SCENT

I am a firm believer that scents can have positive and negative affects on your mind and body. I use the beneficial effects of different scents a lot in my day to day life, not only to obviously smell nice but also to affect my mood and that of others around me. Our house always has either a fresh scented candle burning, a reed diffuser out on the side or I’m spraying the rooms with nice, relaxing home aromatic sprays. I also use an Aroma Diffuser where I can use various essential oils, either individually or combined to relax, refresh or invigorate me, dependant on my situation.

Smell is the most sensitive of our senses. As infants, smell is the first sense to develop. Our noses have around 6 million odour detecting cells (dogs can have up to 220 million) enough to get ourselves out of danger, for example smelling a gas leak or a burning smell or to recall a happy memory, baking cookies as a child or the heady smell of musk roses in a summer garden.

Odours can have great affects on people’s mood, work performance and behaviour. The way our brain receives and processes odours is complex and much still remains to be discovered and fully understood. Scents can affect both our short and long term moods. A number of studies have shown that the odours people prefer can make them have general positive emotions whereas odours people dislike can produce negative feelings. Studies have shown that skin conductance, heart rate and eye blink rates in response to various liked or disliked scents coincide with the mood the person is experiencing. Some studies have even shown that people who work in pleasant smelling environments report higher self-efficacy, set higher goals and are more likely to employ efficient work strategies when compared to participants who worked in a no-odour or unpleasant odour condition.

Essential oils can be used in many ways to help a persons wellbeing. Essential oils are natural oils usually obtained by distillation and have the characteristic odour of the plant or source from which it is extracted. Essential oils are used in aromatherapy, which is a form of alternative medicine. Many people believe certain smells can help alleviate symptoms and stresses through their use during aromatherapy treatments.

Essential oils of flowers and plants can trigger different responses in the brain:

To give you confidence – Jasmine, Sandalwood, Frankincense and Patchouli

To relieve depression – Sage, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lavender, Orange, Lemon and Sandalwood.

To ease anger – Chamomile, Jasmine and Rose.

To reduce anxiety – Cedarwood, Frankincense, Lavender, Orange, Peach, Rose.

To alleviate stress – Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Rose, Cinnamon and Frankincense.

These are just a few examples of the emotional responses to some essential oils. There are many other essential oils that can help you improve your mental state in various situations, however an essential oil that may be effective for one person may have no effect on another! The use of scents is a subject I am looking forward to learning more about and am enjoying finding out what different scents assist me with my own mental health and wellbeing.

I’d love to hear what particular scents you find beneficial when dealing with certain situations or if you have a favourite essential oil to recommend, let us know in the comments.