We all haven't been diagnosed with depression, but I'm pretty sure most of us can relate to experiencing it one way or another. Though not common to admit, working a career path that you may not love, or not being about to spend as much time with your family definitely can effect us. With no need to describe the millions of other ways one can become frustrated, lets focus on the details of what you to add to your time of winding down. Its true that people are using natural essential oils more these days. Much being in the natural skincare field. While beauty use has been playing a major factor in the reemergence of essential oils, their aromas have been cherished for 1,000's of years for how they could effect the mind and body. Ancient people burned both plants and oils, allowing the aroma the fill temples and cities. Cedarwood being one named in The Bible many times as a cherished item. Being a grounding oil, and one to help with sleep. People have been known to used it to ease the mind.
Today we have a thing called aromatherapy. You're simply using a machine to disperse to oil into the air. Functioning similar to humidifiers, diffusers come in all shapes, sizes and types, but share the common goal of infusing essential oils in the air around you. Adding a few drops of essential oils in the water retainer of the machine, is all that you need to do.
Diffusing has helped me making it easier to relax before bed. Venturing more into oils that would help focus and manage my day opened a new understanding of how I could use them. We all experience these individual changes in our lives. Some related to personal choices and others we have no control over. It is very clear that many of us are going through stressful and life changes events, both leading to causes of depression.
Depression from daily life more common today
We're still affected by an airborne virus, though by the time this post is available, people will have already been going out more due to the uplifted restrictions. Being indoors more has changed us mentally. Its stressful just thinking about how that function of that privilege has changed our moods and becoming a must to find things the help being home more enjoyable.
Learning how to continue a consistent daily rate of performance can be contributed to your daily mood or moods. An area that depression can seriously control. What the outdoor policies affected, was the human ability to exert certain energies they were use to doing outside. Those normal routines with family friends and co-workers.
"Balance your home with unique scents and pay attention to the moods of everyone around you."
It is a challenge to control every single thing in your life, where as you can most always control the smell of your surroundings. That proud joy you feel after cleaning your home isn't just cause of looks. So now you get the idea that with essential oils you can kind of make your place smell like something from outside.
What do we smell outside and how those smells relate to essential oils?
Well this can be a large topic to discuss, but we can build on a basis of some areas we already understand. Spices, woods, flowers, trees, plants, fruits and nuts are all relatable to essential oil aromas. There has to be something that smells good to you in any of the categories. One of those smells that lifts your spirits? Right.....now we can get into specific essential oils that when diffused, can help with some depression.
10 essential oils diffused for depression
One of the most known of them all Frankincense, having a fragrance influence that increases spiritual awareness, promotes meditation, improves attitude, and uplifts spirits. With being one of the top essential oils on the market, you should always be sure you're purchasing high quality oils. You'll always find a price difference between an essential oil and a fragrance oil. Fragrance oils do not contain the same chemical make up as fragrance oils. A smell is all you'll get from the fragrance oil. Essential oils provide the additional benefit of medical properties that totally diversifies their use. Additional information and products featuring any oils can be found by clicking the search icon at the top of the page.
Anciently, Melissa was used for nervous disorders and many different ailments with the heart or the emotions. The University of Maryland Medical Center writes that Melissa "was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain and discomfort from indigestion." Its fragrance influence brings out gentle characteristics within people. It is calming and uplifting and balances emotions. It removes emotional blocks and instills a positive outlook on life. Throughout time its been used for depression, anxiety and insomnia.
Most fresh fruit smells can cheer a person up instantly. You get that aroma with Bergamot. History notes that Christopher Columbus is believed to have brought bergamot to Bergamo in Northern Italy from the Canary Islands. For hundreds of years, its use in the Middle East was for skin conditions associated with oily complexion. Including properties as calming and antidepressant. Giving hormonal support and mood-lifting qualities. An oil perfect to set the tone of your morning wake up or nightly wind down. We use it as an ingredient in our beard oil product.
If you like bergamot, then I recommend you try Geranium. A plant species native to the northern parts of South Africa, its use for centuries has been in regenerating and healing skin conditions. Another one of those soft and sweet smelling essential oils, it helps release negative memories and eases nervous tension; balances the emotions, lifts the spirit, and fosters peace, well-being, and hope.
Yoga and meditation along with this essential oil can go along way. Research suggests that Sandalwood may help with increased alertness and managing anxiety. The oil is extracted by steam distilling the wood of the tree. The fragrance influences of this essential oil enhances deep sleep and may help remove negative programming from the cells. It is high in sesquiterpenes that stimulate the pineal gland and the limbic region of the brain, the center of emotions. The pineal gland is responsible for releasing melatonin, a powerful immune stimulant and antitumoral agent. Sandalwood can also be grounding and stabilizing.
It's name means "flower of flowers". Ylang Ylang flowers have been used to cover the beds of newlywed couples on their wedding night. Traditionally used in hair formulas to promote thick, shiny, lustrous hair. It's aroma balances male-female energies, enhances spiritual attunement, combats anger, combats low self-esteem, increases focus of thoughts, filters out negative energy, plus helps restore confidence and peace.
It exhibits medical properties of a relaxant. German Chamomile is used for insomnia and nervous tension. Listed in Europe's first authoritative guide to medicines, which became the standard reference work for herbal treatments for over 1,700 years. Chamomile's fragrance dispels anger, stabilizes emotions, and helps release emotions linked to the past. It can also soothe and clear the mind.
Clary Sage was used to enhance the immune system, calm digestive disorders, reduce inflammation such as eczema, calm muscle spasms, and for respiratory conditions. Aromatically, it enhances one's ability to dream and is very calming and stress relieving.
Nicknamed the "queen of the night" and "moonlight of the grove." For centuries, women have treasured Jasmine for its beautiful, seductive fragrance. One pound of jasmine oil requires about 1,000 pounds of jasmine or 3.6 million fresh, unpacked blossoms. A single pound of pure jasmine oil may cost between $1,200 and $4,500. In terms of how it can help with depression, its fragrance emits the following influences. Being uplifting, counteracting hopelessness, nervous exhaustion, anxiety, indifference, and listlessness the feeling of lack of interest - the absence of emotion or enthusiasm.
Lastly, we can use on of the oils that has the most common effect on mainly everyone who smells it. Lavender has a refreshing smell and everyone knows it. Hence why the cleaning industry adapted it in their first go round of essential oil infused products. The flower has been used in dealing with wound healing and other acne, scarring and stretch mark scenarios. As an aroma, lavender is calming, relaxing, and balancing, both physically, and emotionally. Lavender has been documented to improve concentration and mental activity. University of Miami researchers found that inhalation of lavender oil increased beta waves in the brain, suggesting heightened relaxation. it also reduced depression and improved cognitive performance A 2001 Osaka Kyoiku University study found that lavender reduced mental stress and increased alertness.
Controlling the affects of depression can be very difficult. When one doesn't want to move to do anything, it's hard to set up counteractions that help the brain not go into a slump. Just like lighting a candle when you first come home, diffusing can be that new form of aromatizing your home. The nice thing about it all is your choice in essential oils allows you to use oils that may relate to an activity you're doing while home.
Diffuse Ylang Ylang while reading a book...helps with focus.
Diffuse Frankincense during times of meditation...helps with spiritual awareness.
Diffuse Jasmine when in bed....helps with sleep.
Our brand is constantly studying essential oil use and how to incorporate them simply formed products for daily use. This summer, we'll be releasing new lines of essential oil diffuser blends catered to the state of depression.