6 Essential Oils for Emotional Resilience

Joy. Gratitude. Comfort. During this time of the year, there is a palpable expectation of happiness, or at minimum contentment, regardless of what may authentically be felt under the surface of a cheerful disposition. This season can also amplify mental health challenges of anxiety, depression, insomnia, brain fog and overconsumption. 

To some degree, whether acute or chronic, stress is a constant in life. Yet, it is your response to these stressors that lends to our overall quality of life. Our mental and emotional reactions create neurochemical responses that can have a benevolent or more harmful impact on our physiology. Emotional resilience allows you to adapt and respond to stress in a healthier way. It encourages an expanded emotional bandwidth to allow a more balanced nervous system response. 

Nature is Medicine

Essential oils encapsulate the very essence of plants, blending both biochemical and energetic properties. Each drop of essential oil contains the full spectrum of the plant's healing potential, which can surpass over 200 chemical constituents, offering specific physiological and psycho-spiritual benefits. Through this biochemical process, essential oils are able to support specific brain waves, either targeting relaxation like frankincense, or mental alertness with black pepper.

Our sense of smell forms when we are in the womb. It is one of the most evocative of the senses, directly linked to the brain. When you inhale an essential oil, the molecules travel through the olfactory system to the brain, specifically the limbic system and the amygdala, which regulate mood, memory, emotion and greater nervous system response. Just as a familiar melody can evoke a particular event or period in our life, scent may be perceived as the key that unlocks our past. For me, the scent combination of lavender and rose transports me to my grandmother’s bedroom, and I immediately experience a sense of peace, safety, and most of all, comfort and love.

When inhaling the right essential oils, in the right formulation, we can literally transform how we feel in the moment. With habitual use, we can learn how to shift the trajectory of our emotional response, and thereby, reshape our neural pathways for more harmonious and healthy expectations and reactions to life’s continuous change.

Related: 5 Holiday Essential Oils to Cheer Up your Treatment Room

5 Top Essential Oils for Emotional Resilience

1. Ylang-Ylang

Ylang-ylang supports emotional release. For those of us who tend to keep our stress and emotions inwardly, this oil is incredibly liberating, creating the internal conditions for rest and relaxation. Add 10 drops to 30 ml of your favorite carrier oil and use sparingly as a perfume to reduce anxiety, uplift your outlook and radiate your inner beauty.

2. Bergamot

Bergamot is uplifting, reduces anxiety and has a slightly spicy note to energize your body-mind. When inhaled, bergamot has been shown to support the brain’s production of dopamine, serotonin and key feel-good hormones that balance the mind-body connection. Add 9 drops to a 5 ml roller ball, blend with jojoba, and shake well before applying to palms and pulse points, and inhaling for 30-45 seconds to brighten your day. 

3. Peppermint

Peppermint is invigorating, refreshing and perfect for a foot soak after a long day of treatment, shopping or socializing. It is an oil of strength and fortitude for the body, mind and emotions. 

Peppermint Foot Soak: Add 5 drops of Peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita) and one cup of Epson Salts to a foot soak in warm water, and luxuriate for twenty minutes, and invigorate your feet and entire body, mind and spirit with this popular aromatic. 

 4. Frankincense

Frankincense reduces anxieties, increases relaxation and is helpful for insomnia. This is an exceptional oil of tranquility, inviting that quietude for pause and reflection that is such a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle. The oil has also been shown to deepen breath and oxygenate the cells. Add this oil to your meditation practice to stay centered by adding 3 drops to one teaspoon of carrier oil and inhale for 30-45 seconds. 

5. Carrot Seed

Carrot Seed is nourishing and revitalizing. This nutrient-rich aromatic including vitamins C, A and B, deeply nourishes the adrenal system and increases our resilience to stress. The warm, deep aroma is grounding, balancing and supportive to the liver, which can be important this time of year with overconsumption of fats and alcohol. 

6. Lavender

Lavender is calming, soothing and generates a sense of peace. It is an excellent aromatic for tension headaches, insomnia, muscular discomfort and soothing emotional peaks and valleys. Add 15 drops of Lavender in 30 ml of distilled water to mist your sheets and pillowcases before bed to drift off to a restful and restorative nights sleep. 

Zen Hydrotherapy

This rejuvenating bath is sure to sooth your spirit and renew your body-mind during the holidays and all seasons. Blend the essential oils above into one tablespoon of jojoba or olive oil and add to a warm bath. Increase the benefits of your hydrotherapy with one - two cups of Epsom Salts. 

• 4 drops of lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
• 3 drops of frankincense essential oil (Boswellia carteri)
• 3 drops carrot seed essential oil (Daucus carota)

Embrace your feelings. Your body, mind, emotions and spiritual aspects of being are intimately connected. Nourish your body and mind with care and compassion. Focus on simple gratitude to align with one of the most harmonious feelings correlated to improved mental outlook, increased immunity and lowered cortisol levels. Have your aromatics handy to breath in and lift and shift your mood in the moment. 

Adora Winquist, founder of The Soul Institute, is a modern alchemist, author and heart-centered spiritual mentor whose expertise elevates others to embody their soul purpose and thrive in all facets of their life.