I want to share some of my favourite essential oils for anxiety and excessive worries. For when your mind can’t stop worrying when you feel that knot in your heart or belly. When your jaw clenches and you can can’t sleep because your thoughts are going round and round.

When we feel overwhelmed and can not digest and process our sense impressions, thoughts or decision-making it’s easy to get anxious. Sometimes we can’t even put words on why we have that nagging underlying anxiety. And it manifests very differently in different people and different situations.

Aromatherapy oils for anxiety and overwhelm

Using essential oils for anxiety and overwhelm is one aspect of instant and potential long term calm and strategy. Aromatherapy for anxiety can definitely be used in connection with other therapies too and there are many ways to use essential oils.

Here are some of my favourite essential oils for emotional calm:

Roman chamomile: Like the chamomile tea infusion Roman Chamomile essential oil has a calming and soothing effect. It is a mild herbal aroma that is like a reassuring hug. It works really well in a blend with a lighter aroma such as an uplifting citrus oil or neroli/petitgrain.

Petit Grain / Neroli: Neroli or Orange Blossom is a strong fragrant and floral aroma. It is very uplifting yet calming. If you feel low, heavy and overwhelmed with negative thoughts along with the anxiety this is your choice. Although Orange Blossoms are extremely fragrant its difficult to extract the essential oil so its and expensive oil. As an alternative, the twigs and branches of the Orange Flowers are extracted and have similar qualities. This essential oil is called Petit Grain.

Cypress: Cypress is one of my favourite essential oils. It’s woody (as it is a tree) yet also quite refreshing and sweet. Essential oils extracted from wood and trees are generally very grounding. The tree grows into the earth through its grounding roots, the trunk is solid and stable and trees expand upwards and outwards. Cypress is also said to be balancing relaxing and replenishes if you feel worn out and exhausted. Get it here.

Orange: Most citrus oils are very uplifting and joyful. Orange is wonderfully sweet too. It is as if it has more substance. Mandarin is very similar and is often recommended for children. Both essential oils are wonderful for the digestion too if your digestive system is expression anxiety too.

Melissa: Also called Lemon Balm, Melissa essential oil is like a hug in a bottle. It is like the “Rescue Remedy” of essential oils when one experiences shock, anxiety and any intense overwhelm. It has a light uplifting aroma yet so extremely soothing. It’s another highly fragrant plant that is difficult to extract. This is reflected in the price and it is an investment. You only need a tiny amount of the essential oil though as it is a strong aroma. Alternatively drinking lemon balm tea is also very soothing for the nervous system.

Meditation Blend: I recently discovered the Meditation Blend from Neal’s Yard Remedies which include super calming and grounding vetiver, sandalwood and frankincense which traditionally is used in spiritual practice to calm the mind and balsam copaiba which is another calming balancing oil. It also includes orange, mandarin and neroli as discussed above. When I use this blend it really does create an instant calm and it comes as a roll-on that I can bring around with me as well as a pure essential oil mix to use in my diffuser at home.

How to use essential oils?

I get most of my essential oils from Neal’s Yard Remedies (NYR). I am an independent consultant with them and previously worked for them. So I know their high and ethical standards. Here is my link for the essential oils – and if you are curious about being a consultant too then read here. To learn more about essential oils you might want to check out my Essential Oil Online Course here (and it is FREE if you join me as a consultant with NYR).

Simply inhale

Inhalation will be a byproduct of compress, bath or massage. But simple inhalation is an effective and efficient way to reap the benefits of essential oils. They will work through the olfactory system, effectively through the blood-brain barrier and through the brain. Here it will work on the nervous system and hormonal system too. However, it will also be absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucosa of the nasal passage as well as through the pulmonary system.

How to inhale: straight from the bottle, a few drops on a tissue, drops on aroma-jewellery, in a diffuser or essential oil burner, drops in boiled water (not boiling) and use as a steam inhalation.

Essential oil dosage for massage, on the skin and diffusers

For a massage anywhere between 1-3% dilution of essential oils into a massage oil is normal. (Or into a bath oil/shower gel/cream). 30 ml of massage/base oil/shower gel/bath oil use: 6 drops for 1%, 12 drops for 2%, 15 drops for 2,5% or 18 drops for 3%.

For diffusers, it completely depends on the size of the room and the kind of diffuser. If you use a small one with a tea-light anything from 3-10 drops may work. But if you use an electronic one you might want a subtle aroma using 5 drops or infuse a big space with 20 drops. Start small and add more if needed.