychological affect on your emotions and mood. If you can't afford to get massages on a regular basis, dispersing the scent of the essential oil in areas you frequent can also have a positive effect.
You can get scent diffusers with a number of features that have additional health benefits. For example, many are also humidifiers that increase the moisture in the air. If you suffer from a breathing condition, this can help improve the air quality in the room and make it easier to breathe.
For the best results, use calming scents such as lavender, rose, chamomile, vetiver, ylang ylang, or bergamont essential oil.
To learn more about using essential oils to alleviate anxiety, contact a seller near you.