6 Essential Oil Blends for Emotional Support
In my teens and early 20's I was a big hippie obsessed with all things woowoo and natural. Then I "grew up," and began to dismiss earth-based tools as lightweight, wishful thinking, which conveniently aligned with my former partner's views. The sicker I got, the farther away all those natural solutions felt. I turned to pharmaceuticals, processed foods, and drinking to cope instead of falling back on the earth medicine that I used to love. The worse I felt, the more disconnected I became from life itself, the more convinced I was that natural hippie remedies had no value, and no place in my care.
Thankfully, through our detox journey I've slowly returned to what I knew in the beginning: the earth is not just our home, but our medicine as well. I started with the scientific studies that reassured me this was the case, and the healthier I became, the more my intuitive understanding of this was restored.
Essential oils were one of the last tools I reclaimed on this journey, and it took losing multiple family members in a row for me to pick up oils again. I was doing tinctures, supplements, extracts, teas, poultices, and other forms of plant healing in my work, but I was still too "practical" for oils.
A good friend and colleague saw that I was struggling in my grief, and gave me the Hope blend from DoTerra. I rolled my eyes but I let her give me a big hug, and I kept the bottle.
Let me tell you, for the next few weeks I clung to that little bottle for dear life. I kept it in my wallet and took it out at least 20x a day. I used it on my wrists and ears like perfume, I put it under my nose and on acupressure points, I held it for comfort like a talisman, imagining the frequency and chemistry in the bottle was like a beacon of light in the middle of my fear and sadness.
That's the thing about oils - they're potent distillations of Mama Earth's gifts for us, and they're easy to use, even when you're too stressed to reach for other therapeutic options. Even when you have no words for what you're going through, the earth has got your back. That plain little bottle of Hope + tapping got me through one of the saddest, most heartbreaking stretches of my life.
It's a good reminder that our healing doesn't have to be complex. It can start with a very simple resource, and supporting people you care about can be distilled to a tiny gesture, in a very tiny bottle.
6 Essential Oil Blends for Emotional Support
A word of caution - there are many brands of essential oils. Please please please use one that uses clean organic growing and precise distillation practices. Oils are so concentrated, you want to be sure that you're interacting with the essence of a plant, not concentrated herbicides or pesticides!
Blends
I mean, I don't know anyone who needs this. Do you? Seriously, this has the most gentle, fresh, woodsy scent. It's like what would emotional relief would smell like if it came from plants.
Spruce Leaf, Bergamot Peel, Juniper Berry Fruit, Myrrh Resin, Arborvitae Wood, Nootka Tree Wood, Thyme Leaf, Citronella Herb
Like if a teddy bear was plant. And it smelled sweet and earthy, not gross and musty. And wasn't covered in germs.
Frankincense Resin, Patchouli Leaf, Ylang Ylang Flower, Labdanum Flower Absolute, Amyris Bark, Sandalwood Wood, Rose Flower, Osmanthus Flower Absolute
For when you need to take a breath but don't want to be told to take a breath. Deeply refreshing minty feels, with calming, recentering florals.
Vetiver Root, Lavender Plant, Ylang Ylang Flower, Frankincense Resin, Clary Sage Flower/Leaf, Marjoram Leaf, Labdanum Leaf/Stalk, Spearmint Herb
To get into your happy place. Not your brave-face forced-positivity-place, your actual happy place. Yummy citrus and vanilla.
Fractionated Coconut Oil, Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Star Anise Fruit/Seed, Lemon Myrtle Leaf, Nutmeg Kernel, Vanilla Absolute, Ginger Root, Cinnamon Bark, Zdravetz Herb
Zoom zoom! Plant support to find your courage and your groove even when your emotions are not in the mood. No caffeine necessary.
Fractionated Coconut Oil, Peppermint Plant, Clementine Peel, Coriander Seed, Basil Herb, Yuzu Peel, Melissa Leaf, Rosemary Leaf, Vanilla Bean Absolute
Still my fave. Uplifting, soothing, and warm all at once. One of my best buds.
Bergamot Fruit, Ylang Ylang Flower, Frankincense Oil, Vanilla Bean Absolute
Build your emotional resourcefulness kit and pick up all 6.
Essential oils can provide a safe, natural solution for coping with daily emotions, and they also layer well with emotional, trauma, and detox healing protocols. They can be combined with tapping, process work, supplements, specific regenerating diets, symptom relief and anti inflammatory tools. Feel free to experiment! The tiny brown bottles are a safe way to explore supporting yourself on your healing journey. And staying sane in the middle of these changing times.