Tag Archives: mental exhaustion

Essential Oils for Mental Fatigue and Clarity

essential-oils-for-mental-fatigue-and-clarity-header

“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal.
It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill

girl-in-classroomOctober begins the final term for the school year. Many will be doing their HSC, TAFE and university exams and starting to feel the pressure. Essential oils that help with mental fatigue and clarity can be very beneficial at this time not only for them but for anyone who feels the need for some more focus or clarity in their life.  These oils are all excellent for mental fatigue and bringing clarity to a tired mind.

For those who work and find their concentration waning in the afternoon or who can’t focus because they seem snowed under with work and decisions that need to be made, the following oils can help clear your mind. Perhaps you can take a personal inhaler to work with your favourite oil blend to use for a quick pick-me–up or mind clarifier.

Woman with mental fatigue

For those studying for exams who would like a little extra aromatic help. Try studying with a blend of two or three oils in your burner or add two drops to a tissue and smell frequently. When it comes time to do your exam bring a tissue with two drops of your blend on it and smell it when you need a little help remembering what you have studied. Remember to use the same blend each time.

Essential Oils for Clarity and Mental Fatigue
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a memory and mental stimulant that relieves nervous exhaustion bringing clarity.

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) is mentally stimulating and energising and helps you to stay focused.

Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) provides clarity when you are emotionally and mentally confused or unable to make decisions. She stimulates and grounds your mind.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata) can help when you are feeling overwhelmed. Take a few deep breaths to help calm you and stimulate your mind.

Lemon (Citrus limonum) clears your head, refreshes your mind and calms you enhancing rational and logical thinking.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) invigorates, stimulates and refreshes your mind.

Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) uplifts you and helps calm your mind when you get stressed and are unable to think clearly.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) enhances memory and concentration, assists you in assimilating new ideas and may provide inspiration and insight.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) stimulates your memory while reducing mental fatigue bringing clarity and focus.

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) mentally stimulates and uplifts in addition to invigorating you both physically and mentally.

Below are some ideas for blends you may like to try
Add up to 6 drops to your vaporiser. For a tissue make your blend up in a small bottle and add two drops from that onto your tissue. Experiment with your blends until you find one you like.

Clarity InhalerAnother idea you might like to try is to add 3 to 6 drops of essential oil to a few cotton balls inside a small bottle and close the lid. Open the lid and take a few whiffs whenever you are studying. If the opening is large enough you may be able to take a cotton ball out of the bottle and leave it on your desk to inhale while you are doing your exam. For an easier option use a personal inhaler.

Clarity
Basil
Lemon
Rosemary

Mind refresh
Eucalyptus
Lime
Spearmint

Mental Stimulant
Basil
Lemongrass
Peppermint

Spruce (Picea mariana)

Spruce Picea mariana

Family: Pinaceae

Synonyms: Bog Spruce, Swamp Spruce, Shortleaf Black Spruce, Abies nigra, Abies mariana, Picea nigra.

Aroma: Fresh, woody, pine-like.

Colour: Colourless to pale yellow.

spruce conesPlant: Small upright evergreen coniferous tree between 5 and 15 metres tall. The dark purple cones which ripen to a red-brown are the smallest of all the spruces. They are produced in dense clusters in the upper crown and open at maturity.

Main Growing Areas: Eastern Canada and North Eastern USA.

Major Constituents: Camphene, tricyclene, borneol, borynl acetate.

Interesting snippets: Spruce was used by the Lakota Indians to enhance their communication with the Great Spirit. Native Americans made spruce beer to prevent scurvy. Various native North American Indian tribes made a string from the long roots of this tree and used it to stitch the bark of their canoes and to sew their baskets.

Part of Plant used / Extraction: Needles and twigs / Steam distillation

Therapeutic actions: Respiratory conditions including bronchitis and coughs. Helpful in cases of inflamed, stiff, painful joints and tired, achy muscles.

Emotional and Spiritual: Mental exhaustion and stress. Calming and helps poor self-confidence, low morale, melancholy and a negative outlook.  She can help to overcome a sense of defeat or failure.

Robbi Zeck writes that spruce encourages a broadening and opening to a sense of spaciousness within, a way of seeing your journey through life in a brand new way. Spruce adds a depth of insight previously unknown and has the capacity to shift you from feelings of defeat to feeling refreshed and motivated.

Safety: Possible skin irritant.

Sources: Grace U-M, Aromatherapy for Practitioners. The C.W.Daniel Company Ltd. (1996)
Zeck R, The Blossoming Heart. Aroma Tours (2004)
https://materiaaromatica.com/default.aspx?go=article&articleid=167,