Peace and Pleasure Can Be Just a "Sniff" Away

I had learned something a couple years ago from a well known medical professional that I found to be pretty interesting. Doctor Mehmet Oz had mentioned in his book, YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger, that our sense of smell is the only sense we have that goes straight to the “pleasure portion” of our brain (i.e. amygdala).

All the other senses that most of us possess include: touch, taste, sight, and hearing. Apparently these other senses have to go through another process or two before we understand and interpret what they are revealing to us. However, our sense of smell gets a sort of “skip ahead pass” and goes straight to the area of the brain that effects arousal, emotion, and pleasure.

Once I became aware of this nice little characteristic about my sense of smell, I decided to use it to my advantage. I had set out to find a couple scents that would lead me right to a peaceful and pleasurable state of mind. Almost like an instant little mini vacation for my mind. So I trekked down to a local aromatherapy store and checked out all their essential oils. Many of these stores sell oils for massage therapists and aromatherapy practitioners.

There were several oils (i.e. scents) to choose from, and I had a couple in mind that I knew were linked to certain reactions and emotions. For example, Lavender is well known for aiding anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. Peppermint was known for aiding with fatigue, headache, and nausea. There are several other oils available, however these two were the ones that put smiles on my face as I sniffed their magical aromas.

***Now, please note that I knew of the safety precautions to be taken when dealing with essential oils. Please visit the link to this site, http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/safety.asp, for a list of safety precautions before purchasing any essential oils.

My intention was to just smell the scent of each oil I desired, as opposed to rubbing the oil onto my skin. Specifically what I had set out to do was simply place a drop or two of oil onto a small pillow-shaped cloth that I was going to tote around with me in my adorable purse. So I bought a tiny jar of peppermint and lavender, and headed home to test my new experiment out. My experiment was simply to sniff my wonderfully scented pillow-shaped cloth whenever I felt stress, anxiety, headache pain, or fatigue. My hope was that I would immediately experience a moment or two of peace and pleasure.

Well, guess what…..it worked! At least for me and many others I have mentioned this little trick too. So, you may want to consider finding one or two of your favorite “scents” and tote them around on something that you can refer too in times of strife or stress. Just one or two little sniffs can send you for a moment into “Pleasantville”.

P.S. Scents can be obtained in several forms such as colognes, body sprays, soaps, and candles. If you consider purchasing a scent through the use of essential oils, please check out the safety link above and consult with an aromatherapy practitioner.

Peace and pleasure to all!