Overwhelm
- Laura Van Horn
- Apr 1
- 11 min read
Finding Your Way Back to Joy from Overwhelming Mental & Physical Fatigue
We all know what it feels like to be exhausted after a very productive physical day. But there is another tired that seems to be taking over; a tired that has you feeling utterly exhausted all of the time.
Overwhelm.
I have heard many people lately talk about feeling overwhelmed and struggling to feel like they can keep up, even with ordinary life. There's a good chance this is connected to how distracting life is, how over-connected we are to our tech gadgets that keep our focus off of what is truly important. Many of us spend hours each day being drawn into our phones while neglecting our family, friends, home, and health. Our lives have become an overwhelming constant stream of input, as if we are being firehose-blasted with content, much of which is likely totally fake. Thanks, AI.
There is simply too much coming at us: decisions, opinions, and demands on our attention. Our nervous systems were not built for this, and our bodies, being wonderfully designed, are letting us know.
What Overwhelm Does to the Body
When we are chronically stressed, our adrenal glands, the small organs that sit just above the kidneys, are tasked with near constant pumping out of cortisol and adrenaline. Short-term, this is great, but if the adrenals are put into overdrive for an extended time, it becomes a recipe for burnout.
The result is what many herbalists and naturopaths refer to as adrenal fatigue or HPA-axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) dysregulation. You may not have a formal diagnosis, but you may have noticed these symptoms:
difficulty winding down at night
waking up tired even after enough sleep
feeling tired but unable to rest well
afternoon energy crashes, often with a strong pull toward sugar or caffeine
mental fog or forgetfulness
a low-grade sense of anxiety or dread that's hard to shake
losing interest in things that used to bring you genuine joy
increased irritability or sensitivity and poor emotional regulation
These are signals that it is time to make a change. If you are persistently experiencing these symptoms, check in with your healthcare provider to rule out underlying causes. That being said, supporting the nervous system and adrenals with herbs and essential oils is something many people find genuinely helpful alongside other care.
Nervines, Adaptogens & Aromatics
Nervines are herbs that directly calm and nourish the nervous system
Adaptogens help the body adapt to stress over time, supporting the HPA axis and helping to regulate cortisol
Aromatics work quickly through scent, influencing the limbic system (the part of the brain connected to emotion and memory)
Herbal Support
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
If I had to choose one herb for feelings of overwhelm and burnout, it would be lemon balm. As a nervine and a mild adaptogen, it is particularly helpful for people who feel anxious and fatigued at the same time, working on both the mind and the body's stress response. Research suggests it supports key brain pathways, including GABA and serotonin, helping to calm nervous tension while also improving mood, focus, and sleep. It also appears to influence the HPA axis, helping the body respond to stress in a more balanced way over time. Lemon balm calms the mind and body, allowing rest to be more effective.
Mathews IM, Eastwood J, Lamport DJ, Cozannet RL, Fanca-Berthon P, Williams CM. Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) in Psychological Well-Being: A Review. Nutrients. 2024 Oct 18;16(20):3545. doi: 10.3390/nu16203545. PMID: 39458539; PMCID: PMC11510126.
How to use lemon balm: As tea, tincture, glycerite, or diffused as an essential oil. It pairs beautifully with lavender and passionflower. Try growing it in your container garden.
Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Tulsi has been used across many cultures for a long time to help regulate the body. Tulsi is a steadying herb, one that over time helps rebuild resilience. Modern research shows that tulsi can help regulate cortisol levels and support the body’s stress response system. In clinical studies, regular use has been associated with reduced stress responses, lower blood pressure, improved sleep, and a greater sense of overall balance.
Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP, Drummond PD. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of an Ocimum tenuiflorum (Holy Basil) extract (HolixerTM) on stress, mood, and sleep in adults experiencing stress. Front Nutr. 2022 Sep 2;9:965130. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.965130. PMID: 36185698; PMCID: PMC9524226.
How to use tulsi: Daily tulsi tea is one of the most pleasant habits you can build. Also available as a tincture or in capsule form.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Passionflower is a vine with spectacular, alien-esque blooms, and an equally impressive ability to calm an overactive mind. It is particularly useful for the kind of overwhelm that shows up as racing thoughts, inability to wind down, or stress-related insomnia. Like lemon balm, it works in part via GABA receptor activity, gently easing nervous tension and supporting sleep without the grogginess often associated with many OTC sleep aids. Research has also explored its role in supporting areas of the brain involved in memory and stress processing, suggesting it may help soften some of the cognitive effects of ongoing stress.
da Fonseca LR, Rodrigues RA, Ramos AS, da Cruz JD, Ferreira JLP, Silva JRA, Amaral ACF. Herbal Medicinal Products from Passiflora for Anxiety: An Unexploited Potential. ScientificWorldJournal. 2020 Jul 20;2020:6598434. doi: 10.1155/2020/6598434. PMID: 32765195; PMCID: PMC7387951.
How to use passionflower: Great as a tincture or tea. For the tincture, try taking small doses every 15-20 minutes the hour before bedtime. It combines beautifully with lemon balm, chamomile, and lavender for a deeply relaxing nighttime blend.
Linden (Tilia spp.)
Linden is a lovely, gentle nervine, and honestly, one of my personal favorites. The flowers have a sweet, honey scent and a deeply relaxing effect on both mind and body. Linden is particularly good for stress that leads to tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, and that low-level tension that never fully releases. It also offers gentle cardiovascular support, helping to ease stress-related elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Across European traditions, linden flower tea has been used for generations to support rest, ease tension headaches, and calm an unsettled nervous system. Modern research, while still limited, does suggest mild sedative and anxiolytic effects.
Aguirre-Hernández E, Martínez AL, González-Trujano ME, Moreno J, Vibrans H, Soto-Hernández M. Pharmacological evaluation of the anxiolytic and sedative effects of Tilia americana L. var. mexicana in mice. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Jan 3;109(1):140-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2006.07.017. Epub 2006 Jul 21. PMID: 16930893.
How to use linden: Tea made from dried flowers and leaves is the classic preparation, drinking it in the evening, or any time you need to calm down.
Nettles (Urtica dioica)
You might not immediately think of nettles for stress and overwhelm, but one of the most depleting aspects of long-term stress is the nutritional toll it takes on the body. Chronic stress increases the body's demand for cortisol, which increases the body's demand for key nutrients; adrenal fatigue often goes hand-in-hand with deficiencies in magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium. Nettles are deeply nourishing, rich in minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium, along with a range of vitamins and antioxidant compounds. While nettles do not act directly on stress reduction, they offer something just as important: replenishment. Over time, this kind of nourishment helps support a body that has been running on empty.
Chira A, Lorenzetti S. Modulatory Effects of Urtica dioica on Neurodegenerative Diseases: Unveiling the Latest Findings and Applications Related to Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Cognitive Dysfunction. Antioxidants (Basel). 2025 Jul 12;14(7):854. doi: 10.3390/antiox14070854. PMID: 40722958; PMCID: PMC12292394.
How to use nettles: A nourishing tea may be the best option for regular use for those for whom fatigue is a prominent symptom.
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Traditionally, culinary sage has been used to support cognitive function and mental clarity. Compounds in sage appear to influence acetylcholine activity in the brain, which plays an important role in memory, focus, and overall cognitive function. In studies, sage extracts have been associated with improvements in attention, mental performance, and even mood.
This makes it especially useful in times of overwhelm, when mental fatigue and brain fog can make even simple tasks feel more difficult.
Kennedy DO, Dodd FL, Robertson BC, Okello EJ, Reay JL, Scholey AB, Haskell CF. Monoterpenoid extract of sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia) with cholinesterase inhibiting properties improves cognitive performance and mood in healthy adults. J Psychopharmacol. 2011 Aug;25(8):1088-100. doi: 10.1177/0269881110385594. Epub 2010 Oct 11. PMID: 20937617.
How to use sage: A simple sage tea or tincture, or simply incorporate more of it into your cooking.
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
Rosemary is especially useful when overwhelm has tipped into the foggy, flat, cannot-get-going phase of exhaustion. It supports circulation to the brain, improves alertness and memory, and research has shown that simply inhaling rosemary essential oil can lower cortisol levels measurably. Research suggests that rosemary may help reduce stress while supporting neurotransmitters involved in attention and cognitive performance. Even simple preparations, including the aroma of the essential oil, have been associated with improvements in alertness, mood, and focus.
Kuwata H, Ookoshi K, Shimazu K, Fukumitsu S, Aida K. Safety and stress-reducing effects of rosemary extract: an open-label trial and randomized double-blind crossover study. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2025 Nov 1;77(3):280-287. doi: 10.3164/jcbn.25-157. Epub 2025 Sep 10. PMID: 41312013; PMCID: PMC12646844.
How to use rosemary: As a tea, generously in cooking, or diffused as an essential oil.
Calming Bedtime Tea
2 parts dried lemon balm
1 part dried linden
1 part dried passionflower
1/2 part dried orange or lemon peel
Brew 2-3 tsp in 8 oz of hot water, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy 30–60 minutes before bedtime to help relax and prepare for sleep.
Aromatic Support
Essential oils are the distilled aromatics of herbs; and when inhaled they mainly work through the olfactory system, moving through the limbic system to influence mood and stress hormones. This makes them especially useful for acute moments of overwhelm: before a hard conversation, when the afternoon fog descends, or when you have hit an emotional wall.
Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
Emotionally, cypress is particularly helpful for feelings of being overwhelmed and out of control, and to quiet an overactive mind. It is a useful oil for grief, anxiety, and difficult life changes. Julia Lawless states cypress "reduces stress and tension and calms the nervous system...eases the pain of loss or separation." It can calm nervous system reactivity and supports emotional resilience, making it especially useful for people who feel emotionally raw or reactive after sustained stress. Research has shown that its primary constituents, such as α-pinene and a-terpenyl acetate, are associated with reducing depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
How to use cypress: Diffuse it, or dilute in a carrier oil and apply to the chest or wrists. Blend with frankincense and lavender at night if stress is disrupting sleep.
Frankincense (Boswellia spp.)
Frankincense is one of the oldest medicinal aromatics in human history. Research suggests that frankincense essential oil may reduce corticosterone (a steroid hormone, similar to cortisol, involved in regulating energy and stress responses) and has meaningful anti-inflammatory effects on the nervous system. One of its most immediate effects is that it encourages slower, deeper breathing, which directly activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your body's "rest and digest" mode. Research has suggested that in those who are sleep-deprived, frankincense essential oil can counter the effects of stress and improve sleep.
Okano S, Honda Y, Kodama T, Kimura M. The Effects of Frankincense Essential Oil on Stress in Rats. J Oleo Sci. 2019;68(10):1003-1009. doi: 10.5650/jos.ess19114. PMID: 31582666.
How to use frankincense: Diffuse alone or blend with lavender and citrus oils. Apply diluted to the base of the skull, wrists, or behind the ears.
The Citrus Oils: Bergamot, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Tangerine
The citrus essential oils can be grouped together because they tend to have a similar effect: they lift mood quickly, reduce stress, and gently energize. Their primary active constituent, D-limonene, has documented anti-anxiety effects on the central nervous system, and research on bergamot specifically shows it can measurably lower cortisol levels.
Bergamot: calming and relaxing; lovely for anxiety mixed with low mood
Sweet Orange: uplifting and energizing; good for low motivation and emotional heaviness
Lemon: refreshing and motivating; helpful for mental fog and fatigue
Lime: cheerful and energizing; great pick-me-up
Grapefruit: invigorating; useful for stress mixed with low motivation, and mental fatigue
Tangerine: gentle and calming; well-suited for stress-related insomnia
Important note: Most cold-pressed citrus oils are phototoxic; avoid applying them topically before sun exposure.
How to use citrus oils: Diffuse, or use in DIY cleaning products
Juniper Berry (Juniperus communis)
Juniper berry is a cleansing, clarifying oil. In aromatherapy, it is particularly useful for the kind of overwhelm that comes with decision fatigue and a sense of overwhelming burden. It helps restore a feeling of clarity and refreshed focus. Juniper essential oil has been shown to increase parasympathetic nervous system activity, showing a reduction in physiological stress response, suggesting that juniper essential oil is a viable strategy for those experiencing anxiety and overwhelm.
How to use juniper berry: Diffuse with cypress and frankincense for a forest-bathing effect.
Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
Patchouli is genuinely one of the most delightful essential oils as it calms the nervous system while being emotionally uplifting. It is particularly helpful for people who feel disconnected or scattered due to severe stress or burnout. Inhalation studies have shown that patchouli essential oil inhibits sympathetic nervous system activity and produces a measurable decrease in plasma adrenaline. Additionally, patchoulol, the oil's primary active constituent, has demonstrated sedative activity, reducing the kind of restless, agitated feeling that comes with burnout. Another study found that patchouli can reduce symptoms of stress-related anxiety and depression, potentially via the central nervous system.
Ouyang P, Kang D, You W, Shen X, Mo X, Liu Y. Pogostemon cablin essential oil affects anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors and the gut microbiota in chronic unpredictable mild stress model rats. Front Nutr. 2024 Feb 14;11:1303002. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1303002. PMID: 38419848; PMCID: PMC10899464.
How to use patchouli: Blend with citrus or lavender in the diffuser or diluted in lotion.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
No stress-support list is complete without lavender, and for good reason. It is among the most studied essential oils in existence, with consistent research showing it lowers cortisol, improves sleep quality, reduces anxiety, and calms nervous system reactivity. Research has shown that lavender essential oil can reduce low mood related to fatigue and anxiety, and improve sleep quality.
Vidal-García E, Vallhonrat-Bueno M, Pla-Consuegra F, Orta-Ramírez A. Efficacy of Lavender Essential Oil in Reducing Stress, Insomnia, and Anxiety in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Dec 5;12(23):2456. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232456. PMID: 39685078; PMCID: PMC11641599.
How to use lavender: Blend with frankincense to diffuse at bedtime or dilute in lotion for an aromatherapy massage.
Calming Bedtime Aromatics
3 drops lavender
2 drops bergamot
1 drop frankincense
Diffuse this blend in the bedroom for up to 30 minutes before bedtime, or dilute into 1 ounce of unscented lotion or almond oil and massage into the feet at night.
Note: Bergamot can cause a phototoxic reaction if applied to the skin and followed by sun exposure within 18 hours. This can be avoided by limiting it to 2 drops per ounce of lotion or oil, or by using an FCF (furocoumarin-free) bergamot essential oil.
Returning to Joy
The good news is that you do not have to do a complete life overhaul, but you will need to make some changes. Start small and stay consistent.
It is important to remember that while herbs and essential oils can be helpful tools, they are not where our ultimate hope rests. Our faith and hope should be in the Lord, where our true and lasting restoration comes, the One who created our bodies and knows our needs.
Nevertheless, herbs and essential oils can help us feel and function better. Besides adding herbs and/or essential oils, try reducing your screen time. Create a nighttime routine that includes setting aside your phone, turning down the lights, and simply enjoying the time. Take walks outside, read books, bake from scratch, work on crafts, and enjoy your hobbies.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
A Final Word
Overwhelm is often the body’s rational response to an irrational amount of input and pressure. Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do; it's just being asked to do it without rest, indefinitely.
The herbs and essential oils listed above cannot fix an unsustainable schedule, but they can help you feel more like yourself. When we feel more like ourselves, we tend to make better choices, like when we need rest, when to say no, or when it’s time to step outside and simply enjoy the blessed beauty.
As always, if you're working with specific health conditions or taking medications, check with your healthcare provider before adding new herbs or supplements to your routine.
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