Four Groups of Essential Oils for Stress Relief

How to combat stress with the best from nature was recently demonstrated to the people of Zagreb by Fred Wollner, an esteemed aromatherapist and expert from the prestigious German company Primavera, in an inspiring lecture titled ‘Aromatherapy Against Stress’. Indeed, essential oils help with relaxation, promote concentration, and enhance mood.

Well-chosen essential oils have a calming effect, uplift mood, and improve sleep. Which essential oils exactly? To relax and reduce the experience of stress, Fred Wollner recommends oils based on citrus fruits, medicinal herbs, flowers, and fragrant woods. He states that just one drop is enough to escape from stress and negative emotions, at least for a short time, to a calm and quiet place within ourselves and hide from the restless world. We can indulge in the fragrant harmony of aromatherapy during massages or baths, and when used as room fragrances, essential oils have a refreshing and calming effect while successfully eliminating bacteria and viruses, especially during cold seasons.

– Today, we are constantly exposed to numerous stimuli that often provoke stress and negative emotions. Rarely do we have the opportunity during the day to escape from everything and afford ourselves a few minutes of complete peace. Various thoughts and emotions arise in our bodies, and their combined effect can be quite harmful. The source of stress is a combination of our desires, emotions, and thoughts, and we should approach this problem accordingly. For calming, it is best to use essential oils of cedar, tonka, and patchouli. Additionally, the effects of floral oils such as rose, lavender, neroli, and ylang-ylang are extremely beneficial. However, bergamot and orange are also effective and help with nervousness and anxiety – recommends the experienced aromatherapist in Lider Trendu.

Calming Thoughts

It seems that the number one problem in the frantic world of obligations is the inability to calm the mind. Which essential oils are the best choice for calming thoughts?

– The fact is that we always want something. Thoughts like ‘I want, I want, I want’ swirl in our heads. Such emotions and desires are a source of great stress. To balance emotions and desires, and thus bring the heart into balance, good oils include lavender, rose, neroli, bergamot, and orange – specifies Wollner, adding that it is understandable that some scents may not appeal to everyone.

In that case, it makes no sense to force oneself to use it. A person is very sensitive to scents, so the use of oils whose scent does not suit us should not be imposed. Lavender and rose are very popular, but there are those who do not like such scents, so we can always try chamomile, sage, or patchouli. There are also jasmine, neroli, and ylang-ylang. If someone is truly sensitive to scents, Wollner recommends trying milder scents from woody oils such as rosewood, sandalwood, tonka, benzoin, or vanilla.

You can read more on this topic in the spring issue of Lider Trendu, and here we present four groups of essential oils for combating stress.

Citrus Oils
Orange helps with anxiety and nervousness.
Grapefruit boosts concentration; mild antidepressant.
Mandarin is a gentle anti-stress oil ideal for children’s rooms; helps with insomnia, nervousness, and depression.
Bergamot is a relaxing oil for the elderly; helps with nervousness, stress, and insomnia.
Lemongrass balances, relaxes, and calms.

Floral Oils
Rose has a relaxing effect; helps heal emotional wounds, opens the heart.
Lavender is a mild sedative; balances blood pressure.
Neroli is a strong antidepressant oil; helps heal emotional wounds.
Ylang Ylang is an important aphrodisiac for women; excellent for preventing burnout syndrome.

Woody Oils
Cedar is a relaxing and grounding oil with strengthening effects.
Pine purifies the air, deepens breathing, and relaxes.
Sandalwood provides deep relaxation and meditation.
Rosewood revitalizes the entire organism; helps against nervousness.
Frankincense helps with mild asthmatic attacks; a scent that strengthens and grounds us.

Oils from Medicinal Herbs
Roman chamomile helps with nervousness, insomnia, stress, and psychological shocks.
Patchouli has a slightly heavier scent but relaxes.
Geranium helps with feelings of frustration and depression.
Palmarosa relaxes.
Vanilla has a pleasant, relaxing scent.