Wellness Wednesday: Stress - How Aromatherapy can combat its Effects

Unfortunately, in today's fast paced, highly technical world … Stress, worry and anxiety are facts of life and we have become accustomed to feeling stressed 24/7!  We are a ‘Stressed-out Nation’ and are dealing with our stress in unhealthy ways!

More than half of working adults are NOW concerned with the amount of stress in their lives; moreover, people experiencing stress are more likely to report hypertension, anxiety, depression or obesity.  

We are reacting to both work and family stress by engaging in unhealthy behaviors;  comfort eating, making poor diet choices, becoming very inactive, smoking, excessive drinking (alcohol) and drugs (both prescription and illegal).

Women seem to suffer from stress more often than men; with 73% of women identifying themselves as the primary decision-maker in the household and the caregivers for their children, partner and in some cases parent or parents, each aspect of care brings stress.  Unfortunately, too often women do not take the necessary steps to alleviate that stress, and their own physical health suffers.

The bad news is; that your stress can easily turn into distress or chronic tension when stressors are unrelieved and ongoing. Unrelieved chronic stress can lead to a host of undesirable effects, such as; 

• severe irritability and impatience 
• sleep disturbances or insomnia
• mood swings 
• crying 
• inability to focus 
• serious fatigue 
• weight gain 
• excessive worrying
• aches  and pains  
• a primary culprit in many diseases 

It also takes a physical toll, and can weaken your immune system, cause damage to memory cells, as well as increase risk of headaches including migraines, digestive disorders, high blood pressure and chronic anxiety, basically, 'control your life'!   Studies show that the cumulative effects of stress can have serious long-term consequences.  In fact, 70% of disease is caused by stress in both the body and mind!  

The good news is; just as the name implies, aromatherapy is indeed a therapy that uses aroma for healing and a sense of well being.  Aromatherapy offers you many ways to deal with the stresses you may be experiencing. 

Have you ever noticed how the effects of aromas on your mind and emotions can make you feel better about yourself and situation? Aromas can improve your mood, reduce stress, give you more energy, help you relax and even help you to fall asleep more easily. 

Imagine yourself walking along a country road and you smell the trees, the fragrant bushes and flowers in bloom.  You breathe in deeply to really enjoy and savor the aroma of the country … and suddenly you feel your anxiety melt away.  The truth is; that scents can transport you, take you away from your daily stresses. 

Aromatherapy -- dates back more than 5000 years and is one of the most readily available forms of healing therapy.  You already practice the art of aromatherapy and just don’t realize it, for example; when we walk past a bakery, we tend to stop and take a deep breath in and smell that freshly baked bread, pies or other goodies...   Or when you visit a gift shop and you try to isolate the fabulous smells that confront you when you first walk through the door.

Now, if you're like most people, you may often take fragrances for granted; that's because aroma is all around us everyday and everywhere we go. Aromas may be commonplace, but you'll have to agree; they greatly enhance life...   

Finding a few minutes to relax and re-energize on a daily basis is a necessity these days ~ no longer a luxury… but how many people actually take the time?  And of course, a visit to ‘The Spa’ can be an expensive endeavor, one that happens infrequently, if at all…  

Aromatherapy HomeSpa treatments could be the answer you’re looking for…   With various HomeSpa treatments using aromatherapy-based products and accessories you can virtually create your own HomeSpa whenever you feel the need.   In other words  --  “make every day … a day at the spa!”