Aromatherapy Can Enhance Your Coping Skills

by Joni Keim

We all have been going through a lot lately. We’ve had to change the way we connect with our family, friends, and community. These have been challenging times, indeed, and we have all been affected. How are we coping? Many have found that aromatherapy can provide a way to enhance our coping skills, in a gentle way that meets us where we are right now.

People cope with life’s challenges in different ways. There are many things that are helpful—the bottom line is self-care. Staying connected with friends and family, even if it’s only via phone, text, emails, and Zoom, provides relational/emotional support. Meditation, prayer, yoga, and breathwork can help us to stay centered and relaxed. Remembering to play, laugh, and balance work/home responsibilities helps us to stay upbeat. Exercising, eating healthy foods, limiting alcohol, and getting plenty of sleep help to keep our energy up, shore up our immune systems, and stabilize mental health. Doing things that make us feel good such as getting a massage, being out in nature, or working on a creative project can help sustain us. Reading inspirational words can also be helpful, offering new or valuable perspectives on how to perceive and react to our current circumstances.

Do you remember Gallagher, the comedian? He is famous for smashing watermelons with a huge sledgehammer. He has a smart and clever humor. He sometimes talked about “new eyes,” describing how his young child helped him to see the world from a different, inspirational perspective. Perhaps amongst the following inspirational words there is one or more that will give you a new outlook to help you to cope and persevere during these trying times.

While you read through the following quotes, think about how they may relate to you and how you might embrace their concepts. You can enhance your experience by using aromatherapy. Some inspirational and uplifting essential oils are Bergamot, Eucalyptus Radiata, Frankincense, Rosemary, Lemon, Orange, and Neroli. e3 also carries some lovely, uplifting blends such as Serenity, Revitalize, and Peace. Simply put a drop or two on a tissue and inhale the aroma through your nose (without touching the tissue to your nose). Pause and inhale again while holding the intention in your mind that the aroma will have an inspiring and uplifting effect on you.

Inspirational Quotes

“Believe in miracles.”

“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” – Albert Schweitzer

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” – Hafez

“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” -Mandy Hale

“Spread love everywhere you go.” – Mother Teresa

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.”
– Walt Whitman

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you’ve ever imagined. – Dr. Seuss

“You don’t have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.”
– Dan Millman

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua J. Marine

“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” – Christopher Reeve

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.” – Thomas Edison

Aromatherapy Enhances Your Coping Skills During the “Letting Go” Process

In addition to coping with difficult times, when the time is right, there is also the “letting go” of the emotional and mental impact they have on us. To emotionally grow and move forward in our lives, we need to let go of our attachment to the past, especially experiences that have left us with unpleasant or uncomfortable feelings. The Dalai Lama said, “Attachment is the origin, the root of suffering; hence it is the cause of suffering.” We cannot change the past. If we cannot let it go, it prevents us from living in and experiencing the richness of the present moment. The more we appreciate and can be in the present moment, the less past experiences can influence us. Releasing the attachment can give us a sense of freedom and room for something new.

It is not easy to let go, but there are techniques that can be helpful. In Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender, David Hawkins offers a simple and effective technique to help clear away emotional blocks from past experiences. Hawkins describes the process: “Letting go involves being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything about it. It means simply to let the feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.” He instructs us not to resist, be afraid, be fearful, condemn, or judge the feeling because it is resistance that keeps the feeling going. “A feeling that is not resisted will disappear as the energy behind it dissipates.”

In the book I co-authored with Ruah Bull, Aromatherapy Anointing Oils, it suggests the following essential oils to help release (let go) of emotional or mental attachments that are no longer beneficial: Bay Laurel, Eucalyptus Globulus or Radiata, Fir, Frankincense, Helichrysum, Lavender, Lemongrass, Mandarin, and Ylang Ylang. They can be used in the same manner as described above but with a different intention. Simply put a drop or two on a tissue and inhale the aroma through your nose (without touching the tissue to your nose). Pause and inhale again while holding the intention of releasing your attachment and feeling the space and freedom it creates.

If you have questions, I appreciate how e3’s team of clinical aromatherapists is available to answer questions about how aromatherapy can enhance your coping skills. And if you’d like to come up with your own unique blend to help you find a more relaxed state, download their free workbook, The Art & Science of Blending Essential Oils.