Restore Energy And Alleviate Stress With Aromatherapy

Restore Energy And Alleviate Stress With Aromatherapy

The story of our lives is one of surviving physical drift, emotional triggers and sensory blitz. We have created a kind of modern existence that also gave birth to development that the human body is sometimes unable to tackle in the same speed and efficiency. As a result, our contemporary lifestyle has become replete with a myriad of stressors that put a strain on our physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Every day we go through life’s daily grind and we do so in ways that test our ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment offering a multitude of distractions. Before we even knew what was going on, becoming stressed and lethargic to the point of inertness has become the sin of our times.

Most of us have responded to this original sin with another: Spending buckets on expensive and time consuming treatments and palliative approaches in an attempt to energize our senses and revitalize our health. Contemporary human existence has given birth to well-stocked drugstores, well-heeled indulgences and exquisite therapeutic procedures to liberate our mind and body from layers upon layers of stress.

Yet some have chosen to take the road less traveled by turning to some very potent alternatives to commercial conveniences that can heal us in ways that do not burn a hole through our pockets and require us to momentarily escape our stressful lives rather than dealing with it squarely. One such way of stimulating our senses and revitalizing our body is aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy refers to the use of aromatic and essential oils extracted from the leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits and barks of herbs, plants and trees to improve health and promote wellness.

Depending on the type or combination used, the preventive, healing and regenerative properties of these oils are able to trigger certain emotional and physiological reactions to treat specific ailments or promote vitality.

There are about 400 different types of essential and aromatic oils derived from plants, each said to have certain therapeutic properties.

Some are rather cheap and are easily available in local health stores, while some are more difficult to procure because they grow only in specific regions or require more plant parts for oil extraction.

Some of the most common oils for relieving stress and revitalizing the body are:

•    Cinnamon
•    Eucalyptus
•    Lavender
•    Lemon
•    Lemongrass
•    Peppermint
•    Rosemary
•    Sandalwood
•    Sweet orange
•    Sandalwood

Although aromatherapy has been used by humans even before humanity gave birth to modern medicine and science, scientific research and contemporary practice has improved on both the effective and convenient usage of aromatherapy as a natural alternative to healing and wellness.

Nowadays, aromatherapy is integrated in many other natural healing practices owing to the positive effects of aromatic and essential oils in carrying nutrients to our body’s cells through skin absorption and in deploying therapeutic and healing signals to the brain through inhalation, thus stimulating the olfactory nerves that are connected directly to the brain.

The Power Of Inhaling

Because of the unique ability of essential and aromatic oils to reach the nerves of our nose that are located close to the brain, aromatherapy is often associated with stimulating our sense of smell.

While the general practice of aromatherapy also involves using oils as food supplements, in cooking and baking and through topical application, aromatherapy is most known for its practice of inhaling essential and aromatic oils during massage, through a diffuser or even by taking a whiff directly from an oil bottle.

Aromatherapy History And Uses

This practice is popular, and of course for good reasons. For centuries, human beings have practiced aromatherapy mainly as a way to stimulate the senses and send healing signals to the brain by way of stimulating the sense of smell.

From religious rituals that use burning coals doused with oils to how the smell of chicken soup evokes a sense of security and brings us to the path of recuperation, certain scents stimulate our senses and revitalizes the body.

Humanity has been using aromatherapy even before our modern lifestyle invented stress and fatigue.

There is also the invention of aromatherapy massage, which, is a wonderful way to bring yourself to a total state of serenity and bliss.

So whenever you feel a need to perk up and fight stress, keep in mind that your body will thank you for keeping that oil bottle handy.