Crochet is so good for your mental well-being! But did you know there are strategies you can use to supercharge the benefits of crochet? One of my favorite strategies is using essential oils.
Today I will give you the down low on essential oils and how to use them to get the desired results. I also include a list of oils you can include in your crochet time to get you started.
So, let’s dig right in!
Why use Essential Oils?
For many years after essential oils started entering the conversation around health care, the medical community viewed them as alternative care. The medical community did not believe they had a foundation in science or evidence of a measurable impact on health.
But then, the conversation started to grow, and some hospitals and researchers decided they needed to begin digging a little deeper and figure out if all the reports they were hearing from people had any scientific foundation.
Hospitals like Johns Hopkins found that essential oils are highly effective at killing bacteria. Other studies, like this one from the NIH, show the benefits of essential oils for improving symptoms of depression and anxiety.
We are just beginning to understand the scientific foundation for essential oils as they become more mainstream and widely accepted for a broader range of health concerns.
What we do know is that essential oils impact cellular and molecular function, as well as interact with neurotransmitter pathways in the brain.
Essential oils can be used in three ways, orally, topically, and aromatically, to reap the health benefits of their use.
In other words, essential oils are practical and easy to use.
You can quickly implement their use during your crochet time to supercharge the benefits of crochet on your mental well-being.
How To Get Started with Essential Oils
There are hundreds of resources for learning to use essential oils for many purposes.
They provide a safe and natural way to clean your home, boost your mood, help you focus, reduce anxiety, relieve pain, reduce fevers, and relieve heartburn and indigestion, to name a few.
Pinterest is a great place to find ideas for essential oil blends, but I recommend finding a book that outlines the uses for specific oils. One of my favorites is Essential Emotions, published by Doterra. It focuses explicitly on essential oils for emotional healing. This book outlines what oils to use and how to use them. In addition, it allows you to look up the essential oil’s name or the symptom you are trying to relieve. It is very helpful.
Once you find a good resource for information, you will need to decide if you will only use oils topically and orally or if you would like to use them aromatically.
To add aromatic essential oils to your life, you can inhale them by putting a drop on your hands or a cotton ball in your hands and then cup your hands over your nose and mouth to inhale the smell of the oils.
Or, you can invest in a diffuser. A diffuser uses a small amount of water with a few drops of two or three oils. When you turn it on, the diffuser turns the water and oil mixture into a vapor stream. The smell of the oils will fill the room, so you can continuously breathe in oils over a few hours.
I use all three options, oral, topical, and aromatic, depending on the goal I am trying to achieve.
This is where a written resource that tells you how to use each specific oil will become invaluable.
After you have a resource and have decided if you need a diffuser, you can add them to your crochet time.
If you have a couple of oils you want to focus on, you can keep them near your crochet space. Then, when it’s time to crochet, you can get your diffuser started or apply the oils before you get started.
So, while you are stitching away, the oils will simultaneously work on the inside as you breathe them n, or absorb them.
A Few of My Favorite Essential Oils
I have put together a few of my favorite oils to get you started on this incredible leg of your crochet journey. You can combine them however you like and see what smells are your favorite and what makes you feel the best.
**I do not offer advice on how to use them; you will have to decide based on your circumstances and what is best for you.
Oils for Creativity
- wild orange
- tangerine
- clary sage
Oils for Calm & Peace
- lavender
- patchouli
- roman chamomile
Oils for Focus & Meditation
- lemon
- rosemary
- spearmint
Oils to Uplift Mood
- frankincense
- peppermint
- lemon
Now You Know
Now you have the DL on essential oils and how to use them to supercharge crochet’s mental and emotional benefits.
I use Doterra oils, but there are many quality essential oils on the market. You can find one that you resonate with, and pick up a couple of essential oils like lavender, lemon, and peppermint to get started.
I use essential oils every day. I love how they smell, my home smells, and, most importantly, how they make me feel. When I am anxious or having a hard day, I love having a safe and natural way to help myself feel better. So using them while I sit and crochet is a no-brainer…it just makes sense!
Let me know which oils are your favorites in the comment,s or DM me on Instagram anytime. I love to hear from you!
Happy Stitching!
xo —Lavena
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your copy of The Ultimate Guide to Crochet For Your Mental Health and tap into the benefits of creativity so that you can become one of the many women who have unlocked the secret to experiencing joy and living an inspired life.
