Are you always irritable, tensed, impatient and do you experience different physical reactions such as increased heart rate and headaches when facing situations which you have difficulty in coping with? If so, you are stressed.
Aromatic candle (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
However, you need not worry because it is normal to face stress at some point in time as it is one of the inevitable parts of modern life. It is normal to be stressed during of celebration, sadness, responsibilities, illness, work or school life, environmental adjustments and changes in personal relations. What is not normal though is when you have difficulty in coping with stress because it may take a toll on your health and wellbeing.
One of the natural and alternative ways of relieving stress is through a 6,000-year old form of therapy called aromatherapy. Aromatherapy uses essential oils from flowers, herbs, trees and other plants to affect your mood. The most popular are jasmine, eucalyptus, rose, tea tree oil, lavender oil and lemon. There are many ways of using it to relieve stress.
It may be diffused in air through candles and burners and it may be topically applied on the body through baths and like body oils.
But you may ask: how does aromatherapy relieve stress? What is the relation between activation of the sense of smell and relieving stress?
When you use essential oils on your body, they work in two ways to relieve your stress. First, these essential oils have pharmacological effects on the body. When applied to the skin, aromatherapy oils kill fungi and microbes. It also seeps in through the layers of your skin and penetrates the blood stream. Second, the aroma of the essential oils used in aromatherapy has beneficial effect on the brain through the sense of smelling.
The olfactory system is a powerful part of the human body as the nose can distinguish 10,000 different smells. Through the sense of smell, these essential oils activate your limbic system and improve that part of the brain which controls the emotions, that is why, if you inhale such sweet scents, you will feels relaxed and relieved.
You can perform aromatherapy to relieve stress either through aromatherapy kits or you may seek professional service. However, you should be careful because some people have allergic reactions to essential oils. In case of doubt, always seek professional advice.
Aromatherapy can energize you, activate your senses, make your mood better and in the process help relieve your stress and promote a healthier body. What makes it as a good remedy to help relieve your stress is that it is all-natural, safe, not costly and has no side effects.
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