These days, school is a lot more stressful than it used to be.

That goes for both children and adults attending higher education. The new school year just kicked off a couple of weeks ago, and I was determined to be prepared this year.

Don’t get me wrong—we have great kids, but like every other mother I want to give them as many advantages as possible, naturally!

A couple of years ago, I published the post 3 of the Most Useful Essential Oils for Back to School on the Aroma Outfitters blog. I still stand by the three oils I discussed in that post completely, especially my recommendation to use lavender regularly to soothe feelings of stress, among other things (in case you didn’t know, lavender is considered the “swiss army knife” of essential oils).

In today’s post, we’ll be discussing some of the things that I’ve learned since I wrote that post, with a special emphasis on how to use your essential oils to promote feelings of focus and calm. If you (or your kids) can manage to use the natural benefits of aromatherapy to achieve those feelings on a regular basis, how would that impact the rest of the school year?

I’m willing to bet that it would be a pretty positive change.

Let’s start by taking a look at the easiest way to start incorporating the benefits of aromatherapy into school life, again, for both children and adults.

Wearable Diffusers Are Better Than I Could Have Ever Predicted

I’ve talked about wearable diffusers on the blog before, but they’re really great—better than I would have ever thought just a few years ago. In my case, one of the biggest advantages is that my kids can wear them to school.

Younger kids often aren’t allowed to take essential oils with them to school. I’ve even heard that some colleges have rules regarding essential oils. So, how can you possibly enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy in settings like that?

The answer is a wearable diffuser, like our stainless steel lotus flower diffuser necklace. Here’s how it works: this stylish necklace has a felt pad inside its locket-style magnetic enclosure. All you have to do is put a few drops of your favorite essential oil or blend on the felt pad to enjoy the benefits for hours at a time.

My favorite part about this necklace is that it doesn’t feel heavy around your neck, which makes it easy to wear not only for me, but for my kids as well. It even includes additional felt pads of different colors, so you can match it to your outfit!

Necklaces aren’t the only game in town either. You can also find wearable diffusers as stylish bracelets.

Transform The Car Ride to School Forever

I try to involve essential oils in every facet of my life. We have a diffuser in just about every room of the house, and if you read the previous section, you know that it’s now possible to wear diffuser jewelry that you can take anywhere with you. But one of my favorite inventions ever is the car vent diffuser clip.

I’ve discussed it here on the blog before so I won’t get into great detail, but I can say this: for those early-morning car rides to school, being able to experience aromatherapy on the way to class can be a real life-changer. I like to use peppermint in the mornings, because it can really perk you up—and lavender on the way home to instill a sense of calm and focus before homework time.

Speaking of which, I think many parents would agree that their least favorite part about a new school year starting is the much-dreaded “homework time.” I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t need to be a dreaded experience. In fact, it can be quite positive, especially with a little help from essential oils. Let’s dig into that a little deeper.

Reducing Feelings of Stress Caused By Homework With Aromatherapy

Homework. After school activities. Sports teams. Clubs.

All of these things add up—individually, they’re great. Stack them all together? You have a recipe for a pretty stressful experience (especially for moms whose job it is to cart everyone around).

Extracurricular activities are a wonderful way to expand the breadth and depth of a student’s overall experience, but there will be those days where doing homework on top of everything else just seems like too big a hurdle.

Fortunately, we can call on our essential oils to do some of the heavy lifting for us. My kids all have a small diffuser on their homework desks. As always, lavender is a favorite—is there anything it can’t do?—but I’ve actually found that the citrus and mint “Wake Up Call” blend that I mentioned here is just as effective at staying alert and focused during homework time (although I admit I do love it in the morning).

When your kids have their own diffusers, they’re much more likely to want to learn more about essential oils and why they can help. If you’re having trouble explaining to your kids why oils are such an important part of life, there’s a little something that might be able to help you convince them…

How to Teach Young Kids About Essential Oils

One of my favorite kids books ever written is by Joe Bell called A Day Without Oils. This beautifully illustrated (by Whitney Horton) book tells the story of a young boy and his family. The family runs out of essential oils and the boy has to go through a normal school day without them. It’s only at this time that our little protagonist realizes just how much he loves his oils and how they improve his life.

Written in a fun, easy-to-understand but by no means “dumbed down” tone, this is a great book to inspire your kids to realize how much essential oils can help them too. Thanks to the relatable writing and fun art, the book does its job very well. Plus it’s just plain fun to read to my kids about something I love so much in a way that can really connect to them.

If you have young kids that aren’t quite “getting it” with essential oils yet, this one is a must-have for your bookshelf.

How and Why I Keep it All Organized

Organization is the key to keeping life simple.

Since essential oils are such a big part of my life and my family’s lives, I make a point of keeping my oils well organized—which means that I’m more likely to use them too, since I know exactly where they are at all times.

While we carry all kinds of different cases in the Aroma Outfitters store, the ones that I personally use on a regular basis are these:

I have my “everyday use” oils in one, and then my overstock in another. With enough room for over 100 oils, I’m always prepared.

And when the school year is in full swing, that’s awfully important.

Are you ready too?