Let's talk anxiety

Every one of us is touched by anxiety, either directly or indirectly, daily.  I didn't realize how many people dealt with it until I began working with doTerra.  So, I want to go over anxiety in detail.  Below is an image that explains all the affects anxiety has on our bodies.  It's far reaching and can cause massive disruption to our bodies processes.  It is imperative that we learn how to redirect our minds and proactively stop anxiety attacks before they occur.

 Make sure you have quiet time every day.  It's especially helpful at bedtime and upon waking.  Wake up and consciously think about things you are grateful for and feel that gratefulness throughout your body.  There is so much here for us and know that you are a part of this wonderful time and space.  If you haven't found your passion and purpose yet, don't stop searching and learning!  Each person has talents and a special place here to do good!

Keep some doTerra essential oils on hand, throughout your day, so they may help with any feelings that may arise.  There are some really great oils for anxiety.  A drop can be placed on each wrist and smell when needed.  A drop can be rubbed between your palms and cupped and inhaled or they may be diffused.

From Dr. Mercola:  Your sense of smell is your most primal sense and exerts surprising influence over your thoughts, emotions, moods, memories, and behaviors. Scents are experienced long before words. This is why it's nearly impossible to describe them with language. Olfaction is different from your other senses, processed through different pathways in your brain.
For other sensations such as sounds and visual images, sensory input is delivered straight to your thalamus, which you can think of as "the big switchboard" in your head. From there, data goes out to your primary sensory cortices.
But smells are different. Before reaching your thalamus, they first wind their way through other regions of your brain, including areas controlling memory and emotion. So with scents, you have all this extra processing even before you have conscious awareness of the scent.¹
For this reason, scents can have a powerful influence over how you think, feel, and behave. Aromatherapy allows you to harness the olfactory power of plants for healing, or simply to enhance your state of well-being.
Essential oils carry biologically active volatile compounds in a highly concentrated form that can provide therapeutic benefits in very small amounts. Please understand that I am referring to pure, therapeutic grade essential oils from plants, NOT synthetic fragrances and perfumes, which can be toxic and are typically loaded with allergenic compounds.

The neurological substrates of olfaction are especially geared for associative learning (in your hippocampus) and emotional processing (in your amygdala).¹¹Kate Fox explains it well in "The Smell Report":¹²

"Our olfactory receptors are directly connected to the limbic system, the most ancient and primitive part of the brain, which is thought to be the seat of emotion. Smell sensations are relayed to the cortex, where 'cognitive' recognition occurs, only after the deepest parts of our brains have been stimulated. Thus, by the time we correctly name a particular scent as, for example, 'vanilla,' the scent has already activated the limbic system, triggering more deep-seated emotional responses."

 

Dr. Hill speaking about our emotions

Now, this is not medical advice.  I'm not telling you to replace medications or to stop taking your medications.  These can however, work in conjunction with them.  Speak with your doctor and work together on this.  Everyone is different and some oils will work better for others.  They have no side effects and can be used as needed.  There are plenty of testimonials out there!  Below are the oils most used for anxiety.  Try one or two and see how they work for you.  I love working with people with anxiety, depression, PTSD and all the mood functions.  It's so rewarding.  Feel free to reach out to me!  A well balanced nutrition approach is also a must.

doTerra essential oils for anxiety

Balance is one of my all times favorites and is a blend of 5 oils.  I use it every night to calm my busy body mind along with Lavender and Vetiver.  This blend promotes whole body relaxation and can create calm, soothing environments. 

Citrus Bliss is another favorite as it reminds me of my favorite place on earth.  This blend of 7 oils with some vanilla bean absolute is such a pleasure.  I came in to contact with this oil in yoga class and all my stress floated away.  It helps reduce stress and anxiety and it is uplifting and energizing.

I will diffuse Citrus Bliss and Elevation together almost daily.  The smell takes me to another place and I experience such joy from it. What a combo!  Elevation lessens the feeling of anxiety and sadness.  It's great for first thing in the morning!  It also promotes feelings of self-worth. 

Serenity is doTerra's calming blend.  It was specifically blended to lessen tension, calm emotions and leave a peaceful feeling.  Many also love this blend and Balance together for sleep.  They affectionately call the recipe Liquid Xanax.  The 10ml rollerball recipe is 20 drops Serenity, 20 drops Balance and fill the remainder with fractionated coconut oil.

Wild Orange is uplifting and energizing to the mind and body.  This one's even better due to it also aiding your digestive system and as you saw above digestion can be shut down during anxiety attacks.

As the king of oils, Frankincense is known to promote cellular health and
immunity and can be consumed daily for these internal benefits. It also
promotes a healthy inflammatory response and acts as an overall tonic to
the body’s systems, helping them function optimally. When inhaled or
diffused, Frankincense induces feelings of peace, relaxation, satisfaction,
and overall wellness.

  

Bergamot is wonderful to reduce tension and stress.  The Italians have used it for years!  It's calming, uplifting and has a very soothing aroma.  This one also aids the digestive functions.

We all know about Lavender.  There's sprays for sheets and lotions and soaps and a whole host of products out there using Lavender for it's soothing, calming effects.  This is a perfect one for night time!  I use this in conjunction with Balance and Vetiver at night myself. 









Patchouli is a beautiful smell.  I have a new found love and respect for this oil.  This oil will help balance and ground emotions. 







Vetiver is the last one I'll list today.  As I mentioned above, I use it in my night time blend.  Vetiver has a woodsy smell and it reminds me of the outdoors that I love so much.  It can help provide focus and mental clarity as well as calming and balancing emotions.  My night time recipe is for a 10ml roller bottles with 21 drops lavender, 7 vetiver, 10 drops Balance and then the remainder filled with fractionated coconut oil. 



Disclaimer:  Once again this is not medical advice and this is not used to treat, diagnose or cure any diseases.  These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  Not all oils are the same.  I know this from a personal experience with MRSA.  I use doTerra, because I am at complete peace with knowing their quality standards and exactly how the test their oils.  They have complete transparency where other companies do not.  For more info on their quality and standards click here for an in depth pdf and here for a video of Dr. Robert Pappas explaining more about the chemistry and purity.