Essential Oil Protocol: Stress Buster
Having a stressful day? It happens to all of us sometimes. What sets us apart from each other is not that we experience stress, but how we deal with it. In our wellness community, we do a program all about stress and in that we cover many lifestyle practices you can use, but today, I want to share with you a protocol you can do that involves essential oils.
What is stress?
It’s physical, psychological, or emotional tension placed upon the body. It’s not always bad, but when we refer to being “stressed out,” we mean that we’re feeling intense, sad, or negative about something in our lives. We often cannot control the cause of the stress (actually, most of the time we can’t control the cause). However, we can do a few quick things that help us handle it better and not be so negatively affected.
The protocol is based on what we know about the physiological stress response in the body, which essential oils impact the parasympathetic nervous system, and actions we can take to counteract the physical evidence of stress in our blood, muscles, and tissues.
1. Find three relaxing oils from three different “families.” Lavender is always a great one, then choose one citrus oil, and then add one of the following: Patchouli, AromaEase, Frankincense, Geranium, Cedarwood, Vetiver, RutaVala, Chamomile, or Valerian (don’t choose valerian unless you are at home and it’s ok to get totally relaxed and maybe sleepy).
2. Sit in a chair with both feet flat on the ground. Put one drop of each oil in your hand and rub your palms together. Cup them over your nose and take a deep inhale—be sure to focus on expanding your belly. Breathe deeply as far as you can (you may have to move your hands a bit away from your face–this can be a little strong) as you picture your belly expanding as much as possible like a balloon. At the top of the breath, pause for a second, and then release it. Repeat this 4 times.
3. Get on the floor and hold a plank pose for as long as you can work up to 5 minutes if you’re a total overachiever, but that’s not necessary. The important part is to engage your core as much as you can. Imagine you’re wearing a corset and compress your middle with all of your muscles in your abs and back. Your belly button she feel like it’s getting closer to your spine. Breathe while you’re doing this!
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 once more time each.
5. Smile.
You can do this as many times as you need to during the day. Keep in mind that it works best when done in this sequence because you are triggering both physical and emotional stress release mechanisms—you’re sending calming oil constituents to your emotional control center, you’re stimulating the vagus nerve, and you’re engaging your core. Three angles ninja kicking your stress!
What have you got to lose in trying??
This is a weekly feature, brought to you by me, Lisa Beach, PhD. It’s not just because I’m an aromatherapist that I bring you the best information available, it’s because I am a stickler for two things: REAL INFO and REAL LIFE.
My friends, this stuff does not come from Professor Pinterest or Doctor Google.
My favorite evening hobby (besides texting my BFFs and drinking wine), is scouring research studies for essential oil information that is credible, reliable, AND that you can actually use in your life.
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Fit240
Picky Eater Project
Legit Low Toxin Living
Positivity Project
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~Lisa