TYLER TOLMAN BLOG
Essential Oils for Emotional Health and Wellness
Essential Oils for Emotional Health and Wellness
What exactly does Emotional Health mean?
It means being in tune and aware of our emotions and having the skills and tools to manage those emotions appropriately – the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s how we build resilience and self-awareness.
Emotional health is different to mental health, where our mental health includes processing information, learning from mistakes…basically, it’s the behaviour triggered by our mind. Emotional health is managing the feelings triggered by our heart.
But just like our mental state, our emotional position has a huge impact on our physical health, so being able to identify and work through big emotions, past and present, will help to build a strong and healthy body.
If we hold our emotions in, they will eventually fester and come pouring out in an unhealthy way, whether that is a behavioural explosion or a physical illness.
There are many self-care tools we can incorporate into our daily routines to support our emotional wellness (ah-hem, 7 Principles of Health), and these may be different for each person. Using essential oils are just one of these tools.
Essential Oils to Support Your Emotional Health
Building and maintaining good emotional health doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and ongoing commitment to keep it in check. Similar to eating healthy foods and exercise for our physical health, it becomes part of our daily routine.
Let’s explore some examples of good emotional health activities and some of the essential oils that can support you along the way.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps us maintain a positive disposition, while lack of sleep can make us more vulnerable to negative emotions, such as stress and anxiety.
Lavender Oil has a very relaxing floral aroma assisting your mind to slow down and relax, calming the central nervous system allowing you to sleep longer and better.
Bergamot Oil helps draw out the positive vibes with its citrusy scent, helping to let go of any tension.
Clary Sage Oil can work as an anti-depressant which can help to combat any negative thoughts that may creep in when trying to fall asleep.
Energy Levels
Having more energy helps you to focus and think clearly, enabling you to process and manage your emotions in a healthier way.
Rosemary Oil contains a high amount of cineole, which is a component found in many plants known to be energy boosting and increase blood flow, assisting with concentration and focus.
Grapefruit Oil increases energy levels and helps to manage feelings of stress and anxiety. It’s also know to be mood-lifting for depressive patients.
Wild Orange has a revitalising, citrusy aroma that helps to uplift any mood and increase energy levels, while also helping to lower stress and anxiety.
Remaining Calm
Being able to calm your body is important so you can correctly identify and work through your emotions.
Copaiba Oil has a balmy scent that is full of relaxing benefits, helping to calm emotions and alleviate anxious feelings.
Ylang Ylang Oil promotes relaxation and has uplifting effects on your mood, and its floral scent helps to reduce stress levels.
Jasmine Oil has a stimulating affect on the brain, helping to boost energy levels and increase alertness, while also having a calming effect.
Breathing (Meditation)
Going hand-in-hand with calming the body down, breathing deeply and consciously will help. And there are oils that will support and enhance this breathwork.
Eucalyptus Oil has airway clearing and expectorant properties which helps the chest to relax (alleviating anxiety), allowing for better deep, steady breaths.
Frankincense Oil is known for its calming properties, while also helping alleviate pain and reduce stress that can be distracting when meditating.
Neroli Oil helps to reduce cortisol levels that help the body ward off stress while also assisting to center your mind during meditation.
These are only a few suggested oils that will help and support your emotional wellness, but there are many others out there. I encourage you to do your own research.
Using essential oils is a versatile way to support your emotional health, whether you diffuse it or pop it into a rollerball to keep with you for when you need a little pick-up.
However you take care of your emotional health, the message I want to share is that it’s important that you do it. Not only will you emotionally benefit, your body will benefit also.
Thanks for reading!
