In today’s fast-paced world, more and more people are experiencing chronic stress. The problem with that is, getting stressed out frequently can result in serious health issues. Chronic stress has the power to disrupt nearly every system in your body. It can upset your digestive and reproductive system, suppress your immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke and speed up the aging process. Stress can also leave you more vulnerable to depression, anxiety and other mental problems. If you are experiencing chronic stress, practising mind/body techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, may help lessen your worries and unwind your mind. The scent of essential oils is also known to help.

How Does the Scent of Essential Oils Help?

Stress is often the result of a negatively perceived situation. While essential oils cannot magically make a situation disappear, there are benefits associated with the relaxation effects that essential oils offer.

When you breathe an essential oil blend for stress relief, the oil’s tiny chemical compounds reach your olfactory nerves, which then send messages to the brain to release endorphins and serotonin (the “feel-good” hormones). Those hormones impact our mood and emotions. That is pretty much how inhaling a stress relief essential oil can result in calmness, emotional stability and relaxation.

What Are the Best Essential Oil Blends for Stress?

Blend # 1 – Lavender, Frankincense and Orange

Lavender is a relaxing and calming scent know to help alleviate both physical and emotional stress. Research has shown that smelling lavender help reduce feelings of anxiety, stress and even depression. Frankincense is a great essential oil to help lift and decrease stress as well as improve attitude. Orange, like many of the citrus oils, are very uplifting. A study founded that orange and other citrus scents helped promote relaxation.

Blend #2 – Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang

Roman chamomile has a calming scent known to help ease anxiety and stress. For centuries, chamomile has been used to help promote a calm environment. Blending chamomile with ylang-ylang is beneficial when dealing with mood issues due to its relaxing and harmonizing properties.

Blend #3 – Bergamot, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang

Bergamot has a calming scent that helps lift the mood almost immediately. Historically, it has been used for medicinal benefits. The patchouly’s distinct aroma is known to have a relaxing calming effect, making it the favourite of many.

How to Blend Essential Oils for Topical Use?

Essential oils are highly concentrated substances. This means in order to be used safely, they should be diluted in another safe substance like a care oil. Once you get everything you need to make an essential oil blend for stress relief, the easiest way to get it done is with a 2% dilution. A good rule of thumb for making a 2% dilution by-the-drop method is to add 12 drops of essential oil to every 30 ml of carrier oil, which can be jojoba oil, coconut oil, among others.

To make the blend # 1, combine 5 drops lavender, 5 drops orange and 2 drops frankincense with 30ml of carrier oil. For blend #2, combine 5 drops lavender, 4 drops roman chamomile and 3 drops ylang ylang with 30ml of carrier oil. For blend #3, combine 5 drops bergamot, 4 drops patchouli and 3 drops ylang ylang with 30ml of carrier oil.

How to Blend Essential Oils for Diffuser?

You will need a bigger batch of blended essential oils to diffuse. Twenty to 30 drops is a good amount to diffuse at one time. There are a few rules to keep in mind when diffusing essential oils. For example, you shouldn’t leave your blend sitting overnight in the diffuser because the oils will oxidate and begins to smell funny. So after diffusing essential oils, make sure to clean your diffuser’s inner reservoir out with water and a cloth. Once in a while, give your diffuser a good deep-clean by using a tablespoon of white vinegar and water and letting it run for a few hours.

How to Blend Essential Oils For Candles?

To get the same effect of diffusion without having to invest in a diffuser you can make aromatherapy candles. The favourite essential oils for making relaxing candles are:

1. 15 drops vanilla + 10 drops lavender
2. 15 drops orange + 10 drops rosemary
3. 12 drops orange + 12 drops basil

To make one candle you will need 1 cup of organic craft oil, 1/4 cup beeswax pastilles, 1 length candle wicking and 25 drops of essential oils of your choice. In a glass bowl fitted atop a pot of boiling water, gently warm the oil (just until it’s liquified but not hot). Add the beeswax pastilles in the craft oil, stirring frequently. After the was and oil are melted together, add the scented oil blend to the mix. Add the wick to the jar and add pour the mix. Allow the candle to cool completely. To use your aromatherapy candle, simply place it in an open area away, like in a garden lantern in your outdoor space. Enjoy the smell of your relaxing candle while sitting in your outdoor space, listening to calming music while you drink a glass of a great wine.

Talking about wine, did you know that this beverage can also help you relax? Research has shown that drinking a glass of wine when you are feeling anxious can have a calming effect. The reason for that is, alcohol acts as a stimulant when you first imbibe, but it should be consumed in moderation. It’s suggested that women should have no more than one glass per day and men no more than two glasses per day.

When it comes to which wine to choose for relaxing, there are a few things to consider. You may not know, but there are legally more than 70 additives that winemakers can add to the wine, a reason more why you should consider buying natural organic wine made using organic or biodynamic vineyard practices.

Many people assume that they’re allergic to sulphites because that is the only ingredient that is required to list on the label. However, it’s the decades of chemical sprays concentrated in the soil plus the additive in the wine that in fact cause allergic reactions. Traditional winemakers don’t wash grapes before turning them into wine, so anything that is sprayed on them will end up in the bottle.

Also, give preference to red natural organic wine over white wine. Red wines have a higher concentration of resveratrol. Not only this compound provides antioxidant properties, it has also proven to reduce the feeling of stress in the body. This is because it activates a stress-reducing protein that aids to repair damaged cell and genes in the body. In other words, drinking red wine is a way of protecting your body from inside out. Considering that reservatrol also contribute to repairing DNA and genes, we can say that drinking wine can also add years to your life.