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As we all know, running a business from home is rather stressful, especially when juggling it around family life. It\'s not even the children pestering you all the time, or the pets who are bored and think you should be playing with them because you are at home. I personally find it is more trying to reserve energy to keep the house maintained when all I really want to do is create and design. I enclose myself into my own little world, and then discover what I thought would just be an hour has suddenly turned into 3 or 4. Oops!

And then there\'s the mundane stuff we have to do, like bookkeeping, time management, marketing, and the list goes on. So how can one keep one\'s energy constantly flowing?

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is commonly known as the smelly stuff on the supermarket shelves, and these days it so mass marketed that it is losing its use as a genuine therapy. The broad definition of aromatherapy as defined by Jan Kusmirek is: \'The use of pure essential oils to seek to influence, to change or modify, mind, body or spirit; physiology or mood.\'

Holistic aromatherapy incorporates the pharmacological, the psychotherapeutic and the metaphysical activities of essential oils. It can be used as an alternative to herbs, homeopathy, Bach Flowers, etc., but I personally incorporate all these modalities.

So what can you do with Aromatherapy and stress?

The options are endless, and all individual.

Methods of application include:

• Inhalations (the easiest way to do this is to sniff the bottle!), mist sprays, burners
• Massage (self or applied with love by someone else)
• Creams, balms and ointments (great for OOS, stiff necks, etc)
• Baths and showers (put a few drops on a flannel and rub all over yourself).

Precautions

There are precautions that do need to be taken. Oils are dangerous in the wrong hands! The main ones to keep away from are Basil, Fennel, Hyssop, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme. Unfortunately these oils are always quoted in the top 20 most popular oils. Essential Oils should not be used if you are Pregnant, have High Blood Pressure, very Low Blood Pressure, or suffer from Epilepsy (even childhood cases that no longer occur). If you have any of these conditions you should consult a Registered Aromatherapist first. Essential oils should not usually be applied directly to your skin - an exception is Lavender being applied to a burn or insect bite.

Some oils are known as balancing e.g. Lavender. To go to sleep, you use 1 drop on a tissue by your pillow, but to stay awake you use 3-4 drops. As you can see, the difference in quantity is very subtle (20 drops = 1 ml), but the effect on the body is huge. Prolonged use of one essential oil can also lead to either intolerance or ineffectiveness. And some give you the munchies big time (like Ginger), so you do need to be selective if you are trying to lose weight!

So how do you choose an oil that is right for you?