Can Aromatherapy help you cope with anxiety & overwhelm?

We can’t claim to be miracle workers; Aromatherapy is an incredible tool to use in the battle with anxiety and overwhelm, but there are also other things to consider before you start. Firstly, both of these emotions are totally normal to experience, most of us will experience them at some point in our lives.

Recognising them and keeping them in check early is incredibly important. These emotions do have a habit of snowballing, the more you worry, the more they grow, the more they grow, the more you worry. It’s a very common state of emotions that we often see in clients who visit our health spa. Usually recognising these emotions and making a conscious decision to act can really help reduce the impact they have on your life.

Although Aromatherapy can be effective, you may wish to consider its use alongside other interventions; such as a change of certain lifestyle habits (reducing screen time, taking more exercise etc). Aromatherapy is best used alongside other therapies and treatments, there are lots of holistic health treatments available such as Reflexology, Massage, Acupuncture etc, which you may find to be of benefit.

SO… YES, Aromatherapy has been proven to be effective in reducing anxiety, calming and reducing stress levels. The good new is that it is really affordable and easy to access, the most researched and recognised essential oil for the job is Lavender. It can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, calm the mind and also promotes a peaceful nights sleep.

There are plenty of products to choose from, here are our favourites:

• Pillow Spray / Linen mists – simply shake and spritz onto your pillow or linen to disperse Lavender essential oils in your home or work space.
• Diffusers – a few drops of pure essential oil into a vaporiser or diffuser and voila, it will circulate in the air you breathe and you can benefit from its therapeutic properties.
• Bath / Body Oils – this is one of the best options, using a Lavender blend suitable for in the bath or on your skin will allow you to both absorb and inhale the oils, giving a much stronger, longer lasting effect.
• Pulse Point Roller – handy to and simple to use, apply to your pulse points where the blood flows closer to the surface of the skin. Can also be rolled across the chest to allow for inhalation.

As always, use products as per their instructions, the essential oil content will vary depending on its intended purpose. Also PLEASE check the ingredients for Lavender (it can sometimes be listed as its botanical name Lavandula), some products may be synthetically fragranced, which may give you the scent, but not the all-important wellbeing benefits. Here at Letterbox Beauty, all of our aromatherapy products are made with essential oils, we never use synthetic fragrance, so you can rest assured that our products not only smell good, but DO good too!

If you are not keen on the smell of Lavender, all is not lost. Try an alternative oil such as Geranium, Chamomile or Ylang Ylang. You may also find a Lavender blend with multiple essential oils less overpowering, as the scents can complement each other and soften the Lavender.

It is important that you consider aromatherapy as an enhancer for your own self care, if used correctly with other selfcare strategies, it can be incredibly useful. Please bear in mind that Essential Oils are not a substitute for medication or therapy. If you feel that these emotions are having a significant impact on your day to day life we encourage you to visit your GP for further support.

Our inbox is always open… If you would like product guidance or have any specific questions about Aromatherapy or Holistic Health, we are happy to help!