How to Use Essential Oils to Boost Your Mood

While everyone gets down and blue from time to time, some people are capable of bouncing back quickly and others aren’t. Or maybe life doesn’t even feel that exceptionally hard at the moment, but you still can’t knock this feeling like it’s sad anyway.

Do any of these sound like you?

You feel tired, empty, unmotivated
You know your mood is low and gloomy
You act irritability
You are no longer interested in hobbies or activities
You feel worthless, hopeless, guilty, helpless
You struggle to concentrate or sleep
You are anxious or nervous
You don’t want to have sex
You gain weight or have changes in your appetite
You have headaches, body aches, or digestive problems
You have thought about or attempted suicide (1)

It is normal to sometimes struggle with these emotions. Let me suggest something that I have found very helpful: essential oils.

Trying an essential oil for these emotional ailments as a first line of defense is a great way to uplift your mood naturally and safely. You can diffuse them in your house, your office, or your car. You can add them to a diffuser necklace, so they’re with you all day. You can have roller bottles or massage oils to give you a boost of energizing joy when you’re in a tough moment.

The essential oils for happy mood I’m mentioning have been studied and researched by science, and they’ve been tested by countless people who want to better their moods at all sorts of levels. I think they can bring you some hope, so read on!

Why Do We Feel So Sad?

First off – it’s important to realize that our emotions are extremely complex.

There are a myriad of reasons we may feel occasionally sad, tired, unmotivated, or not our best selves. Some of these may be:

Faulty mood regulation (a problem in your brain)
Medical problems
Genetics
Chemical imbalance
Hormone imbalance
Emotional Problems
Chronic Stress
Nutritional deficiencies (brought on by poor diet and/or not taking a good multi)
Food allergies
Alcoholism
Not enough sun exposure
Poor gut health
Toxins

Sometimes people have a season of their life (maybe after a death of a loved one or a loss of a job/relationship) where they have anxious feelings or feel sad, and then come out of it. If you are still struggling after an extended period of time, it is best to seek professional help.

Why Use Natural Solutions to Boost Your Mood

I’m a huge proponent of natural health options as a first line of defense which is why I love this list which shows some great ways that you can boost your mood naturally:

You can do a diet overhaul that focuses on healthy fats (especially omega-3s), a wide variety of fresh produce, and fermented/probiotic foods, while getting rid of inflammatory sugars and processed foods
You can get into a regular exercise routine, which has been shown time and time again to boost the mood (as well as anxiety) (7)
You can get outside not only to feel refreshed by nature, but also to up your vitamin D levels
You can reach out to therapists and support groups to help you receive the encouragement and accountability you need
You can try supplements like omega-3 fatty acids or l-theanine (if you’re already on an antidepressant, talk to your doctor before starting any new supplement as it could interfere) (8)
You can start tackling hormone imbalance issues, which can be a root cause. Learn more about how to deal with estrogen dominance here.

But for this article, I want to focus on the role essential oils play in elevating your mood. Let’s dive in!

**Note: If you are feeling severely depressed or have suicidal thoughts, see your doctor immediately and follow their instructions. In time, you may be able to focus entirely on natural remedies and essential oils for happy mood, but right now you need medical intervention.

Best Essential Oils for Mood Improvement

Here’s the deal: the best essential oil to improve your mood will actually be a blend of essential oils. There’s power in numbers, as they say. Plus, different oils have different strengths, so when you combine them you get a wide variety of benefits.

But I want to start by breaking down each essential oil for for a better mood, so you can get a better idea of why you’d want to try each. In no way is this an exhaustive list of essential oils for happy mood, but these are my favorite – and ones that have a good amount of research to back them up.

Wild Orange

You’re going to see a few citrus oils on this list, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Citrus scents are invigorating and energizing in general. It’s one of the reasons orange juice is such a widely popular morning drink. The first citrus essential oil I’m going to highlight here is wild orange!

Wild orange is a great essential oil for for creating happy feelings, and since we know the two often go hand-in-hand, it makes a great place to start.

Wild Orange essential oil has been shown to positively (9, 10,11, 12):

Calm the mind and body
Improve the mood
Increase serotonin (the neurotransmitter that’s often low)
Reduce anxiety
Lower the heart rate

Wild orange is actually high in something called monoterpenes, which are hydrocarbons believed to be both uplifting and stimulating. This makes it a great choice when you’re feeling disinterested, unmotivated, or helpless (13).

Bergamot

Our next essential oil for boosting your mood is bergamot, another citrus fruit. Hands down – bergamot is one of my favorite essential oils for happy mood because it can both help stimulate a depressed mood and calm an anxious mood. And bergamot is one of the oils that has been studied more in depth for its use in mood improvement.

For example, one study looked at 58 patients with terminal cancer living in hospice. They were divided into two groups: one group received a hand massage with regular massage oil and the other group received a hand massage with an aromatherapy oil combined with bergamot, lavender (we’ll talk about this one soon!), and frankincense.

On the anxiety side, another study focused on patients waiting for outpatient surgery, a time when stress is often quite high. When bergamot aromatherapy was used while they were waiting, the participants’ anxiety was greatly reduced (15).

Lemon

We’re going to wrap up our citrus oils with lemon. Lemon is a top essential oil for energizing the senses because it can boost both the serotonin and the dopamine neurochemicals (12, 16, 17, 18).

One study created an essential oil blend with mostly lemon and small additions of bergamot and orange (which we already know are incredible essential oils for happy mood). These oils were diffused throughout the day for two whole weeks in the homes of depressed patients. The results? Many were able to reduce their dose of antidepressants (19, 20).

Pro tip: Lemon is fabulous for cleaning, so I add this essential oil to my homemade cleaner recipes. This way my house is toxin-free and uplifting to my mood.

Ylang Ylang

Ylang ylang is a tropical tree that produces gorgeous yellow flowers. The aroma of its essential oil is a mixture of sweet and spicy, which is perfect since this next essential oil is both calming and uplifting. It can help bring positivity, release anger, and improve self-esteem (21).

Even simply inhaling ylang ylang straight from the bottle can help you in the moment when you’re feeling tired, low, hopeless, etc.

Ylang ylang can also ease feelings of overwhelm.

Pro tip: Since ylang ylang is often used in beauty products, you can add a drop in with your conditioner. That way you can smell the uplifting scent throughout the day.

Rose

Rose is a flower we equate with love and luxury. Rose water was traditionally used to protect the heart and perfume the skin. There’s two big reason rose keeps coming back to matters of the heart: it’s a fabulous choice to uplift emotions, and it’s a great libido booster.

Studies have shown that rose can help alleviate the emotional toil of labor.

Now sex. Many people that feel sad also struggle to have any sexual desire – and antidepressants tend to make this issue worse. Rose oil can help you find your libido again.

Science has shown us this essential oil can increase sex drive.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils available and one of the best essential oils for stress, so there’s no surprise it’s a top essential oil for mood improvement as well. It also happens to be one of the more widely studied essential oils. There are many studies that show that lavender can greatly improve mood and feelings of wellbeing.

On top of all these incredible findings, lavender is widely known to be an effective stress-buster. It’s an all-around fantastic essential oil for reducing stress and putting you in a great mood.

How to Combine Each Essential Oil

As I already mentioned, the best mood boosting essential oil is really a blend of essential oils. But where do you start? Here are 4 ideas to get you going:

Pre-Made Blends: doTERRA essential oils

Looking for something easy? The high-quality brand doTERRA sells pre-made essential oils that can enhance mood, energize your body, and release negative emotions.

Here are some of my favorite blended doTERRA essential oils for boosting the mood:

Citrus bliss: This includes wild orange, lemon, and bergamot – as well as other fantastic uplifters. This is the perfect blend for energizing.
Cheer: These doTERRA essential oils include wild orange, lemon – and other oils that help bring optimism and release more negative emotions.
Elevation: Lavender, ylang ylang, lemon, and other oils join together to help elevate your mood and energize your motivation for the day. The lavender makes it a fabulous essential oil for quelling feelings of overwhelm.
Hope: Here you have bergamot, ylang, ylang and frankincense to refresh and uplift.

DoTERRA Mood Boosting Rollerball Recipe

(from Nesting Gypsy)

You can create your own rollerball recipe if you don’t want to buy directly from the company. Here’s a great doTERRA rollerball recipe you can create at home:

5 drops Citrus Bliss blend from doTERRA
5 drops Elevation blend from doTERRA
5 drops frankincense
3 drops peppermint
3 drops patchouli

Complete this doTERRA rollerball recipe by filling up the container with a carrier oil – fractionated coconut is a popular choice.

Good Vibes Diffuser Recipe

This cheerful blend of essential oils is our favorite for bringing on feelings of joy and “good vibes.” I love to diffuse this in the office while I work. The ylang ylang adds such a nice twist and the citrus oils keep me alert, focused and feeling good all day.

3 drops of Wild Orange
3 drops of Bergamot
2 drops of Ylang Ylang

Libido Diffuser Recipe

(from Dr. Eric Z)

If your sex drive needs a boost, simply add these oils to your bedroom diffuser:

2 drops rose
2 drops sandalwood
2 drops jasmine
2 drops ylang ylang

Be sure to turn it on a few minutes ahead of time, so the scents fill the room.

Build Your Own: DIY Essential Oil for Mood Improvement

You can also experiment with your own blends. Try purchasing a few different singles I mentioned above that sound like something you’d enjoy, then create your own diffuser, bath, or massage oil recipe.

When it comes to bath time, I like to add drops of the essential oil with some bubble bath and then toss it into the tub as the water is running. Add Epsom salts to upgrade your experience.

When you’re making a blend that will go on your skin, just make sure you always use a carrier oil. I really like jojoba oil, but coconut oil, sweet almond oil, or even olive oil are great too.

Your Top Essential Oil for Improving Your Mood

Here’s what I want this article to leave you with: hope that there are natural, safe, non-habit-forming ways to uplift your mood, energize your body and mind, and decrease the burden of too many negative emotions – these are some of the best essential oils for happy mood.

By now you should have an idea about what essential oils you want to try. Remember that one isn’t necessarily better than the other – it’s just about what you like to smell, what makes you feel most supported, what makes you feel the most uplifted.

What’s your favorite essential oil for putting yourself in a great mood? Do you have a blend or recipe that you find especially effective? I’d love to hear about them, so share them with me and our community by leaving a comment below.

Sources:

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