The purpose of Esker Fields is to prompt people to pause, slow down and take a moment for their mental wellbeing. All it takes is a moment to ease stress and anxiety and call in calm and relaxation when you have the right tools. This matters so much to me because of my personal experience.
Before I ran my own business, I worked in adult education for many years. One day, I hit burnout. My workload on top of family life and not making time to look after myself properly all came to a head. I wasn’t able to work for almost a year. I was completely exhausted. It was really hard not to be able to do simple tasks without needing days to recover. I went to the doctor but the tests didn’t find anything physically wrong with me.
From there, I relearned how to look after myself. I knew it was up to me and the actions I took each day to manage stress and prevent overwhelm. Of course there was trial and error. What I discovered was that it’s not necessarily how much self-care you do, but how consistently you do it. Taking pockets of time to reset and release helps keep me balanced to this day. I’ve found tools and techniques that are able to relax me in a matter of moments. One of them is essential oils.
The impact of essential oils on wellbeing
Stress can be a slippery slope. We get stuck in anxious thought patterns and physical tension. Even if logically we know feeling stressed isn’t helping us, we can’t just switch it off. We start to feel stressed about feeling stressed and it all takes its toll on our wellbeing.
There are ways that we can signal to the brain and body that it’s safe to relax. Essential oils have powerful aromas. The particles are able to influence the brain. They work with the limbic system to regulate many of the bodily functions associated with stress and the nervous system like heart rate and blood pressure. So, we can use a therapeutic essential oil blend to calm down the stress response and feel more relaxed.
Everyone feels stressed sometimes. Everyone gets overwhelmed. Everyone has days when they just don’t feel right. We can’t stop that, but we can use essential oils to ease those feelings sooner so we don’t get stuck in stress for so long that we get burnt out.
Simple ways to start practising aromatherapy
The use of essential oils for their therapeutic properties is known as aromatherapy. You may have heard of aromatherapy massages and treatments. If you have the time for them, they are great. We can also keep it simple and accessible for everyday support. Having a few essential oil products in your daily routine gives you multiple moments a day to briefly pause, relax and reset.
Relax Rollerball – My first recommendation is always the Relax Rollerball because it’s so quick and easy. Apply the rollerball to your pulse points and then take three deep breaths of the aromas. It works whether you’re at home, at the office or on a packed train.
Moisturising Hand Cream – You can add more ritual to your aromatherapy practice with a product like our hand cream. It’s made with essential oils that are powerful skincare ingredients and produce relaxing aromas. Mindfully massage into the skin, hold your hands up to your face, take three deep breaths, and then feel the stress melt away.
Aromatherapy bath – You can extend your aromatherapy practice further with something like an aromatherapy bath. I have one every week (twice a week when I’m busy!) I add the Relax & Unwind bath/shower gel to my bath under running water, apply it during my bath and then follow up with the matching body oil afterwards. It’s a wonderful aromatic experience.
Skincare – I anchor my day with aromatherapy through my skincare routine. Again, the essential oils in the Nature’s Glow Cleansing Oil, Rejuvenating Facial Serum and Moisturising Balm are both good for the skin and the mind. I’ve included beeswax in the final step to slow down absorption into the skin so you can give yourself a facial massage and take a moment to be present with the aromas.
Make your wellbeing practices work for you. Integrate it into your existing everyday routine so it doesn’t feel like as much of an ask. It’s just an add-on to what you’re already doing. A couple of moments when you step away from the rush of life and do something for yourself. All it takes is 2 minutes a day.
If you’re curious about essential oils and aromatherapy, make sure you’re following Esker Fields on Instagram. I’ve got plans to share more information about essential oils on there soon. Watch this space!
Browse the different essential oil infused products we have available in our shop and start building your relaxing wellbeing routine.