De-stressing During the HolidayS

While the holidays are supposed to be a time of family and good cheer, they can also mean exhaustion, stress, and panic attacks. While essential oils will not provide you with more money to purchase gifts or bake that holiday dessert for you, they can help you calm your nerves and de-stress so you are able to tackle whatever you’ve committed to.
I’ve put together a list of my favorite oils that will ease stress and help you sleep easier. 

Lavender 
The most popular and well-known oil - lavender is excellent for calming anxiety and easing yourself into sleep. It’s been known to relieve insomnia and create a calm, peaceful sleep.
Lavender can also help you focus your mind on difficult tasks. The best way to absorb the healing benefits of lavender is directly through your skin. This can be done with lotions, oils, rubs or scrubs.

Combine lavender with chamomile in a tea to calm down before bedtime. Both of these herbs have de-stressing properties to help ease you into a sleepy state.

Rosemary 
Overly stressed during the holidays? It’s not difficult to find yourself less in the holiday spirit and more anxious than you would like. Rosemary and lavender together can reduce harmful cortisol levels. Next time you need to relax and refocus on what the holidays should be like, diffuse rosemary and lavender together.
Rosemary is also, like most of these herbs, great at improving focus and memory function. Rosemary is a potent oil so it should always be diluted with a carrier oil. Using a rosemary lotion, scrub or in a diffuser will provide you with all the benefits rosemary has to offer.

Peppermint 
Everything about peppermint reminds me of the holidays. From candy canes to peppermint mochas. It turns out that peppermint also works to uplift the spirits and clear the mind. 
If you are feeling fuzzy-headed and tired, peppermint will wake you right up. It has also been shown to relieve tension headaches and relieve stuffy sinuses. And if you happened to eat too much over the holidays, ingesting peppermint oil or inhaling it can help reduce stomach pains.
You can drink peppermint in a tea or by adding 1 to 2 drops of essential oil to a glass of water. You can use it topically on the neck or under the nose to clear the mind and focus.

Citrus 
There are quite a few different citrus oils to choose from, but they all provide the same benefits. Those include boosting moods, freshening the air, immune support, easing stress, and boosting energy. 
You can choose from lime, orange, grapefruit, lemon. Mix them all, one, or any combo in a diffuser or your favorite carrier oil to get the benefits of these delicious smelling oils.

​Jasmine 
Jasmine is one of the sweetest scents out there and it works really well for calming a stressed body and mind. It creates feelings of confidence and hopefulness.
Wearing jasmine while at that holiday party you don’t want to go to may just help you through the rough hours and you will smell really nice too.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
Essential oils can be powerful things, so always take care when using them. Ensure that they are diluted with a carrier oil when applying them directly to the skin. Some people prone to skin allergies may have allergic reactions to oils applied to the skin.

There are some easy ways to get the benefits of essential oils:

• Apply a few drops to your bath
• Use an oil, lotion, or scrub made from essential oils
• Use a diffuser to release the oils into the air around you
• Some oils can be applied directly to the skin or ingested – just make sure you know which ones and how much to use

I wish you a stress-free and relaxing holiday season. If you have a de-stress method using essential oils, I would love to hear about it!