One of the topics that’s been on the rise again recently is burn out. During Covid, everything slowed right down – and the world breathed a sigh of relief as they created more time to be present. Since then, I’m hearing that people are feeling the pace of life returning to hustle and bustle, and so this month I wanted to explore how we can begin to choose differently – and liberate burn out once and for all!
Essential oils are the perfect antidote to burn out; in more than one way. Firstly, they literally change the physiology of our burned-out bodies, acting as a physical rebalancer. Secondly, using them immediately has us choosing differently – instead of keeping pushing through, using essential oils is choosing to carve out time from the daily schedule to relax and rejuvenate. Thirdly, they also act on our mental and spiritual bodies and help us to see new possibilities and illuminate patterns that we’d not seen before.
So, overall, if you’re feeling burned-out, aromatherapy is a great place to begin to heal – and this blog provides some great essential oil tips and blends for you to begin.
The hidden cause and symptoms of burn out
Before we dive into the blends, there’s a hidden cause of burn-out that I’d like to illuminate because it’s also something that essential oils can help with.
The deeper cause of burn out is not just ‘overwork and too much stress’ as people often think. That’s more of a manifestation of the deeper root. There’s a cause that lies even beyond that. Ultimately, if we are feeling exhausted, it is really about the fact that we are not living in alignment.
Living out of alignment without values and purpose will create all sorts of ‘burn out’ symptoms. Typically, these symptoms include things like:
- Fatigue
- Exhaustion
- Feeling drained
- Loss of motivation
- Memory fog
- Sensations of heaviness
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Sense of failure
- Self-doubt
- Low mood
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Lowered immunity
And contrary to what we are taught in the mainstream world, these are not things to fear; rather they are little nudges from our bodies to say “hey, we are off somewhere – let’s reroute. These symptoms will show up if we are continually forcing ourselves through things that aren’t aligned – if we are unwilling to listen to our bodies, it will have an impact. The deeper invitation is to see these symptoms as little sign-posts – and an invitation to find what is aligned for you.
Side note: that’s not to say that we shouldn’t do things that feel hard and challenging at times (many of the things that have been in deepest alignment for me have felt challenging), but there is a deeper invitation to listen to our bodies a bit more deeply whilst asking: “am I in alignment?” I learned this lesson the hard way, because I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome several times in my life due to the fact I was not living in aligned ways. So, you can trust me on this one!
Essential oils for burn out
So, which oils can help, if we are in this burned-out state? I’ll break it down by symptoms:
- Fatigue, exhaustion and feeling drained – oils that are good for the exhaustion of burn out, include Cypress, Lavender and Sandalwood
- Memory fog – for symptoms of fuzzy brain, try Lemon, Basil and Rosemary
- Heaviness – to antidote heaviness, use Ylang, Frankincense and Rose
- Loss of motivation – to uplift your motivation, give Juniper, Lime and Sweet Orange a go
- Low mood and depression – to lift your mood try oils like Yuzu, Geranium and Melissa
- Anxiety and stress – to soothe your mind, try Bergamot, Chamomile and Neroli
- Sense of failure and self-doubt – to overcome beating yourself up try Cedarwood, Patchouli and Sweet Marjoram
- Insomnia – to get more sleep, try Vetivert, Valerian and Mandarin
- Lowered immunity – to stimulate your immune system, try Grapefruit, Eucalyptus and Palmarosa
Essential oil blends for burn out
Now that we’ve got some oils to work with, let’s look at some blends.
Fatigue, exhaustion and feeling drained
If you’re feeling exhausted, it will be powerful to use blends in ways that are relaxing – things like self-massage, or bath blends would be good here to help you connect to your body.
Self-massage: create an oil using 3 drops Sandalwood, 2 drops Cypress and 1 drop Lavender OR Sweet Marjoram in 15ml of carrier oil such as Grapeseed oil. Massage into your skin, with a pressure that feels good to you, in a direction towards the heart.
The invitation is to spend 10 minutes a day massaging your body and connecting more deeply to it – perhaps whilst you do, you can reflect on what’s more aligned for you than what you’re currently doing – what lights you up?
Memory fog
If you are suffering with memory fog – or generally feeling your mind is struggling to keep up, I’d recommend working daily each morning with Lemon, Basil and Rosemary essential oils in your diffuser.
Morning Memory Diffuser: mix 3 drops Lemon, 2 drops Basil and 2 drops Rosemary in water in a candle burner or electrical diffuser and start your day with a bit of a boost – this will really support your body to remember how it should feel.
Heaviness
If every morning you feel heavy, I’d recommend you add an evening bath into the mix to help you relax and restore.
Bath Blend: add 3 drops Ylang Ylang, 2 drops Frankincense and 1 drop Rose into 15ml of our Bath Oil or Shower Gel and add it to the hot running water of your bath.
Close all the windows and doors so you can inhale the steam, turn off your phone, light some candles, and lie in the bath to relax. Use this time to tune into your body’s sensations and see what they want to tell you.
Loss of motivation
To uplift your motivation, I recommend you have a spritz to use throughout the day.
Motivation Spritz: add 15 drops Sweet Orange, 10 drops Lime and 5 drops Juniper into 100ml of Orange Flower Hydrolat and spritz on yourself throughout the day when you are feeling demotivated.
The deeper reflection here is: why am I demotivated? What does motivate me and light me up? And then to choose more of that.
Low mood and depression
I feel your heart in your low mood – and there are some beautiful blends to help uplift you. I’ll keep this one simple because when you feel low you don’t want elaborate.
Mood Boosting Sniffy Stick: add 1 drop Yuzu, 1 drop Geranium and 1 drop Melissa onto a cotton pad and roll it up into an inhalator (or you can just sniff the cotton pad – but don’t get the oils on your skin).
This one’s a quick one, for when you just need that quick boost to feel better.
Anxiety and stress
When your mind is on overdrive, try diffusing some oils to help you keep calm.
Keep Calm Diffuser: mix 3 drops Bergamot, 2 drops Chamomile and 2 drops Neroli in water in a candle burner or electrical diffuser and diffuse throughout the day to help you relax and soothe your nervous system.
Sense of failure and self-doubt
Burn out can bring with it a feeling that you’ve somehow ‘failed’ – and yet that’s so far from the truth with the people I see actually burning out; it’s usually that they try so hard that has them burn down.
When you are feeling like a failure, it’s time for some self-love.
Self-Love Massage: create a massage oil using 3 drops Cedarwood, 2 drops Patchouli and 1 drop Sweet Marjoram in 15ml of carrier oil. Massage into your skin, with a pressure that feels good to you, in a direction towards the heart.
Create some time for 10 minutes of connection to your body, where you slowly soothe your body by stroking and letting your inner little girl know that you love yourself and that she is safe to relax and stop trying so hard.
Insomnia
If you’re struggling with sleep symptoms in your burn out, then try this.
Sleepy PiIlow Mist: add 20 drops Mandarin, 5 drops Valerian and 5 drops Vetivert into 100ml of Chamomile Hydrolat and spray it on your pillow and nightwear before bed. You may also like to diffuse these oils for 30 minutes before bed, if you want a super boost (remember to blow out any candles before you sleep).
Lowered immunity
Finally, our immunity can be lowered when we are in burn out, so it’s a good idea to give it a bit of a turbo charge.
Immune System Body Oil: create a body oil using 4 drops Grapefruit, 1 drop Palmarosa and 1 drop Eucalyptus in 15ml of carrier oil. Massage into your skin each morning like a body oil, so the oils go directly into your system to begin boosting your immunity.
Remember, you can get creative with your blends if you like particular oils – let your nose be your guide, as the body usually asks for what it needs via your sense of smell.
Burn out is an initiation back into the body and your deepest desires – so the invitation is to pay attention to what it wants you to know.
Good luck and enjoy.
Nicole Barton
Consultant Aromatherapist
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