Let’s be real here. Our emotions have a wild and crazy effect on us and that’s just something we can’t deny! When we are happy, we’re thriving. When we are sad, we’re sinking. Many people are able to manage their emotions with different coping skills while including the use of essential oils. There are so many amazing essential oils out there but in this blog post, I address the top 3 essential oils for mental health.

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What are essential oils?

What are essential oils? Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants. The oils capture the plant’s essence, which is used to support health and well-being. Essential oils are a great way to help balance emotions and improve mental health. Several studies have even suggested that many oils have had success in minimizing certain symptoms of mental illness.

Living with anxiety and depression, I’ve noticed that taking more of a holistic approach to my mental health seems to help rather than focusing on just the obvious. Focusing on my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being altogether has definitely helped to improve my mental health. Aromatherapy and meditation are two of my favorite practices. That’s where essential oils come in for me. I enjoy diffusing natural and pure essential oils day and night!

How to use essential oils

Essential oils can be used in 3 different ways: Inhalation, application to the skin, and oral ingestion.

• Inhalation: Inhalation is when you are breathing in something. Aromatherapy involves inhaling either a fine mist of oil or vapor of the oil. I prefer inhaling the vapor which comes from a diffuser. I personally use Gurunanda’s Diffuser and keep it inside of my apartment. Who knew something so little can work wonders?

• Application to the skin: Have you tried applying the oil directly to your skin? I like to apply it to the inside of my wrists. This can be convenient if you are out and about. When doing it this way, be sure to not go overboard. Sometimes putting too much oil on the skin can cause irritation and/or make you sick and we don’t want that!
• Oral ingestion: Some oils appear to be safe when taken orally in the doses commonly that are used. They are mostly used for health reasons. Excessive doses can become toxic so I wouldn’t recommend ingestion unless you absolutely positively know what you are doing or if the bottle is specifically marked as an oral supplement.

Top 3 Essential Oils For Mental Health

1. Lavender: Lavender essential oil is commonly used in aromatherapy and is also my absolute favorite! It helps with mood swings, stress, irritability, tension, depression, grief, exhaustion, etc.
2. Frankincense: Frankincense essential oil helps with restlessness, anxiety, agitation, guilt, panic, anger, jealousy, etc.
3. Peppermint: Peppermint essential oil helps with fatigue, concentration, confusion, frustration, mood swings, etc.

I chose these oils to be my top 3 for mental health because since I’ve been using essential oils(4 years now), these were the ones my mind and body responded to the most. And can you guess what’s my favorite blend to use at home in my diffuser? It’s these 3 oils. 2 drops each making it 6 total — don’t knock it until you try it!

If you’re a newbie to essential oils, please do your research and use caution as some people have allergic reactions to oils. If you have pets inside of your home, be sure you aren’t buying something that may cause harm to your pet(s). This is why I recommend GuruNanda because all of their oils are 100% pure and natural therapeutic grade oils that have no synthetics or additives.