If your day starts to turn sour, your mood can go from being happy to downright miserable very quickly. Once our mood is affected, everything is affected, and our energy for anything takes a nose-dive. It’s times like this when it would be nice to just go and curl up in bed and sleep all the negative vibes away.
However, that’s not always possible, so why not try using essential oils! Oils have been a favorite mood booster for many people. An increasing number of people are using aromatherapy and essential oils to uplift their moods, combat stress, depression, and anxiety. Simply because, it’s effective!
Here’s a list of the top essential oils to help you boost your mood:
Grapefruit Essential Oil
Grapefruit is a citrus-scented oil that is used in aromatherapy. The oil is extracted from the grapefruit peel. Here is how this essential oil helps moods.
- Stabilizes mood – this essential oil contains a soothing compound that helps relieve anxiety and balances the mood.
- Reduces stress and lowers blood pressure – grapefruit essential oil helps control stress levels and blood pressure levels. It also helps decrease cortisol levels, which is one of our stress hormones.
Bergamot Essential Oil
This is another citrus fruit essential oil. It has a sweet, strong aroma that will uplift your mood. Bergamot essential oil is beneficial for:
- Relieving depression – it contains chemical components such as alpha-pinene and limonene which are known antidepressants. These compounds also help with blood circulation, which then boosts feelings of being alive.
- Calming and relaxing – bergamot essential oil contains flavonoids which are great relaxants. They also help alleviate anxiety, nervous tension and stress.
Cedarwood Essential Oil
This essential oil is extracted from the bark of a cedarwood tree through the process of steam distillation. Cedarwood essential oil is also helpful for balancing moods and can also be used as a sedative.
- Sedative affects – it has a soothing effect on the mind and alleviates anxiety and tension. It also promotes uninterrupted sleep; therefore, it can help people who suffer with insomnia. It also provides a calming and relaxing effect which helps boost positive moods.
Peppermint Essential Oil
This is an essential oil extracted from the leaves of the peppermint plant. This has been used in aromatherapy for centuries as a way to promote general good health. Moreover, peppermint essential oil is excellent for boosting your mood and relieving stress.
- Stress reliever – because of its energizing effects, peppermint essential oil combats stress and alleviates nervous disorders. It also assists with mental fatigue. Studies have shown that this essential oil has an effect similar to psychostimulants. As such, it helps people with nervous system problems and chronic stress.
Lemon Essential Oil
This is yet another citrus essential oil, and naturally it comes from the peel of the lemon. The oil is extracted through the distillation stream process. Lemon essential oil is helpful for:
- Relieving anxiety – according to studies, lemon essential oil reduces stress and anxiety due to its pain-relieving and anxiety-reducing properties.
- Boosting moods – inhaling the lemon essential oil aroma is very effective in enhancing mood, as studies have shown.
Lavender Essential Oil
This essential oil is known to have been used as a perfume or bath additive by the ancient Greeks and Romans for centuries. It is extracted from the flowering part of the lavender plant. Apart from being used as a perfume, lavender essential oil is helpful for:
- Promoting sleep – lavender essential oil is often used as an aromatherapy treatment for treating insomnia. It has a positive effect on the heart rate, as it increases in parasympathetic modulation.
- Relieving stress and anxiety – just a few drops can be helpful in alleviating depression, anxiety, stress, and tension headaches and migraines. It can also decrease nervous exhaustion and promotes a sense of wellbeing.
To increase your essential-oil, mood-boosting experience, you can make your own essential oil blends from the ones mentioned above. Place a few drops of each essential oil in your diffuser and feel the amazing benefits. After you have tried a few, you will find favorite combinations to help uplift in your moods.
