Holidays are coming to an end and we have to return to our daily life, in the office or at school, with all the thoughts, tasks and stress. It may often happen that after a relaxing period it is not so easy to adapt to the old life and we can experience the post-holiday stress with anxiety, nervousness, irritability, insomnia, poor concentration and excessive tiredness. How to overcome this condition? Also in this case a help is given by the essential oils, that can be diffused in the room with an oil burner or poured on a handkerchief or on the pillow. Let’s see in detail the best essential oils in order to counteract the most common symptoms of the post-holiday stress condition.
Against anxiety
To counteract anxiety and nervousness you can use lavender, chamomile and bergamot essential oils. Bergamot essential oil indeed has been the subject of several scientific studies (for example Saiyudthong et al, Phytotherapy Research, 2011), that have confirmed its anxiolytic action that is comparable to that of diazepam, a medicine used to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures. And what about lavender and chamomile, whose essential oils are being used, also together, to counteract anxiety in hospital before surgeries, for example for dental care (Wotman et al, Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, 2017) or for cardiovascular problems (Malcolm et al, The Mental Health Clinician, 2017).
Against mood swings
The post holiday stress can cause also mood swings, irritability, depression and nervousness. Against these symptoms you can take these essential oils, cinnamon, thanks to its antidepressive action (Sohrabi et al, Iran J Basic Med Sci, 2017), and ylang ylang, able to bring calm and counteract sadness (Hongratanaworakit et al, Phytother Res, 2006). However, be careful during pregnancy or if you suffer from seizures, in this case it is better to avoid the cinnamon essential oil.
To improve concentration– You are back from holidays and instead of being full of energy you feel that for you it is really difficult to concentrate and focus your attention on your daily activities? You can try with the peppermint, rosemary and lemon essential oils. There are several scientific studies that have demonstrated that rosemary aroma is able to improve memory, concentration and cerebral performance (for example Moss et al, The Adv Psychopharmacol, 2012). Peppermint essential oil is scientifically able to fortify memory (Moss et al, Int J Neurosci, 2008) and, together with lemon essential oil, it is even able to increase brain functionalities, in all the people but also in the extreme case of persons suffering from Alzheimer disease (Jimbo et al, Psychogeriatrics, 2009).
