Anyone who has ever worked with people in general knows they can bring on quite the funk. Funky moods, funky smells and even funkier germs come cold and flu season.
There’s always someone who hates Monday’s, brings tuna and egg sandwiches for lunch and coughs, sneezes, splutters and hacks their lurgies all over the shop.
While essential oils might not be the first thing you think of to remedy workplace woe, they are a really powerful tool to have in your toolkit, especially if you’re the B.O.S.S!
In Japan, the Takasago Corporation carried out research into how smells affect the accuracy of typists. It found 54% made fewer errors when they could smell lemon, 33% fewer with jasmine and 20% fewer with lavender.
A registered nurse Tonya McBride from Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, ran a wellness experiment in the Emergency Department with some alarming findings. After diffusing essential oils for 30 days the 41% of staff who experienced work-related stress ‘very often’ in the past week, dropped to just 3%.
What are essential oils?
Essential oils are plant extracts with powerful antioxidant and cleansing properties that have been used for thousands of years. They are 50 to 70 times stronger than the raw plant it derives from and a single drop of peppermint oil is equal to 28 cups of peppermint tea.
How do we use them?
They can be used internally via a drop beneath the tongue, flavouring food, water or tea to support the digestive, renal and many other bodily systems.
When oils are used aromatically, the diffused aromatic molecules are released into the air and inhaled. They interact with the body’s olfactory nerves and the limbic system. The limbic system is connected to parts of the brain which can aid blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, memory, stress levels, emotions and learning.
When applied topically, a single drop of certified pure therapeutic grade essential oil is enough to service every single cell in the body.
So, how fast do they work?
22 seconds to reach the brain.
2 minutes to be found in the blood stream.
20 minutes to have affected every cell in the body.
Without running about the office anointing (or annoying?) your colleagues by dousing them in oils, you can diffuse them, place 1-2 drops in a bowl of hot water or, pop a couple of drops into a spritz bottle with water, shake, and use as needed.
The top 3 oils recommended to enhance mood and productivity at work:
Peppermint
With a fresh menthol scent, peppermint increases alertness and focus while invigorating the lungs to help open the airways and increase oxygen supply. Apply to the head and or temples to help alleviate head tension.
Lavender
The functional constituent of lavender is linalool which is calming and soothing to the nerves, emotional stress, releasing nervous tension and depression. Lavender pairs incredibly well with peppermint to help relieve headaches and migraines.
Lemon
Like peppermint, lemon promotes concentration and has clarifying properties to help alleviate anger and anxiety, elevating moods. Aside from neutralising odours, it has antibacterial qualities and can be used in a spray bottle to clean surfaces. Lemon also has antiviral qualities which makes it great for high traffic areas as it helps fight irritated throats and colds, boosting the body’s immune system.
Low grade off-the-shelf oils, be they labeled essential or fragrance, are often laden with synthetic compounds and toxic fillers which will have the adverse effect you’re aiming for. It’s important when using essential oils that you choose the purest, 100% organic, certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils. Here at The Aroma Co. we highly recommend dōTERRA essential oils to put the zippity in your doo-dah!
