Learn how to use aromatherapy for stress and anxiety relief, the science behind why it works, and simple steps to practice it at home using evidence-based essential oils.
Sometimes the fastest path to calm is right under your nose. Aromatherapy uses the power of scent to send instant signals to your brain that help lower stress, ease anxiety, and restore balance. With just a few deep breaths of the right essential oils, you can create a moment of peace in the middle of a busy day.
What’s Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is a holistic practice that uses natural plant extracts, typically in the form of essential oils, to promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being. These aromatic compounds are inhaled, applied to the skin, or diffused into the air, where their scent molecules interact with the olfactory system and influence brain regions linked to mood, memory, and the nervous system.
By harnessing the therapeutic properties of plants, aromatherapy can support relaxation, reduce stress, enhance focus, improve sleep, and complement overall health. In terms of stress and anxiety management, I teach my coaching clients to think of aromatherapy as a bottom-up approach. It uses the physical body to send signals to the brain that help create calm.
Why’s Aromatherapy Important?
When I was completing my Integrative Lifestyle Series Certification through the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, I was surprised to learn about the research supporting aromatherapy. Sure, I like it when the house smells like an upscale spa, but I was unaware of the evidence-based psychological benefits of this practice. While the research base is not as extensive as other westernized approaches, there is plenty of support for its use in stress and anxiety reduction.
Our sense of smell plays a powerful role in overall well-being. Scents can shape emotions, influence desire, and trigger memories. They can heighten our awareness of our surroundings and shift the way we feel.
Smell & Your Brain
Scent is closely tied to memory because the olfactory system connects directly to the brain’s emotion and memory centers. Unlike other senses that route through the thalamus before reaching these areas of the brain, smell has a direct pathway, making scent-evoked memories vivid and emotionally charged.
- Amygdala: When we inhale an odor, airborne molecules reach the olfactory bulb, which sends signals straight to the amygdala. The amygdala processes emotions, so its close link to the olfactory bulb allows scents to trigger strong emotional responses and associated memories.
- Hippocampus: The olfactory bulb also sends a signal directly to the hippocampus, where new memories form. Since smell bypasses the thalamus, scent-related memories often form and resurface more easily.
- Hypothalamus: The sense of smell sends signals directly to the hypothalamus, a brain region that regulates hormones, stress responses, and essential bodily functions like hunger, sleep, and body temperature. This direct connection means scents can quickly influence mood, physiological states, and overall balance.
Smell & Deep Breathing
When we inhale a scent we enjoy, our breathing naturally deepens. Think about the automatic response you have when walking into a kitchen filled with the smell of warm cookies baking in the oven. This slower, deeper breathing lowers heart rate and signals the nervous system and brain that the body is safe and relaxed. When combined with aromatic molecules known to promote calm, this process can activate the parasympathetic response, helping the body and mind find balance.
Aromatherapy For Stress & Anxiety
Research shows that certain essential oils can have measurable effects on stress and anxiety, supporting aromatherapy as a valuable tool for relaxation. While any pleasant scent can bring about a positive effect, you can use aromatherapy intentionally to create calm and support your overall well-being with these essential oils.
Here’s a brief summary of some of the most relevant studies on aromatherapy and stress and anxiety.
- Bergamot mixed with water vapor (i.e. in a diffuser) resulted in a significant decrease in cortisol, aka the stress hormone.[1]
- Lavender essential oil was shown to decrease patient’s stress and anxiety levels before medical procedures.[2],[3] For cancer patients receiving an essential oil massage, this benefit lasted up to two weeks.[4]
- Citrus oil decreased the need for depression medication.[5]
- A review of studies using rose oil showed it could induce relaxation, decrease pain, and help with anxiety.[6]
- In one study, geranium oil reduced anxiety in a small group of participants.[7]
- Another study showed that inhaling essential oils decreased the perceived level of mental fatigue and burnout.[8]
How To Use Aromatherapy For Stress & Anxiety
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to using aromatherapy for stress relief:
- Choose an essential oil you enjoy.
- Any pleasant scent can work, but for stress and anxiety relief, evidence-based options include lavender, bergamot, geranium, citrus, and rose.
- Fill your diffuser with clean water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Add a few drops of your chosen essential oil to the water.
- Turn on the diffuser and allow the aroma to fill your space.
- Sit comfortably, take slow, deep breaths, and focus on the calming scent for 5 minutes.
- When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your focus on the aromatherapy.
You can practice this mindfully during a break, as part of your daily wind-down routine, or before bedtime to support relaxation and reduce stress. I often keep a diffuser running in my office while I work. Although it’s not as intentional as sitting and fully inhaling the scent, I still enjoy the ritual and experience many of the same benefits. Aromatherapy is flexible and personal, so you can experiment to find the ways it works best for you.
Aromatherapy may not be a cure-all, but it is a gentle, enjoyable, and an evidence-based way to engage the senses and support the body’s natural ability to relax. By bringing scent into your stress management toolkit, you can tap into one of the most direct pathways to the brain and help guide yourself toward calm.
Small Changes, Big Transformation
Aromatherapy is one small change we can make to prioritize our health and build resilience. Wellness doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. Give this practice a try this week and let me know how it goes!
Need help putting this into practice?
When you’re ready to go beyond reading and start applying these tools in your daily life or workplace, I can help. I offer 1-on-1 coaching and customized trainings for organizations. Let’s work on it!
Like this content?
Sign up for Take Five, my newsletter focused on simple, science-based solutions for a calmer, healthier life.
[1] Watanabe, E., Kuchta, K., Kimura, M., Rauwald, H. W., Kamei, T., & Imanishi, J. (2015). Effects of bergamot ( Citrus bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) essential oil aromatherapy on mood states, parasympathetic nervous system activity, and salivary cortisol levels in 41 healthy females. Forschende Komplementarmedizin (2006), 22(1), 43–49. https://doi.org/10.1159/000380989
[2] Hosseini, S., Heydari, A., Vakili, M., Moghadam, S., & Tazyky, S. (2016). Effect of lavender essence inhalation on the level of anxiety and blood cortisol in candidates for open-heart surgery. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 21(4), 397–401. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-9066.185582
[3] Mahmoodi, G., Mokhberi, V., Hassani, S., Akbarzadeh, H., & Rahnamai, N. (2012). The impact of aromatherapy on the anxiety of patients experiencing coronary angiography. Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 14(3).
[4] Wilkinson, S. M., Love, S. B., Westcombe, A. M., Gambles, M. A., Burgess, C. C., Cargill, A., Young, T., Maher, E. J., & Ramirez, A. J. (2007). Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 25(5), 532–539. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2006.08.9987
[5] Komori, T., Fujiwara, R., Tanida, M., Nomura, J., & Yokoyama, M. M. (1995). Effects of citrus fragrance on immune function and depressive states. Neuroimmunomodulation, 2(3), 174–180. https://doi.org/10.1159/000096889
[6] Mohebitabar, S., Shirazi, M., Bioos, S., Rahimi, R., Malekshahi, F., & Nejatbakhsh, F. (2017). Therapeutic efficacy of rose oil: A comprehensive review of clinical evidence. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine, 7(3), 206–213.
[7] Morris, N., Birtwistle, S., & Toms, M. (1995). Anxiety reduction by aromatherapy: Anxiolytic effects of inhalation of geranium and rosemary. International Journal of Aromatherapy, 7(2), 33-39.
[8] Varney, E., & Buckle, J. (2013). Effect of inhaled essential oils on mental exhaustion and moderate burnout: a small pilot study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(1), 69-71.
