EYVOR | Essential oils to improve mind health

Mental health is crucial for a multitude of reasons, which is why it's essential to keep yourself and your loved ones in a positive mindset as often as possible. However, dealing with day-to-day chores can be more difficult for those who suffer from specific mental health conditions. Around 43% of persons with anxiety and stress, according to studies, use some type of therapy to assist their symptoms. 

One of the successful ways to improve mental health is using essential oils. These oils are the extracts of plants that have been concentrated. Essential oils work as a supplemental therapy to different mental health issues. Such oils have been demonstrated to benefit sleep, mood, and overall quality of life so, if you are going through any kind of mental health issues, keep on reading to know how you can improve them. 

What Are Some Common Mental Health Conditions?

Mental illness is nothing but a phrase that refers to a collection of conditions that might affect the thinking, perception, mood, or behavior of a person. Work, relations with friends or colleagues, and other commitments can be hard to manage when someone is dealing with a mild or severe mental health condition. Although the link between stress and mental disease is intricate, it is known that stress can exacerbate a mental illness episode. 

However, therapies, medication, or both can help most people manage their mental illness. It is important here to mention that mental health issues differ from person to person. Here are some common mental health issues that you can come across in everyday lives:

• Anxiety: Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions that cause extreme anxiety, fear, apprehension, and worry. It affects how people perceive emotions and behave. 
• Restlessness: It is a term that can describe a wide range of symptoms, including hyperactivity, anxiety, sleeplessness, and more. It is caused by a number of internal and external factors. 
• Sadness: It is a type of emotional distress that is accompanied by or defined by feelings of loss, despair, sadness, helplessness, disappointment, and sorrow. 
• Despair: A mental state brought on by situations that appear to be too great to bear. Despair connotes a complete loss of hope, which is often accompanied by apathy and low spirits. 
• Difficulty in concentration: It can be caused by a variety of factors, including traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, or severe headaches, anxiety, despair, or painful memories, 
• Difficulty in sleeping: Low-quality sleep or lack of sleep can negatively affect a person’s health. Chronic sleep loss can result in headaches, excessive fatigue, and cognitive impairments. 

How Do Essential Oils Improve Mental Health?

For hundreds of years, natural healers have been aware of the therapeutic properties of plants. Plants were, in fact, the primary source of medication for mental and physical health before the advent of western medicines. 

Essential oils are extracted from plants, herbs, roots, leaves, seeds, etc. Each component of the plant has its own set of advantages. Chemical substances included in these extracts can have a favorable impact on brain chemicals when combined. 

While plants can be consumed to help the body heal from the inside out, essential oils are typically applied topically in aromatherapy. Their positive input to each of the six senses can have a calming impact on the brain. 

Top Essential Oils for Improving Mental Health and Their Benefits

Various essential oils can be used to improve one's overall health. Depending upon your requirement and availability of essential oils, you can use any of the following oils to observe the satisfying result in your mental health.

• Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is one of the most widely used in aromatherapy, and it is said to have a variety of health advantages. Lavender has a mellow, pleasant scent that promotes relaxation. Diffusing lavender after giving birth may help alleviate symptoms of despair linked to hormonal fluctuations. Lavender is also a sedative and is widely used for sleep problems. People who inhale lavender as part of a healthy bedtime routine report better quality sleep and greater vitality during the day.

• Cedar wood Essential Oil

Cedar wood essential oil has been discovered to offer stress-relieving effects, which is particularly beneficial for those who are under a lot of pressure at work or school. One study found that inhaling cedar wood at work improved performance and increased focus. Cedar wood may be effective in treating mental health symptoms. It may have a calming effect on mood, making it beneficial for anxiety and reducing stress.  

• Frankincense Essential Oil

Frankincense is known to improve mood and hormone balance, especially in women. Combining frankincense with other oils is successful in relieving depression in terminally ill patients and may also help with pain management. Another study on mice discovered that frankincense stimulates the brain's emotional control center, along with activating a protein involved in the experience of warmth. When essential oils are combined, they can induce a sense of calm and relaxation.

• Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot is a popular essential oil because of its pleasant scent, but it has a lot more to offer. Bergamot is beneficial for depression since it is a stimulating aroma that improves blood circulation and hence promotes sensations of joy, vitality, and freshness. It was discovered in a study that it reduced anxiety. Bergamot may be the best aroma for a common space because it creates a blanket of comfort.

• Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil

Ylang-Ylang, in addition to the oils mentioned above, is a promising essence for battling depression and bad thoughts. As per research, a single inhalation of this oil can help with feelings like rage (by reducing blood pressure), poor self-confidence, and even envy.

In aromatherapy, inhaling the aroma of Ylang-Ylang essential oil (or absorbing Ylang-Ylang essential oil through the skin) sends messages to a region in the brain which is involved in emotion management. Proponents of aromatherapy believe that essential oils can impact various parameters such as stress levels, anxiety, and headache relaxation.

How to Apply Essential Oils to Get Maximum Benefits?

Essential oils can be used aromatically to enjoy their perfume while also providing benefits such as purified air and emotional equilibrium. Here are a few examples that indicate how you can apply essential oils:

• Use with an essential oil diffuser
• Massage on the skull and inside of the elbow
• Take a drop on your palms and inhale deeply
• Rub into your wrists and keep the scent with you throughout the day

Some Closing Words:

The above listed are just a few essential oils you can use to improve mental health issues. However, mental health is a complex subject with no one-size-fits-all answer. But, if you aren't already utilizing essential oils, you can try using any of the oils with an existing therapy or use it as a primary tool to help you develop body and mind confidence.