Top 10 Essential Oils for Learning & Productivity

Top 10 Essential Oils for Learning & Productivity

INTRODUCTION

As more and more companies and businesses have started to introduce social distancing policies in the workplace since the start of the pandemic, many of us have transitioned into a remote working lifestyle. Checking in on virtual conferences, keeping the children busy, dealing with constant distractions, and blurring home and work-life boundaries have now become a challenging new normal. Working from home has its individual set of advantages and drawbacks, but telecommuting while adopting self-isolation orders can add to a problematic new dimension. Job responsibilities and roles may also have evolved, further adding to work pressure and stress.

Essential Oils can help approach the typical issues linked with virtual working while encouraging us to stay more positive and productive. Presenting relief to both mental and physical stress or pain has become valuable, enabling many people to manage increasing workloads while caring for their mental health successfully.

Read on to learn about the must-have Essential Oils known to help people stay focused, energized, and productive during work-from-home times, while remaining calm, relaxed, and invigorated once the workday comes to an end!


HOW TO PICK THE BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR REMOTE WORK OR LEARNING

One of the numerous benefits of working from home is the capability to transform your workspace however you want and make it as beautiful and comfortable as you like. By taking advantage of this possibility to personalize your home and office according to your personal   aesthetic taste, scent preferences and chosen therapeutic qualities, you can profit from better mood, focus, increased productivity and overall well-being throughout these hard times we’re all going through adjusting to the new normal.

Here are some important ways Essential Oils can help you work virtually:

  • Oils with emotionally grounding properties are perfect for establishing a positive mood in the morning to prepare for a productive and anxiety-free workday. Examples include Clary Sage, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Frankincense, and Patchouli Essential Oils.
  • Essential Oils with psychologically clarifying qualities are excellent for dealing with distractions to better focus on work tasks and assignments, such as Grapefruit, Lemon, Rosemary, Peppermint, and Basil Oils.
  • Essential Oils with inciting or citrus qualities are fitting for overcoming a shortage of motivation due to a disruptive home setting. Ginger, Lemon, and Peppermint Essential Oils are best to help with that.
  • Essential Oils with calming or peaceful qualities are perfect for relaxing after a hard day, serving to separate work-life from personal time. Clary Sage, Lavender, Helichrysum, and Bergamot Essential Oils are the best to accomplish this task. 
  • Essential Oils with sedative characteristics are ideal for your evening routine, helping to slough off negativity for a peaceful night of sleep, such as Lavender and Vetiver Essential Oils.

Peppermint Essential Oil

Inhaling the aroma of Peppermint Essential Oil can quickly stimulate and raise one's energy without prompting stress. This cognitive outcome is linked to its principal ingredient, Menthol, which is deeply cooling and stimulating. Peppermint Oil is also frequently diffused in learning environments due to its known attributes as a powerful study and memory support. In a highly noisy or distracting home setting, it can increase focus, assist with recall, raise mood, and positively impact one's professional productivity. (4)

Peppermint Oil is also excellent for overall health, with potent analgesic, antispasmodic, expectorant, and carminative qualities. Its energizing properties can also swiftly alleviate feelings of tiredness or laziness, helping to address burnout problems.

How to use: to help with attentiveness levels and produce a focused ambiance at home, diffuse 5-6 drops of Peppermint Oil by using a Nebulizer ideally. To reduce distractions, combine 2 drops each of Rosemary Oil, Peppermint Oil, and Lemon Oil before diffusing.

Basil Essential Oil 

You can use Basil oil when you feel confronted with indecision, lack of direction, fear, confusion, doubts, in order to gain more trust and clarity on your decisions. (8)

Rosemary Essential Oil 

This aromatic oil has become more popular due to innovative research showing a strong capacity to improve cognition, performance, and memory. (1)

When diffused, Rosemary Oil effectively excites the senses, sharpening one's focus, and supporting remembrance; for this reason, it can be especially useful for virtual work conferences or meetings where remembering relevant details is critical.


How to use: to help maximize attention and focus, diffuse 3 drops each of Grapefruit Oil, Rosemary Oil, and Bergamot Oil for approximately half an hour. Another way to use this oil is to pour 1 tsp of a chosen Carrier Oil into the cupped palm of your hand, accompanied by 1 drop of Rosemary Oil. Rub your hands together before holding it in front of your nose and take in several deep inhalations.

Clary Sage Essential Oil

clary sage for mood balance and stress

Often referred to as 'the Women's Oil,' Clary Sage Oil is popularly reputed for its ability to balance the endocrine system and other hormones. It's principally recognized as a mood balancer, notably for emotional imbalances induced by hormonal dysfunction. For those undergoing feelings of distress due to working from home or missing the stimulation from interacting with coworkers in person, Clary Sage Oil can help enhance one's emotional resilience while dispelling negative thoughts and feelings. For those having trouble partitioning work life from personal life during these times, inhaling the pleasantly soothing aroma of Clary Sage after work can help unwind the mind and prepare it for rest and reparation. (5)

In aromatherapy, Clary Sage Essential Oil is used to relieve menstrual pain, address restlessness, and lessen stress, apathy, and worry. It's also used to help encourage gratitude, strength, and positivity while heightening one's sense of spirituality.


How to use: to help balance a turbulent mood, diffuse 3 drops of Clary Sage Oil, 3 drops of Sweet Orange Oil, 2 drops of Gingergrass oil, and 1 drop of Bergamot. To unwind after a stressful day, mix 10 drops of Clary Sage Oil with 10 drops of carrier oil of your choice before adding to your bathwater. To help with sleeplessness, diffuse undiluted Clary sage oil in your bedroom before going to sleep with a Nebulizer for about 1-2 hours with the door shot, so that you’ll inhale the oil’s aroma in your sleep. Using a Nebulizer versus a diffuser will give you faster results, as it’s the most powerful way to diffuse oils. (Learn more in this blog about the differences between a diffuser and a nebulizer.) 

Geranium Essential Oil 

Diffusing Geranium while you work will assist in decreasing confusion, insecurity, tension, stress, irrationality, and worry. In addition, this oil is good for balancing, reassuring, and stability.

Gingergrass Essential Oil

Working virtually can sometimes derail one's confidence and motivation, particularly during the initial shift. Work tasks may be unclear in the beginning and communication may be momentarily stifled. For those who are encountering these difficulties, Ginger Essential Oil can help with its fresh, spicy, warming aroma. Ginger Oil is traditionally applied to mitigate a lack of motivation and other concerns linked to emotional dysfunction. It can also relieve the respiratory system, reduce pain, ease nausea, and build hope and self-confidence. (9)

How to use: to help inspire confidence and a feeling of empowerment while working remotely, diffuse 3 drops of Ginger Oil along with 2 drops each of Bergamot Oil and Lemon Oil.

Lemon Essential Oil

A vibrant and stimulating citrus oil, Lemon Essential Oil, can help those who are having difficulty focusing. Not only does this uplifting oil eliminate household odors and purify the air, but it's also rich in the component Limonene, which is understood to elevate mood and lessen anxiety. Lemon Oil can be employed aromatically to boost one's stamina, relieve mental fatigue in the morning, improve mental clarity, overcome procrastination, and also put forth a cheerful attitude. (7)

How to use: to help create a lively and radiant office space with focus-enhancing advantages, diffuse 6-8 drops of Lemon Oil. To formulate a deodorizing room spray that also supports productivity, add 40 drops of Lemon Oil and 20 drops of Frankincense Oil to a 4 oz spray bottle and top up with Distilled Water. Tightly seal the bottle and shake before spraying into the space.

Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Sweet Orange Essential Oil radiates a beautifully sweet citrus scent that is lively yet emotionally grounding. It's famous for addressing mental ailments in aromatherapy, particularly for hyperactivity, rage, grief, and fear. Emotionally, Sweet Orange Oil operates as a harmonizer, serving to provide a sense of calmness and security when things get too stressful. These therapeutic properties make it the perfect oil to incorporate into unusually exhausting workdays. (6)

How to use: to help restore frazzled emotions and diminish stress, diffuse 5-6 drops of Sweet Orange Oil. This can likewise be done at night as a sleep aid especially for those who suffer from insomnia-try diffusing it with a Nebulizer in your bedroom for 1-2 hours before bed. To relax after work with a relaxing bath, mix 10 drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil with a carrier oil of your choice before adding to your bathwater.

Lemongrass Essential Oil

With a pleasantly sharp and lingering aroma, Lemongrass Essential Oil is excellent for boosting vitality while producing a feeling of renewal. In addition to making you feel more alert, this citrus oil is also known to raise mood, improve circulation, help digestion, open respiratory airways, and administer relief to sore, aching muscles. A couple of drops of Lemongrass oil can go a long way in feeling more motivated, focusing amid distractions. Many also find its warming odor to be supportive or reassuring throughout anxious times. (3)

How to use: to help get through a slump, diffuse 3 drops of Lemongrass simultaneously with 2 drops of Basil oil. For a quick pick-me-up, pour 3 tsp. of your preferred Carrier Oil into the cupped palm of your hand, followed by 2 drops of Lemongrass Oil before rubbing onto the temples. This can be incredibly energizing before a high-performance meeting or virtual presentation.

Jasmine Essential Oil

Jasmine's potent fragrance is  calming, romantic, and a well-reputed aphrodisiac. It's believed to be peaceful without producing sedation and can, consequently, be a worthwhile oil for unwinding and de-stressing, helping to separate work-life from home-life. In aromatherapy, Jasmine is also known to heighten creativity, change perspectives, and encourage open-mindedness, which can assist those who have to engage in regular problem-solving or logical thinking as a component of their job. (10)

How to use: to unwind and take your mind off your work role, mix 10 drops of Jasmine Oil with 10 drops of carrier oil before adding to your bathwater. To help promote creative reflection or enhance a brainstorm, diffuse 5-6 drops.

BLEND RECIPES FOR WORK PRODUCTIVITY & FOCUS 

Here are some recipes formulated explicitly with work productivity in mind. From focus to the relief of emotional stress, these lovely recipes and blends can enhance your overall wellness or help get you through times of difficulty when it comes to focusing that sometimes come hand in hand with learning or working, especially from home when it's much easier to get distracted. 

All the diffusing recipes below are to be used with a nebulizer instead of a diffuser for maximum therapeutic effect. Learn here why you should use a nebulizer instead of a diffuser. 

best essential oil blends for learning and working from home

Stimulating Blend: consists of Peppermint, Orange, Lemongrass, and Basil essential oils. Perfect for diffusing in a home office to enhance sharpness and elevate mood.


Ingredients:

Directions: In a small glass jar, blend all of the essential oils. Place drop by drop into your nebulizing diffuser. Diffuse it in your home office for better stress management throughout the day.

 

Mental Focus Blend: consists of Grapefruit, Geranium, Basil, and Lemon essential oils. Helpful for more immeasurable focus, productivity, and concentration.

Ingredients:

Directions: In a small glass jar, blend all of the essential oils. Place drop by drop into your nebulizing diffuser. Diffuse it in your home office during working hours to help with concentration and productivity.

 

Ease of Mind Blend: consists of Geranium, Lemon and Lavender essential oils. Diffuse to mitigate mental stress and headaches or migraines.

Ingredients:

Directions: In a small glass jar, blend all of the essential oils. Place drop by drop into your nebulizing diffuser. Diffuse it  whenever a bad headache strikes to get some relief.

 

Pain Relief Massage Blend: consists of Gingergrass, Siberian Fir and Patchouli  essential oils. Beneficial for soothing painful muscles or lighten physical fatigue endured by sitting at a desk for long hours.

Ingredients:

Directions: In a clean, dry pump bottle, add together all of the essential oils. Mix and blend by gently shaking. Then add in the carrier oil in portions, shaking the bottle gently after each addition. Once you’ve mixed in the carrier oil, you can now use this blend by massaging onto inflamed muscles, joints or other swollen, painful areas.

 

Tranquility /Calming Blend: consists of Clary Sage, Sandalwood, and Ylang-Ylang essential oils. Diffuse it at the end of day to promote a tranquil, soothing environment that is conducive to a restful night sleep. 

Ingredients:

Directions: In a small glass jar, blend all of the essential oils. Place drop by drop into your nebulizing diffuser. Diffuse it a couple of hours before going to bed for a restful nights sleep.

PRECAUTIONS

It's always recommended to dilute any Essential Oil with a carrier oil before applying it on the skin. Also pay special attention when using it on children, especially those 10 years or younger.

If you're considering starting a therapeutic regimen using Essential Oils, it's better to consult a doctor or an aromatherapy professional first. Some skin types can showcase allergic reactions, so before using this oil in any of its forms, it's recommended to do a skin test first, which you can do at home, if you prefer, by applying 2 drops of the oil on your wrist and wait for 24 hours to see if any irritation occurs. If not, then you’ll be safe to use it..

And finally, try to use the exact amounts of the oil as per prescriptions or recipes above, otherwise, it could be toxic and cause irritation, allergies and other unwanted problems.

NOTE: Always choose USDA Organic oils to prevent toxicity caused by the artificial fertilizers & pesticides sprayed on all non-organic crops; otherwise you’re defeating their effectiveness.

We hope these wonderful aromatherapy recipes will help you become more productive and at least in a better mood overall, so let us know in the comments below which ones you tried and how they worked for you. We’d love to hear it! 

 

 

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736918/

2. http://jass.neuro.wisc.edu/2016/01/Lab%20603%20Group%201.pdf

3. http://bit.ly/eos-effects-on-mood-and-sleep

4. https://ispub.com/IJAM/9/1/19905

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20441789/

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27688737/

7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18178322/

8. The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood

9. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1934578X1601101035

10.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236235613_The_effects_of_jasmine_Oil_inhalation_on_brain_wave_activies_and_emotions

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