Stress is not good. Long-term stress can suppress the immune system. Part of cancer prevention is supporting a healthy immune system so it can do the job of stopping cancer before it has a chance to develop into disease.

Whether stress is related to work or family life, most of us experience too much stress in our daily life. Why the same events will cause some people stress and not others, or why the same event can cause us to experience stress at one time but not seem to bother us as much at a different time, is largely based on our perception of the event and how we define what is happening.

One of the best ways to escape stress? Never personalize what is taking place. Easier said than done, but with practice, it works in reducing the amount of stress and the number of times you experience stress in a day. Still, easier said than done.

Okay, so your coworker or boss is a jerk. Or they are both insufferable insensitive manipulative jerks. The lines are too long. The traffic too slow. No escaping that. And you need to work. For the money or for the joy in the work you are doing. And you need to stand in line. Or drive in traffic. What then? When stress is unavoidable, there are things you can do to offset the detrimental health effects of too much stress. The obvious is exercising to burn off the tension; taking time out to mentally reframe the situation; practicing breathing techniques of yoga or meditation and talking it out with a good friend. Aromatherapy is another good option.

Dating back thousands of years, aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils. Scientific research into the function of the brain has revealed that aromatherapy is indeed effective because the olfactory nerve is directly connected to the limbic area of the brain, that part of the brain where heart rate, hormones, breathing, stress, inner peace and a sense of well being are regulated.

Following is a list of six essential oils that can help relieve stress. A note of caution. Only purchase pure essential oils. Synthetic essential oils may smell good but they have no enhancing or therapeutic values. Keep light and oxygen from essential oils. Always store essential oils in dark colored glass bottles, in a cool location. Keep bottles tightly closed. Here then are six essential oils to try when you need to turn down the internal stress.

Bergamot elevates the mood and is good for alleviating anxiety and depression. The fragrance has a refreshing citrus aroma. Reported to increase white blood cell count. White blood cells fight foreign invaders in the body. Also reported to relax brain waves when inhaled.

Chamomile relaxes both the mind and the body with a sense of inner peace and is good for headaches and insomnia. The fragrance might remind you of apples, as it did the Greeks who called the chamomile flowers earth apples. Chamomile leaves are said to bring peaceful dreams during sleep.

Rose Geranium brings the mind and emotions back into balance. It is said to be able to stabilize blood pressure, although I don't know if this is based on any scientific studies. The fragrance is a combination of citrus and rose. 

Jasmine sedates the nervous system while stimulating the brain and can relax tense muscles caused by tension, relieve headaches, and elevate the mood. According to one study, computer operators made fewer mistakes because of the scent of jasmine. Stress will lead to more mistakes, as will the mental distraction of stress.  

Lavender is possibly the most common and widely-known as a stress reducer able to bring relaxation to the user and it is attributed in a long list of ability to promote calm. The fragrance is sweet and floral. Lavender is known to relieve muscle pain, ease headaches, fight inflammation, and supports the immune system.

Research has proven lavender is the number one essential oil in relaxing brain waves and reducing stress. I have noticed lavender products for sale everywhere, including fabric softeners for the laundry. However, I am suspicious as to the quality of the lavender being used in mass-produced products. You can find effective lavender products though, if you insist on the product being made with real essential oils.

A lovely habit when making the bed in the morning is spritzing the sheets and pillows with a lavender mist. Rub lavender oil on the bottom of feet to induce sleep.  

Sandalwood relaxes brain waves and is very calming for the nerves, lessening irritability, anxiety and tension. It is also an oil reported to increase white blood cell count. White blood cells fight foreign invaders in the body.

If you choose to try essential oils for stress reduction, please remember not to use them full strength on the skin as it can burn and cause skin irritation. You can dilute an essential oil by adding drops to a carrier oil such as apricot kernel oil, coconut oil or sweet almond oil to create a massage oil. I like all three for different reasons. Or add drops of essential oil to the bath water.

You can purchase a personal inhaler or you can take a cloth hanky and sprinkle drops of essential oil on it, place in a small closed portable container and open to inhale as needed. Or use a room diffuser. You can create your own perfumes or visit a store specializing in essential oil body fragrances. You can add essential oils to rubbing alcohol, witch hazel or vodka as a topical application or as a base for perfume. Without considering cost, vodka is preferred in making perfumes.

There are hundreds of essential oils and many resources of information about the properties associated with each essential oil. These six essential oils are some of the favorites for stress reduction, but certainly not the entire list of essential oils known to relieve stress. Give these a try, or experiment with others that might appeal to you more. Essential oils are an effective counter-balance to relieving the unavoidable stresses of modern life -- the long lines, the snail-paced traffic and a coworker or boss who is driving you right up the wall.

Several books I recommend for further study on essential oils are The Practice of Aromatherapy by Jean Valnet, M.D. and The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.