It’s Like Science: Our Essential Oils Experiment

I’ve never been very medically adventurous.

I don’t go to the doctor much, and when I do I generally just do what he says and go on with life. But, that’s because I’m easy.

Since Dude 3 got sick though, our medical challenges have grown significantly. Often, even the doctor is stumped (he calls us his brain stretchers, hooray!), and walking out of the office with a standard prescription and a call me in the morning is just not what we’re used to.

His primary struggle these days is anxiety.

On hard, really long days that he finishes exhausted, he has a hard time settling, his tics (he has a motor tic and a vocal tic) get bad, so bad in fact that drinking from a cup is nearly impossible, he can’t relax, he feels uncomfortable, and usually he cries himself to sleep.  When he finally gets to sleep, his rest is fitful, and he’s tormented by nightmares and fidgeting that wake him up.

It’s been hard to watch and I’ve been looking for a solution for months.

I think I might’ve found one.

Maybe.

Sorta?

Okay, I don’t know, I don’t wanna jinx it. Or make you think I’m a witch doctor or something.

I’m totally not.

I appreciate science. And facts. And evidence based research. I hated it in college. But, I appreciate it.

Only, I also appreciate that for the last 30 days straight my Dude hasn’t cried himself to sleep. Or kneed the wall (from jerking when he tics) hard enough to leave a bruise. Or even had a single nightmare.

So what’s to thank for this miraculous turn around?

Essential Oils.

I know. I KNOW. Everyone is talking about them and trying to pyramid scheme you into buying them.

I. Know.

I was super hesitant at first too. In fact, even telling you this via a blog post was hard. But, I felt like I needed to share this with you.

I’m not even really going to say the essential oils were definitively related to his reduced anxiety. I have no empirical evidence to prove that he is less anxious specifically because of the medical effects the oils are having on him.

For all I know they’re working because I told them they would, and in his little boy brain that trusts Mommy explicitly, that’s all he needed to hear.

Or, perhaps the routine, the ritual of preparing the oils and applying the oils has a calming effect on him that helps tame the anxiousness he was previously feeling.

I don’t know.

Also, I don’t care.

BECAUSE IT’S HELPING.

And, maybe it can help you too.

5 Things to Know About Using Essential Oils for Anxiety in Kids

1. Buy a diffuser. You don’t have to, but it works well for us and my son loves having the light changing version in his room. It has an element of light therapy to go along with the essential oil therapy and I think the two work hand in hand (he says the red is scary, but it’s okay because it only lasts three Mississippi’s and then it changes to green and green is nice). Here is the one we use: Greenair Aroma Diffuser, Spa Mister.

2. Start with a mix. The essential oils game is a deep (and expensive) one. There are all kinds of concoctions that work well together and others that will probably blow your hand off Molotov cocktail style. For beginners I recommend going with a premixed formula so you get what you need and don’t spend a fortune experimenting. This is the one we use: Young Living Peace & Calming Essential Oil

3. Do your research. Possibly that’s how you landed on this blog. Great start. Only, I’m no expert on the matter. You need to delve deeper into this practice before you commit and learn as much as you can about how to use the oils effectively. I asked a ton of friends about it, I read all kinds of stuff on the Internet, I got pamphlets, I chatted up my regular doc about it. You should do all of that stuff too.

4. Don’t expect it to be a miracle cure. Essential oiling (is that a thing?) is not an exact science. Every body and mind are different and it may take a few tries to get the right mix of oils to help address your issue. Plus, you might not like the way it smells and you might have to mix things up a bit to get a smell that doesn’t make you gaggy. Finally, it takes time. Time for your kid’s body to be all like, “Whoa! So that’s how Mom’s gonna play this? Cool. Coolcoolcool.”

5. Don’t kick modern medicine to the curb. Essential oils might not be the answer to all of your child’s ailments, and abandoning the modern meds your doc prescribed them without some serious guidance is a bad idea. If you do decide to go that route, don’t look at me when the you know what hits the fan. Because, it’s not my fault and technically, I told ya so.

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