Fear Less: Use These Essential Oils

Fear debilitates us all, and these days, there’s a lot of it going around. Daily media reports about the ever-evolving nature of COVID-19 keep us on edge and amplify the usual stress of finding or losing a job or managing a family and a life. So how do we negotiate such uncertain times without completely devolving into an emotional mess too afraid to breathe? We take precautions, practice prevention, and use essential oils to help us stay calm.

The trick is to self-reflect in a way that helps us rise above rather than sink below and get stuck in the black tar of that deep abyss of doom. We want to to live life as best as we can, not fear it – even in times as uncertain as these.

Fear Less Physical Precautions

We all know the precautions of avoidance when it comes to COVID. Even so, this list is not meant to debate whether any of them work; it’s meant to point out that they may work. Honestly, just knowing this helps some of us fear less.

1. Wash your hands.
2. Wear protective masks.
3. Get vaccinations.
4. Avoid large crowds and gatherings.
5. Boost your immune system with supplements and by eating a healthy, low carb, sugar-free diet of nutritious, preferably organic, vegetables, grains, and grass-fed meats.
6. Avoid packaged and processed foods and eat whole foods instead.

Natural Preventions to Alleviate Fear

One way to eradicate fear is to get outside. You don’t have to be in large crowds to get fresh air, but you do need to breathe deep diaphragmatic breaths to clear your mind and your lungs. There is no better place to do this than outdoors.

1. Take a walk. Listen to nature – the breeze; the water – listen to and feel them. Imagine yourself floating down stream or sailing on the ocean or flying. Smell the trees around you, – leaves and needles – feel the water. Totally immerse your senses in the aromas nature offers.
2. Stand or sit in one spot, take a deep breath, notice how it feels all over your body. Use the meditative technique of breathing in for 4 counts, holding it in for 4 counts, and exhaling for 4 or 8 counts to get all the air out of your lungs before repeating the process. Do that with your eyes closed 4 to 8 times until you have cleared your mind of all worries as much as possible.
3. If you’re a writer, write about how the experience of getting outside, breathing deeply, and connecting to the aromas around you felt.
4. Take a yoga class or practice Tai Chi. If you’re not ready to venture out, use your TV as your exercise guide, or get a book on stretching,  yoga, or Tai Chi to help you get started.
5. Be mindful of your actions, how they affect others and especially how they affect you.

Fear causes us to lash out or do strange things we wouldn’t otherwise do. If this happens to you, step back and examine why.

Using Essential Oils to Fear Less

The best way to discover the root of any emotion, especially fear, is to get introspective using essential oils.

1. Sit in a quiet space, close your eyes, quiet your mind, and meditate while diffusing essential oils. They will help open your mind to a new self-awareness and ease your fear.
2. Try diffusing one of more of the essential oils below to help recall memories you’ve forgotten that may be causing you to fear so much that they block you from living a healthy life.

DIY Diffuser Recipe

Diffuse in distilled water 2 to 3 drops each of the following essential oils to start. You can also use oils on the list below to come up with blends that please you. Open the lids of each and give your senses time to interact with the aromas.

• Lavender
• Frankincense
• Juniper
• Orange

The Cupping or Tenting Technique

The “cupping” or “tenting” technique is great to use with meditative breathing.

1. To start, place a drop of one of the following essential oils into the palm of your hand, rub both hands together, and cup them over your nose and mouth as you breathe in deeply.
2. When you exhale, open the back of your hands to let the air out then cup your hands again and repeat the process. It is always recommended to mix the EOs with a little carrier oil for safety. Some work better when they are diluted with a carrier oil than when used “neat.”

FYI: neat just means the essential oil is used by itself without a carrier oil to dilute it.

Inhalers to Tackle Fear

Another way to use essential oils is through inhalers. Most of the tubes you will find are plastic; some are glass. The wicks sit inside the tubes. I recommend avoiding the plastic inhaler tubes and using glass tubes instead.

1. First, take out the wick, apply the oil(s) to it, then put it back into the tube and snap the cap into place.
2. Next, or when you’re ready, put the tube under one nostril or wave it in front of both nostrils to inhale.
3. You can also sniff the essential oils right out of the bottle and avoid the extra cost of an inhaler tube – but they’re reasonably priced.

Try this recipe in a blank inhaler:

• 6 drops Orange
• 4 drops Juniper Berry
• 3 drops Bergamot
• 2 drops Clary Sage

Roll On Protection Against Fear

You can also apply essential oils topically using a roller bottle. Mix these oils in a roller bottle and roll them in the palm of your hands, on the back of your neck, on your wrists, behind your ears, on your temples, or on reflex points on your feet.

• 1 drops Clary Sage
• 2 drops Juniper Berry
• 3 drops Frankincense
• Jojoba Oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil

Whatever technique you try, you will find that these oils help calm your inner jitters and bring you into a more fearless state of mind. If anything, enjoy experimenting to find the single essential oil or blend that works best for you.

Single Oils to Fight Fear

• Lavender
• Vetiver
• Bergamot
• Ylang Ylang
• Frankincense
• Cedarwood
• Neroli
• Lemon
• Juniper
• Sandalwood
• Basil
• Clary Sage
• Palo Santo
• Cypress
• Roman Chamomile
• Geranium
• Northern Lights Black Spruce
• Idaho Blue Spruce
• Sacred Frankincense
• Orange

Essential Oil Blends to Beat Fear

• Valor
• Present Time
• The Gift
• Believe
• Stress Away
• Peace and Calming

Right now, we all could use some liquid courage but of the healthy kind. Essential oils provide us with just that. Break through your fear using essential oils. I recommend Young Living essential oils because they don’t adulterate, fractionally distill ,or rectify their products, so you are getting the purest quality essence from each plant.

If you have a story you are willing to share, please do. It may help someone else who is struggling to get past their fear and live well.