Essential oils are a great way to ease social interactions, which makes them great for the multitude of gatherings that happen during the holidays. Oils can also be used to set the tone for work meetings, one-on-one conversations, and in my own case, trying to sell my home.
Winter is the time for introspection. It’s when we need to send some gentle energy to the seeds we’ve planted so that they’ll germinate in the new year. By seeds, I mean goals, aspirations, intentions, and such. Here are five supportive scents to help put you in touch with yourself and your path…
Fir is one of the quintessential scents of the season, known for its foresty, fresh, and somewhat sweet notes. For those of us who live and hike in the mountains, or for anyone who’s had a Christmas tree, the scent of fir is unmistakable. There are over 50 types of delightfully scented fir in the northern hemisphere, and the leaves, twigs, and cones are all rich in aromatics.
I’ll start by stating the obvious. When struggling with panic attacks, the approach necessarily has to be a broad one encompassing a whole network of support: A good therapist is helpful, nutrient-dense foods, mindfulness practice, physical activity, reaching out to loved ones and such. Speaking from experience. Anxiety has been a life-long companion of sorts, but full-on panic attacks didn’t start until my early 30s. This was pre-herbalism for me so I went through a whole slew of “azepams,” each losing effect after a few weeks.
Have you ever used rose water? Divine, isn’t it? Real rose water—one of the most popular cosmetics in the world—is technically a hydrosol, a scented water produced by distillation of fresh rose petals. Distillation is when you use steam to extract plant components, especially scented components. Hydrosols 
I recently wrote on citrus essential oils, my favorite oils for scent. Now, we’ll move on to conifer essential oils, another group I love. These are uplifting and motivating, and they blend beautifully with citrus oils for both scent and energetics.
I love love love citrus oils! They make me salivate whether it’s lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, or whichever. They’re also some of the best mood-supporting oils and are awesome for many other reasons.
First, some safety considerations with citrus oils:
Need to train your mind into better concentration and productivity? Try sniffing these scents for some awesome olfactory power that hones your brain…
Cypress essential oil is distilled mainly from the leaves and twigs of Cupressus sempervirens, the cypress tree. If you’ve seen the pointy evergreen trees in Van Gogh paintings, then you know what cypress looks like. The scent is warm, woody, green, and balsamic with some spiciness and sharpness. The leaves themselves have a wide variety of traditional medicinal uses, from the respiratory tract to the reproductive system.