Essential Oils to Manage Stress & Anxiety

*This post contains affiliate links. More explanation about that a bit later…

In last week’s post of the series, Managing Menopause, Endometriosis, Grief, Stress, Anxiety, I shared the daily vitamins, herbs, supplements, and creams / lubricants that I personally use. (You can read more here.) In that post, I spoke a lot about managing menopause and endometriosis, with brief mentions about managing stress. At the end, I promised that this week, we would “discuss essential oils, which are a critical component of managing my stress and anxiety.” So, that’s exactly what we are going to do… Talk about essential oils to manage stress and anxiety, as well as endometriosis and menopause.

But before we get started, I must once again remind…

The All-Important Disclaimer…

I’m just a gal who suffers from endo, has gone through menopause, and is struggling through the stress & grief of losing my Nana, my Grammy, my best friend… I don’t hold a medical or counseling degree nor am I a specialist. I am simply speaking my truth–sharing essential oils to manage menopause, endometriosis, grief, stress, & anxiety–with the goal of educating and advocating. In other words…

Not So Mommy…™ is designed to provide information and motivation to readers. This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. The information contained in the blogs, emails, and social media posts is the sole expression and opinion of its author(s). Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in the blogs, emails, and/or social media posts, you are taking full responsibility for your choices, actions, and results. (If you’d like to read the entire Not So Mommy…™ Disclosure Policy, click here.)

AND…

As I stated at the beginning of this post, this blog contains affiliate links. Thus, I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, which helps me maintain this site and continue to fulfill the Not So Mommy… Purpose.

*A complete list of products mentioned with links to purchase can be found at the end of this blog.

Essential Oils to Manage Stress, Anxiety, Endometriosis, & Menopause…

Now that the legalize has been handled, let’s talk about five essential oils that can help manage stress, anxiety, endometriosis, and menopause. Plus, I’ll share my homemade laundry sanitizer recipe, which includes essential oils.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered from anxiety. I get nervous and stressed and worried. Part of this is attributed to my personality–a highly sensitive person, an over-thinker, a perfectionist. Part of this is attributed to the fact that I suffer from endometriosis—a chronic illness whose symptoms include sadness, depression, and hormonal imbalances.

Realizing that I am prone to overwhelm and anxiety… And learning that anxiety and stress exacerbate my endometriosis… I have tried to find ways to manage stress and anxiety. Essential oils are one way I do this.

Stress Ease Essential Oil

My favorite essential oil blend is Stress Ease by Nexon Botanics. Formerly called “Anxiety,” Stress Ease synergy blend is made of 100% pure and natural geranium, clary sage, lavender, orange, black spruce, ylang-ylang, patchouli, and frankincense essential oils.

Each morning, I add several drops of Stress Ease to my favorite carrier oil, Grapeseed Oil, and rub it into my chest, wrists, and behind my ears. I have used this blend for so long that I don’t really smell the essential oils anymore. Because of this, I questioned whether it was still working. In a hurry one morning, I skipped putting on Stress Ease. It was a Saturday, and I was going to work in the yard with my hubby. What was there to be stressed about? Yet, all day, I was on edge, anxious. That’s when I realized how truly important it is for me to use Stress Ease daily. In a hurry or not, I don’t skip putting on this essential oil blend.

Despite the fact that I don’t really smell this blend anymore, others certainly do. On several occasions, people have asked me what kind of perfume I wear. They can’t quite place it, saying it smells “earthy” or that perhaps I had been burning incense. When I tell them it’s essential oils, they always seem a bit surprised. But they always follow that reaction by telling me that I smell good!

Breathe Ease Essential Oil

Now, it might seem strange to you that I list “Breathe Ease” as an essential oil to manage stress. Here’s how it helps alleviate some of my stress…

My husband suffers from allergies and often has difficulty sleeping because he can’t breathe well. This causes me to worry, to stress, to be anxious… So, I diffuse a few drops of Breathe Ease at night to help Dane sleep better. And knowing that he’s sleeping soundly helps me to stay calm and sleep soundly myself.

Which leads me to a small digression…

If you are prone to stress and anxiety like me, fabulous one, try to figure out what causes and/or increases your stress level. Once you discover that, perhaps you can make a change to help alleviate some of the stress. Like I did with diffusing Breathe Ease…

*Pet Parents, please be cautious about diffusing essential oils, as some are harmful to fur babies.

Essential Oils to Manage Stress, Anxiety, Endometriosis, & Menopause

Zen Head Essential Oil

One symptom of endometriosis is migraines. Menopause can also cause headaches. Plus, I suffer from stress headaches, often occurring when I am overly anxious. Because of this, I keep Zen Head in our medicine cabinet at all times. Adding a few drops to a carrier oil, I rub it into my temples and across my forehead.

Zen Sleep Essential Oil

An over-thinker, I have a hard time falling asleep at night. When I was in the thick of going through menopause, falling asleep—and staying asleep—became even more difficult. So, I started using Zen Sleep nightly. Adding a few drops to a carrier oil, I rub this on the bottom of my feet. Not only does it help me sleep better, but it also softens my feet!

Essential Oils to Manage Endometriosis

Robbers’ Immunity Essential Oil

Endometriosis can cause weakened immunity. When the pandemic started in 2020, this caused me a tremendous amount of anxiety. So, I became even more diligent about using Robbers’ Immunity daily. Adding a few drops to a carrier oil, I rub Robbers’ Immunity into my abdomen and lower back after I shower each evening.

I choose to rub Robbers’ Immunity on my abdomen and lower back because that is often where I have endo pain. While some may say this essential oil blend does absolutely nothing to help keep my uterus and ovaries healthy, I know that I have had fewer pains since starting this regimen. And even if it’s a placebo effect, who cares? The blend of clove, cinnamon, rosemary, eucalyptus, and sweet orange (also known as “thieves oil”) are soothing and comforting. But I think it’s more than just a placebo effect…

Studies on the individual oils have shown that cinnamon and eucalyptus have antimicrobial properties, eucalyptus might be effective in relieving pain, and rosemary oil has a positive effect on mood.

Essential Oils for Cleaning

Homemade Laundry Sanitizer

I have always been diligent about cleaning and handwashing, as I get sick if I am lax. After learning that endometriosis can cause weakened immunity, I better understand why I get sick easier.

When Covid hit, I was extremely worried. My cleaning and disinfecting went into overdrive. For years, I had used Lysol Laundry Sanitizer. Because of the pandemic, others began buying this product. Soon, it wasn’t available.

Searching Amazon to see if I could find some type of laundry sanitizer, I noticed one made of distilled water, white distilled vinegar, and essential oils. That inspired me to make my own laundry sanitizer.

Even though Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is once again available, I’m continuing to use my homemade laundry sanitizer. Here’s how I make it…

Brandi’s Homemade Laundry Sanitizer

2 cups distilled water
½ cup white distilled vinegar
1 tsp lavender oil
½ tsp cinnamon oil
½ tsp tea tree oil
½ tsp eucalyptus oil

Now, you might be wondering why I chose this combination of essential oils. Well, in the midst of stay-at-home, I researched essential oils for cleaning and disinfecting. And lavender, cinnamon, tea tree, and eucalyptus were oils that I already had on hand. So, I used them. I’ve continued to use them because I like the scent of my homemade laundry sanitizer. Plus, it seems to be working, keeping our clothes even cleaner and fresher than simply using detergent alone.

As stated above, cinnamon oil and eucalyptus oil have antimicrobial properties. Benefits of tea tree oil include killing bacteria and eliminating odors. Lavender is believed to have antiseptic properties, plus promotes relaxation and thus, helps manage anxiety.

So, I mix all the ingredients listed above together and put them into a glass bottle. With each load of laundry, I shake the bottle well and use one to three capfuls of my homemade laundry sanitizer (depending on the size of the load), along with fabric softener and detergent.

Thank you, fabulous ones…

Fabulous ones, thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I truly hope you found the information useful. Whether you choose to add essential oils to a carrier oil and rub them into your skin, diffuse them, or use them to make homemade cleaning supplies, essential oils are a versatile and natural way to manage stress, anxiety, endometriosis, and menopause.

If you choose to try one of the essential oils I mentioned, I hope it is beneficial and helps manage your stress, anxiety, chronic illness, and/or PMS/perimenopause/post-menopause. Speaking of trying products…

When you buy…

Fabulous one, if you decide to buy one of the products I mentioned, I’d be so grateful if you’d purchase it using my affiliate link from this blog post. I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, which helps me maintain this site and continue to fulfill the Not So Mommy… Purpose.

Click to Shop…

Nexon Botanics Essential Oils

Carrier Oil

Grapeseed Oil

Brandi’s Homemade Laundry Sanitizer

And remember…

Coming Up…

Next in this series, we will discuss hot tea. At the risk of sounding trite, hot tea helps me manage my stress, anxiety, and grief, as well as post-menopausal and endometriosis symptoms. My husband and I have a cabinet filled with over 50 varieties of tea. Next Monday, I will share my favorite hot teas, explaining which blends help with what symptoms. I do hope you’ll come back to check it out…

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