Emotional Aromatherapy: Using Scent, Breath & Intention to Shift Your State

Most of us want the same things.

We want to feel healthy.
We want energy.
We want loving relationships.
We want to feel calm, happy, connected, and at home in our own lives.

But real life constantly changes our internal state.

A difficult conversation.
Stress about money.
Feeling rejected.
Anger.
Fear.
Overwhelm.
Sadness.
Mental fatigue.

These emotions are not “bad.” They are part of being human.

But when we stay in stressful emotional states for too long, the body responds too.

Our nervous system can move into a more activated state. Heart rate can rise. Stress hormones can increase. Digestion can slow down. Blood glucose can become more available because the body is preparing us to deal with a perceived threat.

That response is brilliant if a tiger is actually chasing us.

But today, our “tigers” can be an email, an argument, a financial worry, something someone said, or even a thought we keep repeating in our own mind.

That is why emotional wellbeing is not separate from physical wellbeing.

Watch: Emotional Aromatherapy in Real Life

In this short presentation, I explain how I use essential oils together with breath, awareness, intention, and repeated thoughts to help shift emotional state — and why I believe this can become such a practical everyday wellness tool.

What Is Emotional Aromatherapy?

For me, emotional aromatherapy is not simply:

“Lavender is for calm.”
“Lemon is for energy.”

It is much more intentional than that.

I think of it as combining:

scent + breath + awareness + intention + repetition

to help create a different internal experience.

The oil becomes a sensory anchor.

You smell it.

You pause.

You breathe.

You notice what you are feeling.

And then you consciously choose the direction you want to move toward.

Not:

“I shouldn’t feel this.”

But:

“What do I need right now?”

Maybe you need:

calm
grounding
confidence
comfort
energy
clarity
openness
hope

Different oils and blends can support different intentions.

Shift, Don’t Suppress

The goal is not to eliminate difficult emotions.

If you feel angry, hurt, fearful, or overwhelmed, that emotion may be telling you something important.

The practice is about creating enough space that you can choose your response instead of reacting automatically.

Maybe you move:

fear → toward trust
resentment → toward understanding
defensiveness → toward curiosity
overwhelm → toward grounding
judgment → toward compassion

You do not have to jump from anger to bliss.

Sometimes the next “higher” thought is simply:

There may be another way to see this.

Or:

I don’t have to respond while I’m activated.

Or:

I can be kind without abandoning myself.

I sometimes describe this as raising our vibration — moving from a contracted emotional state toward one that feels more open, peaceful, loving, or expansive.

I use that phrase as an energetic and emotional framework, not as a literal medical measurement.

Why Scent Can Be Such a Powerful Tool

Our sense of smell has very close connections with brain systems involved in emotion and memory.

That is why an aroma can instantly take you back to a person, a place, or a moment from years ago.

We can use that same relationship intentionally.

Imagine repeatedly pairing the same aroma with:

slow breathing
a calming thought
prayer
gratitude
a particular affirmation

Over time, the aroma itself can become a reminder:

Come back to yourself.

Come back to the state you want to create.

That is why I care so much about consistency.

I would rather have someone confidently use one oil every day than own twenty bottles they do not know what to do with.

Why Essential Oil Quality Matters

If I am intentionally breathing an essential oil, applying it to my skin, or using an oil internally when its label allows for that use, I want to know what is actually in the bottle.

This is one of the reasons I personally use doTERRA essential oils.

doTERRA uses its proprietary CPTG® Certified Pure Tested Grade® quality standard. Their oils go through testing intended to verify identity and purity and screen for unwanted contaminants or adulteration.

For me, that matters.

Emotional aromatherapy is not about finding the cheapest bottle labeled “essential oil.”

It is about working intentionally with plant chemistry I trust.

You Can Begin With One Oil

You do not need a complete oil collection to begin.

If you only own one or two oils, use what you have.

For example:

Lavender
Intention:
I am safe to slow down.

Frankincense
Intention:
I can return to myself.

Lemon
Intention:
I choose lightness and possibility.

The oil does not have to “fix” your emotion.

It becomes part of your pause.

Your breath.

Your intention.

Your new response.

And as you learn more, you can begin combining oils to create blends around specific emotional themes.

Our First Emotional Aromatherapy Blend: The Heart Blend

The first blend I wanted to create for this series is about softening the heart.

Because there are so many moments in life that make us want to close it.

We feel hurt.

Disappointed.

Defensive.

Resentful.

Judgmental.

Or simply emotionally exhausted.

The intention of the Heart Blend is not:

“I have to love everything everyone does.”

It is:

Can I stay soft without becoming weak?

Can I have boundaries without living in resentment?

Can I stay grounded and still keep my heart open?

The emotional quality I wanted this blend to hold is:

soft • open • steady

Heart Blend Recipe

For a 10 mL roller bottle:

• 3 drops Blue Tansy

• 4 drops Jasmine (more if diluted)

• 4 drops Neroli (more if diluted)

• 3 drops Roman Chamomile

• 4 drops Black Spruce

• Fill the remainder with fractionated coconut oil

Apply over the heart, wrists, neck, or pulse points.

And remember: if you do not own all five oils yet, use one of them individually.

Why These Oils?

Blue Tansy — Soften

I chose Blue Tansy for those moments when emotions feel hot:

irritation
frustration
tension
reactivity

The intention:

I don’t have to react from this intensity.

Jasmine — Open

Jasmine represents openness, confidence, receiving, warmth, sensuality, and connection.

Sometimes we close our hearts because we are protecting ourselves from disappointment.

The intention:

It is safe for me to remain open to love, beauty, and connection.

Neroli — Peace

Neroli brings emotional softness and a sense of calm.

I think of it for those moments when the heart feels unsettled.

The intention:

I can feel this without becoming consumed by it.

Roman Chamomile — Gentle

Roman Chamomile represents gentleness.

Not passivity.

Gentleness.

The intention:

I don’t have to fight this moment.

Black Spruce — Grounded

Spruce brings strength underneath the softness.

An open heart still needs boundaries, stability, and discernment.

The intention:

My heart can stay open because I am grounded in myself.

The 30-Second Emotional Aromatherapy Practice

You can use this framework with the Heart Blend or with any individual oil.

1. Apply or inhale

Roll the blend over the heart or wrists, or inhale your chosen oil.

2. Breathe

Take three slow breaths.

Actually pause long enough to smell the oil.

3. Notice

Ask:

What am I feeling right now?

Do not judge the answer.

4. Choose your direction

Ask:

How would I like to feel instead?

Not perfect.

Just slightly more supported.

5. Choose one thought

Maybe:

I choose peace before reaction.

I am safe to soften.

I can be kind without abandoning myself.

I release what isn’t mine to carry.

I choose curiosity over judgment.

My heart can remain open while I stay grounded.

6. Repeat

This is where the practice becomes powerful.

Use your oil when you are calm too.

Morning.

Prayer.

Meditation.

Journaling.

Before a difficult conversation.

Before teaching or speaking.

During gratitude practice.

Before bed.

You are repeatedly associating that scent with a particular inner state.

That is how it becomes a personal emotional anchor.

This Is Only the Beginning

The Heart Blend is simply our first example.

Future emotional aromatherapy blends might be created around:

• Grounding

• Confidence

• Receiving

• Calm

• Energy

• Comfort

• Sleep

• Focus

• Joy

• Grief support

• Emotional resilience

And every time, I want to teach you two things:

which oils I chose and why

and

how to use them as part of an actual emotional practice

My goal is not for you to collect essential oils.

My goal is for you to become confident using natural tools in real life.

Start with one oil.

Learn what it brings.

Use it consistently.

Then slowly build your own emotional aromatherapy toolkit over time.

That is how plant medicine becomes something you actually live with — not something that sits in a drawer.

And today, we begin with the heart.