5 Essential Oils to Uplift Your Spirits

Depression happens to just about everyone at some point or another. Especially during the winter when we get less vitamin D from the sun and we’re often stuck inside staying away from the harsh, cold elements. Sometimes it’s clinical, others it’s environmental or circumstantial and dependent on our train of thought.

Along with taking the necessary vitamins and minerals we need to stay healthy, essential oils are a great, additional way to lift your spirits and help you get out of that funk.

Essential oils extracted from plants have the power to change your thoughts, emotions and physical well being. Just a small amount, only a few drops, goes a long way to changing your frame of mind, almost instantly.

Here are 5 Essential, essential oils to enjoy when you need to uplift your mood so you can feel better and get on with living your life without a dark cloud hanging over your head.

These were selected because of their qualities, are easy to obtain and inexpensive. They work well on their own and blend well with one another according to your preference.

Remember, synthetic fragrances just won’t do the same thing nature does. Their chemical composition aren’t exact, though they may smell similar. Nature just can’t be beat and your body has a natural affinity to connect with nature and utilize its healing properties.
Make sure you get some sunshine during the winter. It can do wonders. Plants, like us depend on the sun to live. Enjoying essential oils and an intentional moment basking in the splendor of the sun will reconnect you to life, nature and raise your consciousness.

Ylang Ylang





Ylang Ylang oil is extracted from a delicate yellow Cananga odorata flower. Ylang Ylang is very calming, super calming in fact. If you have anxiety, if your adrenaline is pumping, and you feel unable to calm down, Ylang Ylang could do you wonders. Great for people who have the jitters, and social anxiety too.

This oil can be overwhelming if you use too much. It’s got a sweet, herbaceous scent and can make you nauseated if you over do it. Just use a little. In fact, just opening the bottle and inhaling the fragrance is often enough. If you use it in small doses, and moderation you will feel yourself calming down within minutes and your worries will dissipate. If you have blood pressure issues be careful, it can be so calming it will lower your blood pressure. Not a good thing if you already have low blood pressure.

Ylang Ylang can also be applied. Just a drop in lotion is enough. You can also add it to a bath.

Being a base note, the fragrance of this oil will linger for quite a while, rather than dissipate quickly.

Lavender



Of course lavender is one of the most widely used and popular oils. Some even consider it to be like aspirin, in that it is like a cure all for just about everything. Of course aspirin doesn’t cure everything, but it certainly is well known for its benefits.

Lavender oil smells great, but has a bit more of a potency to it than simply smelling the herb itself. The herbs leaves have a bit more of a lower, earthier vibe than the oil, which is extracted by steam distillation from the flowering tops of Lavendula angustifolia.

Purple flowers can be seen on rolling hills as far as the eye can see in Italy. Imagine how heavenly taking a stroll there would feel.

Lavender is often used at night, as it’s a sedative and will help you sleep and bring sweet dreams. Great to calm emotional extremes, helps calm mood swings, reduce anger and get rid of nervous tension. Lavender will help uplift your mood , dispel the doom and gloom attitude,  and help alleviate depressive states of mind.

Geranium






Steam distilled from the whole Pelargonium graveolens plant, including leaves, stocks, and stems, Geranium is sweet, rosy and alluring with a slight minty undertone.

Divine in a bath, Geranium can calm down the whole body and mind. Sedating, Geranium reduces stress and lowers anxiety levels.

Although Geranium is prized for it’s skin benefits so it’s great in a massage, its intoxicating fragrance brings you down to earth with physical relaxation that translates into an additional bonus to its ability to calm the mind. It’s often used for love potions and of course blends well with lavendar, rosemary, ylang ylang and orange. As a middle note, Geranium provides a sense of embodiment and physical well being.

Rosemary





Rosemary is another oil, like lavender, that is extracted by steam distillation from the flowering tops of the Rosmarinus officinalis herb.

This is an uplifting, fresh scent that may remind you of thanksgiving dinner. Since fragrances have the power to bring us back to memories instantly tapping into our limbic systems and emotions, Rosemary brings a calm, comforting feeling of that after dinner down time. Its healing properties also work great applied with lotion to the chest and throat area to assist in getting rid of colds and congestion.

If you are run-down, mentally fatigued this oil will uplift you. Stimulating rather than sedating, Rosemary clears away dull thinking patterns and allows room for a new, more positive attitude. Great for the memory. Use while visualizing pleasant times in your life so you can reawaken to the energy you have when you feel good about yourself.

Bitter Orange




Citrus aurantium oil is extracted by cold expression of the outer peel. You could also substitute Sweet Orange or Mandarin, which are similar in composition. Bitter orange has a fresh, floral, sweet fragrance with a touch of dryness.

Orange is absolutely divine to lift the spirits. If you are nervous, hold a lot of tension, carry a lot of stress, this top note will raise your vibration instantly. Helps reduce worry and ease anxiety.

If you have any oranges around you can easily enjoy the fragrance by bending the peel so it squirts a mist of it’s essential oil into the air. The high vibration of orange goes straight to the mind, awakening higher, spiritual mindedness. It’s great to use before meditating.

Of course words can only go so far, you know the experience of the scent is better than reading about it. We hope though that you’re inspired to take a step out of your dark cloud whenever it may arrive and step into the world of feeling better with the power of natural fragrance.
These 5 essential oils are very easy to obtain at local shops. Make sure they are “Essential Oils” not the synthetic “Fragrance Oils”.

Do not apply essential oils directly to your skin. They are too concentrated, and must be diluted with a carrier oil such as olive oil, coconut oil or any nut or vegetable derived oil or lotion. A few drops goes a long way.

We’ll have more on essential oils, and we’ll add a bit of magic to them.

Do you get a bit down during the winter months?