The whole world is stressed. Stress is the new black. If you are not complaining about being stressed, you live a sedentary or boring life. Unfortunately, stress is becoming the biggest killer and the reason and the origin of most diseases. Managing stress is crucial. It is in our best interest.
There is positive and negative stress. It might be a positive stress, the kind performers and athletes put themselves under the perform at their best or negative stress that comes from working in an open-plan office with a dozen telephones ringing all the time.
The kind of stress and degrees of it are manifold, therefore the way we deal with it and the oils we use for it must reflect the diversity.
POSITIVE STRESS
Let's distinguish between the type of stress we have like positive, normal and state of distress.
Positive stress could be described as a "high", the excited state you get when performing in a job you like and passionate about. It is, indeed, this kind of high that makes people love and enjoy working and achieve well. This kind of high helps you perform well. Positive stress makes us aim a little higher, jump over hurdles and gives us the force to take on challenges.
This is the type of energy that increases stimulation, helps our energy level, makes our creativity flow, contributes to us feeling good and gives us wings. This is the type of stress that does not need to be treated. People who live in this kind of positive stress choose to do it and learn to handle it most often. They are the real performer type, the ones who were born to be on stage or in the limelight. They get a kick out of it!
NORMAL STRESS
Normal stress is a state in which the body performs its functions for survival in response to circumstances. For example, when you have a car accident the body is flooded with adrenalin which causes all kinds of phenomenon. Everything goes into slow motion, people hardly notice their own injuries while saving and helping someone else or reduced pain sensation due to shock. This is all for a good reason, to increase people's efficiency and capacity to act and survive. Your heart maybe pounding, your body shaking, your wound bleeding but you manage to carry your child to the next house to call an ambulance. You can collapse later, when the emergency is over. These normal stress mechanisms are good and absolutely necessary in the best interest of our survival. We don't need to treat them either.
DISTRESS
This is when the healthy stress becomes chronic. This is the type of stress when we have no energy, no drive to achieve well and to perform our best, no will, just frustration, sheer fear facing the increasing pressure of the upcoming event. Of course different types can exacerbate each other, so that the environmental stress you suffer at work can cause normal stress which when taken home, can lead to emotional stress.
ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS
caused by, for example, by fluorescent light, electromagnetic radiation, constant noise pollution or simply, too cramped office space.
Essential Oils for environmental stress:
Cedarwood, Coriander, Geranium, Cypress, Roman Chamomile, Basil, Bergamot
CHEMICAL STRESS
We live in constant chemical stress exposed to chemicals in our cleaning products, cosmetic products, pesticides in our food, chem trails, cigarette smoke caused by smokers, reaching for drugs and antibiotics too easily, air pollution, inhaling substances at the factory or office, sleeping in latex, memory foam and inhaling their chemical smell, too many cups of coffee, too many lunch time or dinner drinks and too much junk food.
Essential Oils for chemical stress:
Lavender, Clary-sage, Patchouli, Pettigrain, Geranium, Grapefruit, Lemon, Rosemary
PHYSICAL STRESS
Pushing your body to the limits all the time, working too many hours and not getting enough rest, being obsessed about working out in the gym or driving long distances continually.
Essential oils for physical stress:
Rosemary, Roman Chamomile, Marjoram, Lavender, Bergamot, Thyme, Geranium, Fennel
MENTAL STRESS
Mental stress is constant for most people trying to achieve, to perform, to prove, to please. It is caused by just getting on with our daily life like bringing up children worrying about them all the time; taking exams, especially when we are not prepared to the standard we would like to demonstrate and the mark to get; anguish over uncompleted jobs; unemployment and financial worries.
Essential oils for mental stress:
Geranium, Lavender, Sandalwood, Basil, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Cardamom, Patchouli
EMOTIONAL STRESS
Emotional stress is caused by relationship problems, parental guilt, the inability to give and receive love and grief.
Essential oils for emotional stress:
Geranium, Sandalwood, Palma rosa, Bergamot, Vetiver, Rose, Cardamom
The different types of stress can be individual or present in combination. Take these levels of stress into consideration when selecting the oils from the formulas. Treat the first level before it moves to the second and so on. Mental health is as precious as physical health. Emotional problems if not identified, treated and dealt with will move into manifesting physically. There is no sharp distinction between physical and mental or emotional and mental stress. The human body works as a complex and integrated unit and taking care of one is taking care of all.
Level 1: starts as a tiredness and develops into irritability, headaches and insomnia
There are a few beautiful blends by doTerra that will help you to destress, get calm and rest well but in a natural way, without drugs and feeling strange next day. Depending on what causing the emotional stress, grief, relationship or parental guilt or something else, select the suitable blend to help you find peace and rest.
Essential oil blends to relax, for rest and better sleep:
Console, Lavender Peace, Past Tense, Peace, Forgive, Peace, Serenity
Level 2: depression, anxiety, muscular pain, chronic aches, persistent infections, guilt, apathy and helplessness.
Essential oils for depression and to lift your spirit:
Lemon, Frankincense, Motivate blend, Cheer uplifting blend, In Tune focus blend, Console comforting blend, Elevation joyful blend, Balance grounding blend, Peace reassuring blend, Citrus blend invigorating blend, Serenity calming blend, Ylang Ylang (for heartaches, abandoned, rejected, sadness and shame)
A few tips:
When you get to this stage, take a good look in the mirror. Examine your life and what coping mechanism you have to deal with stress. It's obviously not working. Look into seeking professional help, restructuring your life, changing job or reducing your workload, study load, sharing load with your partner, family and friends. You need more "me" time because if you keep doing what you are doing now, level 2 will lead to 3 then 4 and your life is over as you know it.
Most people don't take seriously the warning signs. I know that essential oils are not a cure for all. However, essential oils can lift your spirit and is a quick fix to elevate your mood and make you feel good. That can turn things around very quickly!
A little extra sleep, good food, less coffee, a relaxing bath or foot bath with essential oils, fortnightly massage, yoga or swimming, a few days away can make you feel better and return your equilibrium. Don't wait until you are so stressed that you can't recognise yourself and all your loved ones deserted you!
Level 3: persecution complex, phobias, despair, increasing guilt and depression, susceptibility to viral infections and bacterial invasion
Essential oils for despair:
Eucalyptus, In Tune focus blend, Motivate blend, Lemon, Lime and Lemongrass oils
Essential oils for guilt:
Zendocrine detoxification blend, Melaleuca, Peppermint, HD skin clearing blend and Purify blend
Essential oils for infections:
Cinnamon, Clary Sage, On Guard protective blend, Myrrh with Oregano, Douglas Fir (skin)
Please, always seek medical advice! This blog is not to diagnose, cure or give or replace medical advice in any way!
Level 4: now the body is really crying for HELP! Unexplained pain, heart problems, strokes, and high blood pressure may be experienced along with all the other diseases that are thought to have their roots in stress, like ulcers, and even, according to some opinions, arthritis. The immune system is further depressed, leading to all kinds of physical problems.
A few recipes of oil blends:
Make up these recipes and use them after work in a bath or foot bath by adding a few drops to the water or apply topically as a massage oil by adding carrier oil.
Stress level 1 and 3 General use:
Marjoram 15 drops
Roman Chamomile 5 drops
Lemon 10 drops
Tiredness blend:
Lemon 10 drops
Clary Sage 5 drops
Lavender 15 drops
Anxiety blend:
Lavender 10 drops
Geranium 10 drops
Palma Rosa 10 drops
I find that carrying my favourite doTerra blends in my handbag helps me deal with the demands of the day. I apply my oils, depending on how I feel and what my body crave, on my wrists after breakfast and repeat it as many times as I need and feel like during the day. I diffuse oils at home, again, depending on how I feel and what I like that day. I apply oils on my spine before bed and inhale my favourite oils before going to sleep.
What I use changes constantly according to my mood, my feelings, the demands of the day or specific needs to improve my health. I find the proprietary blends more and moire useful. Presently, my most favourite is Past Tense.
If you are interested to start using these life changing oils, please visit www.doterra.com and quote ID: 3424449
I highly recommend to sign up and become a doTerra Wellness Advocate to get maximum discount, free products and many other perks this fabulous company has to offer. Never know what grows out of using the oils. doTerra has a generous Marketing Plan with great commission system that with time can grow into an extra source of income to cover bills, holidays, mortgages and maybe your retirement plans! Who knows?
