I have talked about deep breathing as a way to calm anxiety. I have a suggestion for you. What if you combined deep breathing with a lavender diffuser? That’s what I want to tackle today.
While there are many different ways to combat the symptoms of anxiety, you might not even be aware of how much help lavender can be.
Meet my dear friend Bonnie.
She is wildly knowledgeable about essential oils and she is taking over my blog post today to teach you how essential oils CAN help with anxiety.
There is evidence that lavender aromatherapy can help manage anxiety and aid sleep.
Lavender aromatherapy is a form of stress relief. It can help with anxiety and insomnia, but it is not the only thing that can help.
Side note: It’s important to note that lavender aromatherapy should never be used as a substitute for medical treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms associated with an anxiety disorder, please seek God and the advice of your doctor before trying to self-treat your symptoms with lavender oil products only and/or stopping medication that has been prescribed to you by your doctor.
Also, real quick, I want you to know that not all essential oils are created equally and you need to be aware of the source they come from! Many companies that offer lower cost oils that you can find at the store or online actually use solvents and diluents in their distillation process (even though they make the claim on the bottle that says it contains “100% pure essential oil”), which can wreak havoc on our bodies, especially our hormonal, respiratory, and neurological systems. However, properly harvested oils that are in pure and unadulterated form have a beautiful synergistic effect on our bodies; after all, God created these oils specifically as natural tools to restore our bodies! Learn more about this here and which kind of oils I use and trust here.
The aromatic properties of lavender are believed to have a calming effect on the brain and body.
Lavender has been used for centuries as a natural anti-anxiety remedy. Esters make up 50% of lavender. Esters are calming, stress reducing, and emotionally releasing. This is why the aromatic properties of lavender are believed to have a calming effect on the brain and body, which is why it's often used as an essential oil. Lavender can help with sleep issues, stress and anxiety, headaches, and much more.
Lavender helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
This is where my super nerdy, science loving self gets totally geeked out and awestruck over and over again by how amazing our Creator is!
Our emotions and memories are derived from our limbic system. A key player in the limbic system is the hypothalamus, which is deep in the center of the brain and secretes hormones and neurotransmitters when it gets stimulated, which is why it is often referred to as the epicenter of the mind/body connection. The olfactory nerve (responsible for our sense of smell) has a direct non-stop path straight from your nose to hypothalamus and results in a physiological response in our bodies. Ever smell a delicious dinner being prepared and your mouth instantly starts watering or you get taken back in time reminiscing? Yep, you guessed it - that’s your limbic system at its finest!
This is exactly why our emotions, memories, mood, cognitive responses, autonomic responses, and behaviors are directly impacted by our sense of smell and why we can use essential oils to profoundly impact how we feel and how our bodies respond, and why our response to an aroma is going to be emotional before it can be rational. And this is great news! It means you can use essential oils to positively affect how you feel, and then how you react as a result. Need to reduce stress or anxiety? Use an oil with constituents that will have a calming effect like lavender. Feeling sad? Try an oil with uplifting properties like orange. Feeling sluggish in the afternoon? Use a stimulating oil like peppermint or citrus.
Check out this amazing video on real time brain mapping where you can see the physiological effects in the brain before and after inhaling essential oils. Also, check out this research article, Lavender Essential Oil Aromatherapy for Anxiety, and this blog post, The Science Behind Aromatherapy, for even more information.
Researchers have found that inhaling lavender can help with sleeplessness.
Why is an adequate amount and good quality sleep so important? Sleep issues can have huge negative effects on our bodies and our emotions. Lack of sleep can affect our ability to make good decisions, to focus and be productive, process our emotions, make us susceptible to illness, and has even been shown to cause insulin resistance. Research has shown that using a diffuser with essential oils like lavender while you are sleeping can help you achieve a proper sleep cycle and enhance your sleep by increasing serotonin and melatonin production to calm your mind and achieve a deep sleep.
Lavender is also used topically for pain relief.
Lavender is also used topically for pain relief, including sprains and muscle aches. You can add lavender oil to a bath or massage it on any area where you have pain. You can also rub lavender-infused oil directly onto your skin; just make sure not to use too much because it could cause irritation if you're sensitive to the oils in the plant.
Bonus: Lavender is known as the swiss army knife of oils.
Lavender is dubbed the “swiss army knife” of essential oils because it has properties that are helpful for so many different things such as burns, skin issues, bug bites and stings, allergies, focusing, emotions, sleep, stress, pain, sprains, and headaches just to name a few, but there is so much more! It really is a universal oil that helps balance your body for whatever it needs.
Another blend to consider
How do you know which essential oil to use and how many do you use? It seems so overwhelming because there are a ton of options! Well, the great thing is that there’s no one right answer and is totally based on personal preference, so have fun trying them all out until you find what works best for you! And don’t forget to use them regularly - consistency is key!
There are so many essential oils that give a calming effect on our emotions, but some of my personal favorites besides lavender include Valor, Peace + Calming, Stress Away, Frankincense, Myrrh, Cedarwood, + Vetiver. Also, I love to combine oils and make my own blends in the diffuser or in a roller bottle that I can bring with me and put on throughout the day as I need it (and bonus - it makes an amazing perfume!). I call my favorite DIY blend Isaiah 41:10 and literally pray that verse over myself as I put the oils on; it is such a powerful thing when we combine prayer + anointing ourselves with oils!
Where to find me
Call or text me (314.393.1911) to order a custom emotional wellness box, chat about your personal needs and my recommendations, or to dig deeper into emotions, oils, and the impact they have on our bodies. I would love nothing more than to come alongside you in this journey!
RSVP to join me for an educational class on Oils of the Bible Thursday, June 30 and Emotions + Oils Wednesday, July 6. For a complete list of future events, click here.
Much love,
Bonnie Casagrand
I'm so grateful for dear friends willing to share their knowledge with us as we all walk alongside each other in the fight against fear. I have lost track of how many bottles of lavender I have between my house, car, and purse.
Tell me, what's your favorite essential oil or favorite form of anxiety relief?
I hope that as you continue each day, you can combine these tips to help you find the tools and practices that will be best for your journey to overcome anxiety!
with love,
I use lavender mixed with spearmint in a mister bottle and spray my linens about 30 minutes before I go to sleep - so they are dry but still smell good. I also put lavender and spearmint in some white vinegar and use it as fabric softener when I do laundry. It's my favorite combo.