Simple Solutions to Everyday Stress with Essential Oils

Posted on Aug 29, 2011 | 19 comments

It may seem cliché, but it’s no secret that we’re bombarded every day by all kinds of external stresses. And is it just me, or does it seem like life gets more hectic the older we get? It’s easy to take for granted the negative role stress can play in our lives—draining us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Even worse is the fact that stress is often the underlying factor for many of the most common health problems.

So what do we do? I’ve found that an all-natural approach using some of Young Living’s best-selling essential oil blends can work wonders:

Valor®—Diffuse, inhale, or add 2–4 drops to bath water. Apply to wrists, chest, and base of neck to promote feelings of strength, courage, and self-esteem in the face of adversity.

Joy™—Diffuse, inhale directly, or apply topically to uplift and bring happiness to the heart.

Combining these essential oil blends with exercise, relaxation, or meditation have gone a long way towards helping me get a handle on stress.

With the popularity of our July product blog giveaway, we decided to bring it back for the month of August. Our favorite comment about using Valor and/or Joy essential oil blends will receive a FREE Valor and/or Joy and be featured on Young Living’s blog!

So get writing; we’ll pick a winner later this week!

Qualifying posts may be submitted as a reply to this blog post or as a Facebook comment on the corresponding status update. Please include your e-mail address with blog comments. (E-mail addresses will remain private and will only be used to contact a winner). Facebook users need to “like” our Young Living page and leave a comment. Posts will be accepted through Thursday, September 1.

—Ryan Seely, YL Product Marketing Manager

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  • Yohanna Wendt

    I diffuse the essential oil blend ‘Joy’ in my photo studio when I am working. It amazes me how it keeps the children at ease and more willing to do what is asked of them. I believe it is a must use every time I am doing photos! I also diffuse it in my home for the sake of my special needs daughter to keep her calm and happy when she is feeling overwhelmed, which tends to happen a lot. I sometimes couple that with Lavender or Peace and Calming. Thanks to Young Living I have alternatives to all the medication that they keep trying to give to my daughter. What a blessing!

  • Anne Cameron

    I love Young Living Esential Oils and use them daily during my morning yoga practice and throughout the day for my overall wellness and emotional balance! Amazing little wonders in a bottle!

  • Shannon

    Recently I found myself under and immense amount of stress with people around me. I try to be nice to everyone and do the right thing all the time. I also have a habit of not rocking the boat and making sure everyone else is happy. I have a tendency of being extremely emotional and get hurt when others aren’t happy. I woke up one morning filled with dread. I started putting on Valor, then Joy and I continued doing this all day. My day continued to get obtain more and more drama due other peoples issues. I surprised my self this day. I handled myself with the utmost confidence. I didn’t get all emotional and let people (who I normally would let walk on me) know exactly where I stood. I help my ground and for the first time in my life it really felt good and I felt strong. I now use both these products on a daily basis. Thank you Young Living for such wonderful products.

  • Nicole Hale

    I love both Valor and Joy!!! Whenever I’m feeling down or out-of-sorts, I diffuse Joy to “get my Joy on!” :-) I have also used Valor to literally lift me out of the depths of horrible, spirialing fear and depression after my husband unexpectedly lost his job of 12+ years. The night that this happened, I just kept the Valor bottle under my nose for over 3 hours and inhaled, and inhaled, and inhaled. I truly believe that without it (and God) I would not have made it through that night! I also applied it to my pulse points and over my heart for the next week to keep me going for my children. Valor and Joy are two MUST HAVES in my oil arsenal! :-)

  • Lani Ward

    I am married to a man who is famously high-maintenance. He also believes that the healing power of essential oils is “a bunch of voodoo.” Still, he loves a good foot rub. My favorite thing to do when his attitude needs a little adjustment is to offer him a foot rub — and I sneak in some Valor. I smile at my little victory as the foot rub and the Valor melt away his tough exterior and he becomes butter in my hands!

  • Kristen

    With Joy & Valor I went from 3 mg of Xanax daily to 0 in 1 yr (under supervision of a Dr) and I couldn’t be happier!

  • Kris Bragg

    I use Valor throughout the day. I put it on my wrists and over my heart before meetings. I also put it on my feet at night before bed, it has almost completely stopped my snoring. I put joy on my feet at work for emotional support when needed.

  • http://www.youngliving.org/amandasmith123 Amanda Smith

    My Dad was the type of father who was very involved in every aspect of our lives, from school to play to trips, he was known as the coolest Dad and I used to hear “man I wish my Dad did that with us,” and “Manda your Dad is awesome.” Well I left for the US Navy in 1999 and my relationship with my father because stronger because he was proud but suffered due to distance, when I came back to my hometown in 2006 after getting out of the Navy and having an emotionally traumatizing divorce, I started to get to know my Dad again as an adult – which is a lot different than a child. Our relationship was not as strong and due to some issues with his health and other things, it suffered greatly. In late 2007 my Dad started distancing himself from all of his family- he become selfish and wanted to live his dreams – he moved to Florida from Colorado and to make a long story short when he moved home a year later was a different man. In March of 2010 he asked for a divorce from my Mom and on September 2nd 2010 he left my Grandma’s house leaving all his belongings behind and left his truck on a mountain for us to find 6 days later and no sign of him – after 3 days of search and rescue looking the mountain over with a fine tooth comb the search was ended and our questions unanswered. There is a lot of sadness in this story but I find “Joy” helps me remember the good in my Dad and the amazing way he started out with us kids – we are all successful in love and life because my Dad was a really good Father – it has been 1 year tgis coming weekend and when I smell and diffuse and wear Joy it brings just that, Joy to me and the thoughts of my Dad are not sad thoughts but happy memories:)

  • Michelle

    I would like to see something on how oils would help with weight loss.

  • Sheila Muhonen

    I love both the valor and joy oils! I use both all the time! My twin sister has a very sore back being a nurse and she wants the Valor oil to take away the pain that she experiences day in and day out from lifting at her work! As an anxiety sufferer, Valor makes me feel grounded and helps me to handle the day easier-I really notice that it helps! Plus I really like the scent! Joy is so fun because I put a drop on my heart and I feel exactly what it is named-Joy! It has a pleasant scent that makes you feel uplifted and makes me smile and reminds me to be joyful and happy because life is full of happiness and it reminds you to count your blessings, and not your sorrows!!! After my shower I apply these oils and I love getting wafts of the oilsz as I go about my day! I love your oils, Young Living!!!:)

  • http://www.essentialoilsforliving.com Anthony

    I’ve been using Valor for the past 18 months as an alternative to after-shaves. I’ve gotten rid of my aftershave bottles. I just rub valor on my face and shoulders after a shave and I feel great. I’ve even added Valor to my YL Bath and shower gel base, so it’s on my soap as I wash. And when I’m not using that, I’m using the YL Valor bar soap. Have I told you yet, that I really love Valor. :-)
    Cheers
    Anthony

  • Sue

    I also would like to see something on how oils have helped people to lose weight.

  • http://www.youngliving.org/eleos Dianne Tzouras

    Today I dabbed some Valor and KIdScents Lotion on my palms, rubbing my hands, arms and steering wheel with the creamy combination as I started my car to go to the dentist. A little bit of Valor helped me drive courageously to my dental appointment and reconditioned my leather steering wheel in the process. Many thanks, Young Living.

  • http://www.youngliving.org/wellnessdesigns Betty Walczak

    Joy and Valor are two of my favorite oils.

    I used Valor for the first time almost 12 years ago to retain my chiropratic adjustments. For 12 months I had adjustments and was unable to hold them. Once I started using Valor I was began holding the adjustments and in 3 months my L-4 herniated disc went back into place and was totally corrected and has been well ever since. Praise The Lord and Thank You Young Living!

    I use Joy as my favorite perfume on a regular basis.
    When I first began using Joy I would often cry. I realized
    that I had some emotional healing to do. I kept using it and eventually the crying stopped and turned to Joy, how wonderful it is. Thank God and Thank You Young Living.

    I also used Joy over my mother’s heart when the doctor told her that the EKG showed that the two lobes of her heart had disconnected. I asked the doctor if he had ever seen the lobes reconnect and he said no. I told him that he would see it because I knew Joy was great for the heart. One year later, my mom had another EKG and proved what we already knew… the two lobes were reconnected. Glory to God!

    May God continue to abundantly bless Gary & Mary Young
    and the entire Young Living family.

  • Maria Milan

    I am currently studying for my medical boards and therefore in a very stressful time so recently I incorporated yoga into my daily routine. My mother is a loyal follower of the Young Living family and she was the one who introduce me to Joy. It definitely change my life! It made yoga more gratifying and stimulating which made perfect way to begin my day! And when I need a pick me up in the middle of my studying I just use a couple of drops and continue just giving me the pick me up I need plus a very perfect combination to feel just delightful.

    Thank You So Much!

  • Maria Melo

    I first started using Valor in the Raindrop Technique Essential Oil Collection, it help me a lot during a very difficult time with my health and since then I haven’t stop using it. It is certainly part of my life. I have a wide variety of Young Living essential oils and use them depending on my mood but Valor is the one I usually see myself more attracted to. It changes my whole psyche and now I cant find myself without it. Like Young Living there is no other; I don’t know how they do it their quality and combinations are unbelievable.

  • http://www.facebook.com/maryjocramer2 Mary Jo Cramer

    Just saw this post, and what timing…I just used my VALOR today before my chiropractor adjusted me…and boy did my neck give the loudest crack! He told me that he could tell that I was wearing my oils because he can always smell them. Yes, he’s figured out that I’m a Young Living addict…but he said, “hey, if it helps, keep doing it.” I replied, “it helps and is much better than drugs!” I told him that today I even used my “chiropractor in a bottle oil” (VALOR), and that if I had someone work with the oils on my spine/back/neck that I know I could even get more benefit. He agreed! What I would give for a Raindrop treatment!

    OK, so it’s day 2 of my comment here. Last night while attempting to leave a comment, I was feeling so overtired and my stress, anxiety, and pain, were also taking their toll. I got up from the computer, and literally went into my room to apply more VALOR and then some JOY to my heart and then started drifting off to sleep on my bed. My daughter came in and I realized that the oils were doing there job, and I needed to allow them to continue and finish my comment the next day. I had a good night of much needed sleep, coupled with some insightful dreams that I am in need of reflecting on emotionally and spiritually. My guess is that using JOY over my heart area brought these emotions, dreams, and thoughts to surface. The many different levels and types of healing, uses, and miracles simply amaze me! Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils not only heal our body, but mind and spirit as well. I believe that this is why myself, as well as countless other Young Living oilers, consider Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils a true blessing from God.

    I actually just applied more VALOR and JOY before writing again today. Being a single mom battling injuries and many health conditions, and trying to stay sane while homeschooling my teenage diabetic daughter, boy am I in need of these and more today! Having so many different health challenges, I’ve been using a huge list of YL oils and supplements, and this post actually had me realizing that I need to incorporate JOY and VALOR more. Ironically, I had done so, and used VALOR earlier in the day before seeing this post. I had also just been telling myself that my VALOR roll-on is getting low, as is my small 5 ml bottle of VALOR, so having a 15 ml of VALOR would be awesome, as I could refill my roll-on and be able to actually use VALOR more often, instead of having to try to use it so sparingly.

    Some of my recent uses of VALOR were on a 2 day train ride to visit my parents, while vacationing there, and on the 2 day train ride back. Knowing that my sacrum locks and jams, SI joint and piriformis muscle are injured, I rolled Valor on my low back and these areas, as well as my neck/shoulder areas which are also injured and have cervical bulges (add to this my fibromyalgia, and I basically need to bathe in VALOR!) I love the roll-on VALOR as I can keep it in my purse and it makes applying easier. While of vacation at my parents we went to one of their friend’s house for dinner and while playing cards, several of the ladies mentioned their back pain, so I got out my VALOR and rolled it on. It’s always such a joy to share YL oils! Speaking of “Joy”, I remember putting JOY on my heart area while on vacation when we went to a cookout with live music, where lots of Cowboys were….my daughter’s comment when she saw me applying it was that I was wearing it to attract those Cowboys! I let her know that I was applying it for stress/anxiety…how wonderful that JOY does all of these and more! ;)

    The other great thing about JOY for me, is that I have been unable to wear perfume for many years, as my allergist diagnosed me with vasomotor rhinitis (allergy to smells, chemicals). JOY to the rescue!! Not only does JOY smell great, but has none of the toxic chemicals and irritating perfumed fragrance, AND has therapeutic essential oils for my mind and body.

    Other personal testimonial uses of VALOR for me were for migraines. I apply to my neck, and base of skull, head, occiput or where needed. The past few days, I’ve been applying to my occiput as my chiropractor has told me that it’s always out, closed, inflamed, tender, and it’s been more flared and painful lately. Also, for my TMJ and trigeminal nerve pain. I also used it when I recently sprained/strained and through out both sides of my neck, shoulders, and left rotatorcuff. Great for when my sacrum jams/locks, and injured low back, piriformis muscle, SI joint, cervical bulges and more! I also used VALOR when I made the RAINDROP IN A BOTTLE RECIPE that I took with me on vacation and applied it to my feet often (used the entire 5 ml bottle that I mixed and took along, plus lots of the many other oils that I took). I think it’s time to mix up some more, and pamper myself a bit. No wonder I felt so much better on vacation!

    I also just learned about “Gary Young’s Great Day Protocol,” so today I applied 1 drop of VALOR on the inside of left wrist. Then held inside of right wrist to left wrist for a few minutes, to balance the body. Then I applied 1 drop of JOY to the area above my heart to bring happiness to my mind and body. A few drops actually came out of the bottle, so I guess I’m getting a double dose of happiness and JOY today! Now I need Young Living’s HARMONY and WHITE ANGELICA to finish “Gary Young’s Great Day Protocol.” These oils have been on my “wish list” so I was glad to see them on sale this month. Now, if only I could be blessed with such JOY and HARMONY of being able to afford all of these amazing Young Living essential oils and products…that would be a really GREAT DAY!! Thank you Gary Young for creating these wonderful oils & educating us…and everyone at Young Living, as well as the many wonderful distributors who share their knowledge. Namaste!!

  • melissa poepping

    When my son was 2, he would wake up every morning crying. If I was LUCKY, he would calm down enough to eat breakfast. This does NOT make for a pleasant routine. I started applying JOY to the bottom of his feet at night and then I would put a drop of joy in his hands and he would then hold it over his heart while we sang (brace yourselves, this maybe corny) “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? down in my heart. WHERE? DOWN IN MY HEART!” This became our new, more pleasant routine and he woke up happy every morning. He is 4 now and when you ask him his favorite oil he replies “joy joy down in my heart.”

    Valor is my daughters saving grace. Her first few weeks of kindergarten were quite tramatic and she was finding it difficult to make any friends. I started applying Valor to her shoulders in the morning and doing nothing more. I did a follow up phone call with her concerned teacher to see how her progress was doing and the teacher said “it is quite amazing how she seemed to just come right out of her shell!” that day she came home with a beaded necklace project from a BOY! Wow, a little valor and my shy little girl became a social butterfly!

  • http://sarasherrell.com Sara Sherrell

    I love the essential oils! Valor has always been my favorite scent. It has given me a lot of strength and calm as some major storms are brewing to destroy my home life.

    It is so great to know the oils are so beneficial in helping no matter what the need.