Aromatherapy For Stress: How To Quickly Smell Your Stress Away
Roses are red,
Violets are Blue
You have stinky feet
Won’t you try some perfume.
How To Quickly Smell Your Stress Away
Fragrance Day is a celebration for the olfactory nerves in your nose. There is nothing like the scent of a good wine, a beautiful flower, the coming of spring, fresh baked cookies or a touch of perfume.
The sense of smell, called olfaction, involves the detection and perception of chemicals floating in the air. The olfactory tract transmits these signals to the brain, particularly the limbic system. The limbic system is involved with emotional behavior and memory which is why when you smell something, it often brings back memories associated with the object.
Smell and Memory
The connection between smell and memory happens almost immediately for us. Baby’s recognize the smell of their mother. It is the first contact of the baby with the outside world and a baby knows who his own mother is just by the smell of her. No two people have the exact same odor-identity or “smell fingerprint” which is determined by many factors including: our genes, skin type, diet, medicine, mood state and even the weather.
About 2 million people in the United States have no sense of smell and some people have a very sensitive sense of smell. Allergic reactions to fragrances can result in hives, nausea, dizziness, headaches, itchy skin, eyes, and nose, runny nose, wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, sore throat, asthma attacks or asthma–like symptoms, and strange tastes in the mouth. Because of these difficulties, many workplaces have become scent-free.
Beverly’s Hot Tips On How To Build Resilience With Aromatherapy For Stress Relief and Celebrating Fragrance Day:
- Be aware of those who may have a fragrance sensitivity. If you have employees who have difficulty, ensure that you maintain good indoor air quality, discontinue the use of fragranced products, make any modifications to the workstation location or schedule to accommodate the person, provide an air purification system, and/or create a fragrance-free workplace policy.
- Take a fragrance walk. Now is an excellent time to get out and notice the smells of spring such as the melting snow or the first flowers.
- Pick up a fresh bouquet of flowers to decorate your office or your kitchen.
- Indulge and buy a new perfume.
Happy smelling!
Contact Beverly about hosting a mental health workshop for your teams on how to build resilience. Learn relaxation strategies, and discover coping tips to deal with stress, change and crisis!
If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!
Additional Resources:
Relaxation Day Article
National Relaxation Day – August 15