Aromatherapy is a very effective tool for stress relief. And once you understand how it works, it's easy to see just why it works so well.  It goes right past our conscious brain, straight to the limbic system, where the mechanisms that control our emotions and our physical responses reside. Of course my favorite thing about aromatherapy stress relief is that it smells wonderful. Read on for tips on how to use it.

It's not hard to get started.  You could simply go to the aromatherapy section of your neighborhood New Age store -- or the health food store, or maybe even the drug store. Yes, you can buy aromatherapy just about anywhere these days.  And then?  Just pick out the bottles that say "relaxing" or something along those lines.

But you don't have to rely on master aromatherapy composers for their concoctions. You can easily make your own. Should you use blends or single fragrances? Opinions vary.  Of course if you just LOVE Lavender, enjoy.  But often the combination of several essential oils will result in a synergistic effect.  Syner-what? Synergistic means that the effect of the blend is far greater than merely the sum of its parts.

So what are the scents that are especially relaxing? I really love Lavender.  Another one is Vanilla.  Jasmine also has great calming power.  Jasmine and Lavender are also great at helping you sleep.

So what do you do with your new little bottles of essential oils once you bought them?  Start by simply putting a few drops on a tissue and sniff.  Or you could get a diffuser, add a few drops and scent your entire room.

Or use one of my favorite trick (and also very economical):  Get a tissue, put a few drops on it, and stick it in a sandwich baggie.  Carry it with you and take sniffs as you need to calm down. Or cheer up.  There's aromatherapy for just about any purpose.

Be careful with putting it directly on your skin.  I do it, even though I'm not supposed to.  I haven't had any negative reactions -- yet.  Feel free to try it, but don't say you haven't been warned.  Mostly, it's recommended that before you put it on your skin you mix it with a carrier oil (Jojoba is especially good because it's very stable and doesn't go rancid, at least not for a long time.

You could put some on your pillow at night, or into your bath water, and on and on.  If you can get someone to give you a massage, put a few drops in the oil that the person is using to give you the massage.

Aromatherapy is very powerful -- and the best thing is, it can be used alone or with other stress relief strategies.  So use aromatherapy for stress relief and let it help you calm down enough to meditate.  Or add relaxing music.  You'll quickly feel a lot calmer.