Every morning brings us a brand new day. Do you charge through it with your head held high or do you shrink away from it, afraid of the unexpected or convinced you’re not worth what a new day can offer? While it may not be something we think about often, our self-esteem has an enormous impact on how we live each day.
Those of us with a healthy sense of self-esteem are often confident and willing enough to let our true selves shine through; and, when we feel good about ourselves, we are more likely to find success personally and professionally.
However, when our self-esteem is low, we become our own worst critic. Negative self-talk can take control of our thoughts, resulting in feelings of anxiety, depression, dependency, inadequacy, and so much more. In a nutshell, having a low self-esteem can make even the most mundane daily activities feel dreadful.
Certain essential oils have properties that can help lift you up out of a rut and encourage kind thoughts toward yourself. Maintaining a healthy self-esteem is a life-long process, and using essential oils can provide just the right amount of emotional support we need to learn how to love who we are and embrace our lives with confidence.
In a sense, these self-esteem boosting oils help you do you.
Let’s say you have a room in your house that is a bit drab. The colors are dull, the air is stale, and there is really nothing worth looking at in there. What can you do to take that room up a notch? It’s easy – add some flowers! A beautiful, colorful bouquet can add an instant pop of brightness and cheer, right? Suddenly, the room doesn’t look quite so plain — and you know what? You might find this room isn’t a lost cause after all. It just needs a little work here and there and a lot of love. Well, if you’re feeling like a boring, drab, pointless room, it’s time to add some flowers!
Using essential oils that are steam distilled from the flowering tops of their respective plants are often fantastic for emotional support.
Like the way blooming flowers make a springtime garden come to life, using essential oils from flowers can represent how we are able to grow and bloom ourselves, revealing what’s truly inside for everyone to see. Try these essential oils to help find that beauty within yourself.
1. Clary Sage:
Perfect when moodiness and irritability are giving a loud voice to your inner critic. Relaxing and calming when revved up emotions are making you feel stressed out or unhappy [1]. Also, if your self-esteem seems to take a dip during that special time of the month, Clary Sage is also known to provide relief to many symptoms caused by menstruation, as well as provide balance to emotional extremes.
2. Lavender:
If you’re an essential oil enthusiast, you probably know all about this gem. Given all of the emotional support Lavender provides, it’s no surprise that this essential oil is distilled from those pretty purple blooms that burst from the top of the plant. Calming, soothing, nurturing, healing…basically, the list of adjectives for Lavender could go on and on. Bottom line: take control of your stream of negative thoughts with this oil known to reduce feelings of anxiety and fear by calming an overworked nervous system [2].
3. Blue Tansy:
If any flower screams CONFIDENCE, it’s the gorgeous, statement-making golden blooms of Blue Tansy. From these flowers comes a beautiful, rich, blue oil that is cherished for the way it can melt away nervous tension and soothe feelings of doubt and worry. Be as bold and bright as the Blue Tansy blooms and unleash your self compassion!
Not into flower power? That’s okay! There is plenty of other self-esteem supporting essential oils!
1. Coriander Seed:
The unique, sweet and peppery aroma of Coriander Seed is a great mood-booster that also works to calm frazzled nerves brought on by constant worry and feelings of insecurity. Since it also helps support mental focus, you’ll be more able to push negative thoughts aside and focus on living in the present moment.
2. Frankincense Carteri:
A strong sense of self-esteem is borne from introspection and constructive reflection. If you are able to quiet your mind and focus your attention on looking at yourself with compassion, you may find your inner critic taking a back seat to a more kinder self-talk that helps, rather than hinders you. With Frankincense, you can deepen your self-care practices, like meditation and active relaxation, to find that spark of enthusiasm to bring the true you out to the world.
3. Geranium Egyptian:
Low self-esteem can have you feeling anxious, stressed, and sad. Let Geranium Egyptian reduce those unpleasant feelings [3] and start lessening the impact of any consistent, unhappy thoughts [4]. It’s uplifting, calming, and is a great hormone balancer for women.
Don’t forget about those citrus oils!
Citrus oils are always a wonderful go-to when your self-esteem needs some support. They are often bright, energizing oils that help us release positive emotions both inward and outward. Essential oils like Orange (Sweet and Blood), Lemon, Grapefruit Pink, and Bergamot help keep your mind alert, focused, and uplifted. Plus, they can provide us with a gentle punch of energy that encourages us to get up and move around, which is known to be a confidence booster in itself when those endorphins get flowing!
We’ve got blends for this, too!
If you haven’t given our Self Esteem Blend a try yet, you’re going to love this bottle of confidence and courage! With the essential oils of Spruce Hemlock, Frankincense Carteri, Ho Wood, and Blue Tansy, Self Esteem helps you feel self-assured and ready for anything!
For self-esteem healing from the inside, try Loving Compassion. This blend is designed to support our heart chakra, which deals with loving ourselves and others with compassion. Sometimes, it’s not just an occasional public announcement or daunting test that has us doubting ourselves – it is something much deeper than that. Loving
Compassion invites in positive energy and promotes unconditional love for ourselves, helping to heal the wounds of a damaged self esteem.
Try this inhaler blend with some very cheery essential oils to help get you in the right mindset to think positively about yourself and everything great your uniqueness can offer!
Bright & Cheerful Inhaler Blend
- 6 drops Orange Blood
- 4 drops Lemon
- 3 drops Spearmint
- 2 drops Blue Tansy
To use, add essential oils to your personal aromatherapy inhaler and enjoy throughout the day as needed!
References:
[1] Seol, G.H., Shim, H.S., Kim, P-J., Li, K.H., Shim, I., Suh, S.H. and Min, S.S. (2010) Antidepressant-like activity of Salvia sclarea is explained by modulation of dopamine activities in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 130, 1, 187-190.
[2] Woelk, H. and Schläfke, S. (2010) A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder. Phytomedicine 17, 2, 94-99.
[3] Morris, N., Birtwistle, S. and Toms, M. (1995) Anxiety Reduction. International Journal of Aromatherapy 7, 2, 33-39.[4] Perry, N. and Perry, E. (2006) Aromatherapy in the management of psychiatric disorders: clinical and neuropharmacological perspectives. CNS Drugs 20, 4, 257-280.
[4] Perry, N. and Perry, E. (2006) Aromatherapy in the management of psychiatric disorders: clinical and neuropharmacological perspectives. CNS Drugs 20, 4, 257-280.
Sweet Orange is such a cheerful oil to use! My favorite combo to diffuse lately is Lavender and Sweet Orange…calming and happy!
Love all the inspiration on this blog. Never would have thought off using essential oils for self esteem. Thank you plant therapy
I just made it. I discovered the Blue Tansy is really blue when I missed one of the drops. I like the smell. I love all those separately wasn’t sure about the combination, but it is nice.
Great post. Can’t wait to try these!
I tried this and it was great. Will be keeping in my arsenal of goodies for sure!
not a huge fan of blue tansy but curious to try this blend!
Blue Tansy is definitely one of those oils that people either really like, or not so much. If you do not like the Blue Tansy in this blend, you may want to try removing it and increasing the spearmint, or replace the Blue Tansy with Bergamot or Chamomile. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for substitution advice. I so badly want to try st self-esteem synergy but blue tansy is not OK with SSRI drugs and is in the synergy. Kind of makes me sad because those with depression would be the first ones that would want to use such a blend 😉
Nichole, please reach out to our aromatherapists at [email protected] to discuss any concerns you have about how an EO will react with your medications. I myself take SSRI medication but have no issue with small amounts of Blue Tansy being used in blends 🙂 We do include the caution to help people stay aware of contraindications, but you may find you can enjoy a bit of Blue Tansy with no problem!
Thanks for the substitution advice Plant Therapy! Blue tansy is too rich for my wallet at the moment. 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Will try it for sure! I love Plant Therapy!
Thank you for the recipe 😉 Could I replace some oils I don’t have with:
– Sweet Orange (Orange Blood)
– Lime (Lemon)
– What can I substitute Blue Tansy with? Would Blue Lotus work?
Linda, those substitutions should work just fine! I’m not very familiar with Blue Lotus but would love to hear how that turns out for you 🙂
This sounds like a great inhaler blend
Yoga and Essential Oils are the best combination!!!
So happy I found PT to learn more about Kidsafe oils I’m comfortable using at home! Thanks for the recipe!
Going to try this.
Love how informative this blog post is. Lots of great options, thank you!
This sounds amazing – PT comes up with THE BEST blends. I mostly just have your synergies because you due such a great job with those that there is no need to create my own – but I just have to try this. Thanks for the recipe!
Definitely give it a try and let us know how your first blend is 🙂
I’m going to need to try this one! While I love the Self Esteem synergy, I’m always looking for uplifting blends!
This sounds wonderful!! I don’t have blue tansy, what other singles could I sub for that one?
Marissa, you can either opt to just not include it at all, or use another one of your favorite uplifting and bright EOs.
This is wonderful for all people whether dealing with depression/ anxiety or just want an extra dose of happiness! Love the different alternatives if you’re not a fan of florals/ fruits/ etc.
I love everything with blue tansy so cant wait to try this for me and the kids!
Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much for this! I am a senior in college and could definitely use the boost this year!
I am really looking forward to trying this blend. Blue Tansy really helps me breathe more deeply but I’ve only ever blended it with Chamomile. Curious to see how it plays with the citrus.
Stacy, you’ll have to let us know what you think after trying this blend 🙂
I made a batch of the bright and cheerful inhaler blend and absolutely LOVE IT! I love my inhalers and have shared them with many friends as gifts….GREAT GIFTS!!
So happy you love this blend! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Pick me up, cheering, calming blends are great – but for those of us on SSRIs can you offer an alternative to the Blue oils we need to stay away from? 2 drops of tansy is easy enough to leave out, but if it adds a balance to the blend to round out the ‘cheering’ effect I’d love an alternative 🙂 Happy I have blood orange arriving today – will try this as a diffusion sans tansy for now 🙂
I would suggest either leaving it out completely, or adding another oil that makes you feel bright and happy in it’s place.
This inhaler blend sounds great! Sometimes I really do feel like I need a little help being me 🙂
I love Clary Sage! Blue Tansy is on my wish list. Thanks for this recipe.
Can we use this in a diffuser!?
Cristy, this Bright Cheerful Inhaler Blend can also be used in a diffuser. However, you may not need as many drops. For diffusion we recommend 2-3 drops for every 100ml of water it holds 🙂
What can I sub for the blood orange?
Faith, another citrus oil would be a good choice. Bergamot, Kumquat or Pink Grapefruit
Thank you for this! I needed it today, for sure! I am loving Blue Tansy SO MUCH lately. <3
looking forward to trying this blend especially since I have all the singles! yay!
I am looking forward to trying this blend especially with the change of seasons and the longer days.
I will have to try this. I’ve currently got Honeybell diffusing in my office, and it’s a great citrus-y pick-me up!
Would you have any recommended substitutions for those who don’t dig the smell of blue tansy? Thank you!
I am also not a fan of Blue Tansy. I would suggest leaving it out all together and just use those 2 drops as extras for one of the other ingredients. Or, if you have another oil that helps brighten your day you can sub for that 🙂
This sounds amazing! I could really use some help in the self esteem area in my life!! I will be trying these blends!!!
We hope you enjoy them!
I am making this for myself and my son for school as we speak, love this and it smells amazing
I suffer from depression and anxiety, and self esteem has always been my go to. Love the sound of the bright and cheerful blend!! Can’t wait to make my own and have something to switch up my relief!!
Thanks for sharing that with us Jenni! Can’t wait for you to make your own blend! 🙂
I love the Self Esteem blend but am going to try the bright and cheerful blend – thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing another wonderful inhaler blend !!! Plan on creating this tonight for gifts . I love your blog and all the safe information and recipes you share with us. Plant Therapy is an outstanding company and so blessed to have found you .
You’re welcome, Andrea! This DIY will make for an excellent gift! Let us know how they turn out 🙂
Yes, thank you for sharing. I’ve seen a few this week that I want to try. I think I”l spend my Saturday morning trying the blends I’ve learned about on the blog.