They can completely recharge your entire day…
Let’s face it. Life is exhausting. What with the demands of our families, pressures at work and a better half who snores, it’s not surprising that we struggle to get out of bed some mornings, or regularly hit a mid-afternoon energy slump. And then wonder why we’re are always feeling so tired…
There’s no one quick fix for increasing your overall energy levels - diet, exercise, stress, sleeping patterns, emotional state, and even medications - can all play a part. But there is one thing that can give you a wonderful energy boost when you need it most - essential oils.
Different essential oils will give you different results. You can use them for a much-needed burst of energy to kickstart your day or keep you awake; reduce stress-related fatigue and lift your mood when the pressure becomes too much; or as a quick pick-me-up when you need to be more alert and focused. And by helping you sleep better, essential oils also make you feel more energized at the start of each new day.
A big plus is that essential oils get to work immediately. One whiff, and within seconds you will feel the difference. These little powerhouses of energy can quickly calm you down and soothe your ragged nerves, and then lift you up and refocus your mind.
So, when tiredness and fatigue become overwhelming and you’re in desperate need of a quick energy boost, here’s how essential oils (and a few other tips) can improve your day…
MORNING
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR AN ENERGY BOOST
Your alarm went off way ‘too early’ this morning. You could have easily had just one more hour of sleep. So you hit the snooze button to grab a few more minutes of shut-eye. Only to be rudely awakened 10 minutes later feeling worse than when you first woke up.
Little did you know that the snooze button is a big energy-zapper. Those extra few minutes are not enough time to get any restorative sleep, so it’s best to get up right away when the alarm clock rings (note for tomorrow morning).
In the meantime, you’re feeling like a zombie, with zero motivation to get going. Step one: drag yourself out of bed. Step two: blast yourself with a cold shower. Step three: inhale an invigorating essential oil to lift your mood and give you the energy boosting oomph you need to get-up-and-go in the mornings. And even when you need a little lift to keep you awake and refreshed during the day…
Wild Orange Essential Oil:
Uplifting to mind and body, refreshing, invigorating, encourages creativity, promotes a positive mood.
Grapefruit Essential Oil:
Uplifting, refreshes your mind, relief from mental fatigue, boosts mood, invigorating.
Lemon Essential Oil:
Invigorating, clears your head, enhances mood, warming, promotes energy and alertness.
Inhaling an essential oil is by far the most effective way to get it working quickly – either a quick sniff out of the bottle, or sprinkle a few drops on a cotton ball for a quick whiff and go. If you’re not partial to cold showers and opt for warmer water, you can also sprinkle a few drops on the sides of the floor (or wall) to envelope yourself in the stimulating aroma.
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ROUND THE CLOCK
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION
You’ve reached 7pm and are feeling physically exhausted. You are snappish and irritable, and your mind is all over the place. And you’ve forgotten where you left the car keys. You haven’t run a marathon. Your day hasn’t even been that stressful. You’ve just had a very full and busy schedule. And all you want to do is curl up in front of the TV with a glass of wine…
The physical tiredness you feel at the end of the day has more to do with mental exhaustion than anything else - when you find you’re totally unable to focus and concentrate. Mental fatigue hits us when the sheer volume of tasks and activities we’ve taken on exceeds our ability to handle it all. Too much to do in not enough time. Too many decisions, distractions, and demands. With no time to stop and take a breather.
Fortunately it only takes a moment in the midst of your busy day to sniff a stimulating and energizing essential oil and quickly focus your thoughts to bring back that much needed alertness, mental clarity, concentration and motivation.
Rosemary Essential Oil:
Ultimate brain booster, mental clarity, alertness, rejuvenating, stimulates memory and attention, relieves stress, instant mood uplifter.
Peppermint Essential Oil:
Invigorating to mind, body and soul, stimulating, motivating, improves alertness and concentration, energy booster.
Sweet Basil Essential Oil:
Expansive, energizing, uplifting, mood changer, sharpens the senses, relieves nervous exhaustion.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil:
Rejuvenating, invigorating, mind stimulator, improves focus, stress reliever, increases mental clarity, boosts energy.
Taking a huge whiff out of the bottle would be enough to help you sharpen your focus and see things more clearly. Or rub 2 to 3 drops of eucalyptus essential oil into your palms and then take a deep breath. You can also try dabbing a few drops on your wrists when you find your energy lagging. Otherwise add a few drops to a steam diffuser whenever you feel things are getting out of control.
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ROUND THE CLOCK
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR STRESS RELIEF AND LIFTING MOOD
Do you have kids? And what about a job? Or both? Then it’s a sure-fire thing that at some stage you’ve had a whole bunch of worries - and the stress and anxiety that goes with it. There’s always something going on, coming up, or that constant chatter in your head about what you should be doing - but never seem to get to. We live our lives at such a dizzying pace, it’s no wonder that we collapse in desperation and despair at the end of each day.
Stress is inevitable. But how we react to it is not. The next time you feel a mini panic attack coming on, just take a few deep breaths. While this may sound like one of those boring clichés, it turns out that there’s a whole lot of science behind it. Most of us feel overwhelmed and drained of energy because we’re not breathing deeply enough. And this means that not enough oxygen is flowing through the body and the brain. So taking those deep breaths is directly connected to feeling more vital, grounded and in control.
And when deep breathing is combined with relaxing and restoring essential oils known to quieten your mind and slow down that rush you are feeling, you can quickly de-stress and cast aside all your worries and despair. In no time you’ll feel your mood lift to restore a wonderful sense of calm and a happy frame of mind - and be raring to get-up-and-go.
Rose Essential Oil:
Sense of peace, tranquillity, well-being, boosts self-esteem, promotes feelings of joy and hope.
Bergamot Essential Oil:
Refreshing, uplifting, eases fatigue, stress relief, reduces worries and despair, boosts energy and mood.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil:
Promotes relaxation, soothes fearfulness, sense of calm, sedative, encourages cheerfulness, courage, optimism.
Lavender Essential Oil:
Calming and relaxing, promotes inner peace, reduces stress, soothes restlessness, irritability and panic attacks.
Inhaling is especially good if you are freaking out as it’s the fastest way to get into your system. For full body relaxation, rub a couple of drops of oil into your feet as well as your wrists when you find your stress levels rising. Or if a tension headache has hit, rub 1 to 2 drops of lavender essential oil into your temples. And for the ultimate in stress release, grab a lavender infused massage oil and opt for a restoring body rub and feel your energy surge.
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NIGHT
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR TIREDNESS AND FATIGUE
If you constantly feel tired and drained of all energy, chances are that you’re probably not sleeping well - or enough. Forget trying to fix your fatigue during the day when a good night’s sleep is arguably the most vital an enormous part of feeling refreshed and energized in the mornings. Your body and mind use all that valuable snooze-time to revitalize and rejuvenate so you can bounce back with renewed energy and alertness the next morning. But what happens if you struggle to fall asleep? Or toss and turn all night?
The first stop is to check those all-important sleep hygiene habits. Create a sleep sanctuary - darken the room, keep the temperature between 60-67 degrees, ban all electronics (blue light stimulates the brain), and kick out the cat. And aim for a solid 7-8 hours snooze. Just know that if your partner is a restless sleeper or sets the alarm before you, you may not be completing the sleep cycle you need. So, if it’s realistic, they may need to go the same way as the cat (even if only for a while). Otherwise preserve your sleep (and sanity) by using separate blankets and renegotiating your wake-up time.
The last stop on your way to dreamland is to use calming and tranquilizing essential oils to help you relax and unwind as you drift off to sleep, knowing you’ll feel fresh, alert and full of positive energy the next morning.
Lavender Essential Oil:
Sleep-inducing queen of essential oils, calming, balancing, sedative, promotes a sense of well-being.
Chamomile Essential Oil:
Calms nerves and restlessness, relaxing, tranquilizing, soothes emotions, eases frustrations, improves inner harmony.
Frankincense Essential Oil:
Relieves irritability, eases stress, balances emotions, grounding, creates inner peace.
Make a warm bath infused with 8-10 drops of lavender essential oil or lavender bath salts part of your go-to-sleep routine. Or diffuse one, two or a mix of all three of these essential oils for an hour before you go to bed. Otherwise, simply spray your pillows with a lavender linen spray to help you nod off quickly.
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Mental and physical exhaustion are the ultimate energy-zappers. But tapping into the incredible power of essential oils all day long can have an enormous impact on your mind and body when you are feeling dog-tired and drained.
A quick whiff and you can have an energetic start to your day, banish overwhelm and refocus your mind, bust that debilitating stress, and re-energize your body and brain after a good night’s sleep. Essential oils can make all the difference between being exhausted and disorientated and a productive, energy-filled day.
Find it difficult to believe? Just try sniffing some peppermint oil - it’ll instantly perk you up!
IMPORTANT NOTES:
If your fatigue is serious and persists you should get it checked out by your doctor. It could be a sign of an underlying, but treatable, heath condition like anemia, thyroid hormone dysfunction or a gastrointestinal disorder.
There's a difference between an essential oil or simply an oil, which is basically a perfume. If a label does not clearly state that it is an 'essential oil,' then it is not a pure oil and should not be used as suggested.
