“Because in trying to articulate what, perhaps, joy is, it has occurred to me that among other things—the trees and the mushrooms have shown me this—joy is the mostly invisible, the underground union between us, you and me, which is, among other things, the great fact of our life and the lives of everyone and thing we love going away. If we sink a spoon into that fact, into the duff between us, we will find it teeming. It will look like all the books ever written. It will look like all the nerves in a body. We might call it sorrow, but we might call it a union, one that, once we notice it, once we bring it into the light, might become flower and food. Might be joy.”
― Ross Gay, The Book of Delights: Essays
When we experience persistent stress and are overwhelmed, we might postpone joy. Joy seems superfluous, something extra that we don’t deserve until we’ve gotten through our hardship. But there’s science that shows that joy is an essential tool for coping with stress. Joy is a form of emotional resilience.
Creating an essential oil blend that imparts joy requires some thinking about the role of essential oils in our emotional well-being. The chemistry of essential oils works like this: scent molecules are inhaled, allowing them to travel through olfactory nerves directly to the brain, impacting the amygdala—the brain's emotional center. Because of this, essential oils can support and calm the nervous system.
We have experienced this time and time again when we encounter a scent that brings up a memory. The scent actually sparks an emotional trigger that relates to that memory. While a scent can’t fix an ailment, it can help us access the parts of ourselves that need help or support us in the work that we are already doing. Scent can help us to get closer to ourselves, our emotions, our desires, and our joy.
This Joy essential oil blend is an opener. It is a scent that creates psychic space for receiving and recognizing joy.
Cypress
Pulls together overwhelming thoughts and emotions, good for calming an overactive mind
Geranium
Provides calm strength and security, helps with nervous system exhaustion due to stress and overwork
Grapefruit
Cleanses and removes negativity or blocked energy; refreshes the mind for new experiences
Peppermint
Consciousness-expanding; helps in receiving new ideas and impressions
5 drops cypress
5 drops geranium
10 drops grapefruit
1 drop of peppermint
1–2 ounces of carrier oil, like jojoba or sunflower. Or mix it into some skin cream or unscented deodorant cream
Mix all of the above together and store in an opaque or amber glass container. Use as an anointing oil on pulse points, as a body oil, or as a bath oil.
Further listening
Written by co-founder, Tara Pelletier