Are you having trouble staying focused?
While many people try to fight through the “fog” of their days with caffeine and sometimes even supplements, there are just as effective means of regaining focus. That is through essential oils.
Whether you’re working, reading a book, or something else requiring focus, it can be stressful when you’re trying to concentrate, but your mind keeps wandering. If this is something you’re struggling with, you might want to consider using essential oils. Essential oils are great for many things, but certain oils can actually be helpful for aiding in concentration. Check out these five essential oils to help you focus…
Vetiver
In 1999-2001, a study was conducted where essential oils were used for inhalation therapy with children ages 6-12 who had been diagnosed with ADHD. These oils were used every day for 30 days to see if it helped the children focus. The study showed the use of the oils helped to reduce ADHD symptoms and increased concentration. The three oils used in the study were lavender, vetiver, and atlas cedarwood. Vetiver provided the best results.
Vetiver essential oil is also great for calming your emotions and soothing your mind. The use of vetiver while you’re working is good for eliminating stress, thus leaving you with a clear mind so you can stay focused. If you’re looking from some essential oils that blend nicely with vetiver, try combining with with lavender, grapefruit, or jasmine.
Atlas Cedarwood
Atlas cedarwood provided the second best results in the aforementioned study. Not only can this essential oil help to improve focus, it also helped to improve learning capacity. For a beautiful smelling blend to improve concentration, try mixing this essential oil with lavender, jasmine, cinnamon, or rosemary.
Lavender is one of the most common essential oils that people reach for, and for good reason. It actually provides a lot of benefits for your mind and body. Lavender essential oil has calming properties, which can help to reduce stress and control anxiety. As one of the more soothing essential oils, this is a great one to use if your stress is getting the best of you while you’re trying to work. As with any essential oils, you can use this one on its own or create blends that are perfect for use with a diffuser. Mandarin is a great essential oil to pair with lavender for the ultimate calming effect.
Peppermint
Did you know peppermint is a great option when you’re trying to get focused? Peppermint essential oil is actually an energy-boosting scent that can leave you feeling invigorated when inhaled or applied to the skin (after dilution). It’ll help get you energized to tackle your to-do list and will stimulate clear thinking. What could be better than that?
Cinnamon
When you think of cinnamon, you probably think of adding it to food, not smelling it while you’re working. However, cinnamon essential oil is actually effective for improving your focus as well. It can help fight mental fatigue, while also improving concentration and focus. Cinnamon aids in boosting brain activity by banishing any nervous tension and preventing memory loss. It’s also been shown that cinnamon can help to increase attention span. If that sounds like just what you need to concentrate, try mixing cinnamon essential oil with lemon, rosemary, geranium, or lavender.
Keep in mind that you should always be mindful when using essential oils. Most oils need to be diluted before you can apply them to the skin. Using essential oils incorrectly could cause side effects, such as a rash, so you need to make sure you’re educated on the proper use of essential oils. As always, do your research to learn more about how to apply oils topically, using them in baths, or using them in a diffuser.
