Fragrance – A Hidden Gift to Brighten your Mood and Emotions

When I wear one of my sister’s old dresses, the pleasant fragrance takes me back to our childhood.

The earthy scent when rain drops fall on soil reminds me of the rainy day walks I used to have with my best school buddy.

The smell of a freshly baked cake revives the good old Christmas holidays I had spent at my grandma’s house.

It is a well-known fact that our brains have an extraordinary ability to make long-lasting associations between a scent and an incident or a memory. Do we also know that fragrances can have surprising effects on our mood and emotions?

Like music and books, fragrances too influence our mood and emotions. Theresa Molnar, Executive Director of the Sense of Smell Institute says that, “Scents can have positive effects on mood, stress reduction, sleep enhancement, self-confidence, and physical and cognitive performance.” However, the power of fragrance on our mental well-being, in our day-to-day lives, is overlooked to a large extent. While we value aromatherapy as an art of healing, we often fail to recognize its hidden potential to positively influence our state of mind in our everyday living.

Here are five practical ways to incorporate and experience the gift of fragrances in your living spaces:

#1 Begin your day with a scent of your liking: From time immemorial, pleasant fragrances have adorned places of worship and spiritual centres, be it incense sticks, fresh flowers or scented candles, for they have been associated with peace and tranquility. They are known to act as silent aides to calm the ever-chaotic human minds. It’s for the same reason that we adopt this practice at our homes. However, many of us are accustomed to hurriedly light an incense stick on the altar just before rushing to office. Isn’t it ironic that we defy the very purpose of the action? Let’s pause for a while to reconsider the effectiveness of our habit. Instead, let’s grace our altar or a sacred corner at home with a beautiful scent of our fondness, soon after we wake up. We might not notice it, but a subtle calmness will begin to pervade into our beings as we get geared up with our morning chores.

#2 Enliven your bathroom with a refreshing fragrance: Sounds silly? Believe me, great ideas of several people have originated during a shower. Bathrooms give us that private time and space which allow us to be ourselves. Those few minutes of quietness can bring valuable thoughts, to the surface, from our subconsciousness – like an answer to a longtime question, a spark of creativity or a solution to a problem. Associating a fragrance with bathroom activities by using air fresheners for bathrooms can enhance this potential.

#3 Take company of ornamental plants: Nothing can beat the elegance of a natural fragrance. Place indoor flowering plants that emanate pleasant fragrance like Geraniums or Orchids in a room where you spend most of your time. When their pleasant fragrances greet you as you open the door, you will tend to appreciate yourself for your thoughtful act. Perhaps, in time your nose might get used to the scents. Yet if placed on a window sil or left hanging near a porch, every time a fresh breeze hits, the fragrances shall touch you gently, relieving the stress you have carried through your day. After a hard day’s work, that is what our minds need – a pleasant distraction from what it has been constantly chewing within – and that’s exactly fragrances do to us.

#4 Diffuse charm into your family times: For most of us, dinner is the only time of the day when the family gathers at home in harmony. To make such moments memorable, spread a fragrance that’s everyone’s favourite, into the ambience. It is an efficient way to bring a relaxing effect. You can try scented candles or an air freshener spray. Soothing fragrances that circulate around us can bring us to the present, breaking the pre-occupied thoughts that we might be tied to. Being in the present with attention to each other’s emotions and concerns can create loving bonding moments within families.

#5 Carry serenity into your dreams: Dropping off anxieties before we retire for the day is vital. Having a refreshing bath in warm water with therapeutic oils or salts that carry soothing fragrances, in the night can help cleanse the body and mind. Also, using a diffuser of a mild scent in the bedroom can help us re-energize for a deep sleep.

Recently, I tried Godrej Aer Pocket, a pack of 3 bathroom fragrances, each of a different scent. The yellow pocket with a citrus fragrance of an orange orchard, the green pocket with jasmine and lilies fragrance and the violet pocket with fragrance of viola flowers.

Using such fragrances in the bathroom did prove effective in rendering a special experience. The Misty Meadows fragrance is my personal favourite. Here’s a quick review of the product:

When I was looking to buy air fresheners for home, I picked Godrej aer home air freshener spray. It comes in a range of six designer fragrances of which I purchased the Fresh Lush Green fragrance. The lush green colour feels refreshing; the fragrance is rejuvenating. The design of the sprayer is pleasant. The scent is mild and seems less artificial. However, the fragrance lasts only for a couple of minutes after the spray. It can be fine for smaller rooms but I haven’t tried it in large spaces.

Here are a few of ways you can refresh your home with fragrance, give them a try and tell me which one is your top pick!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. The opinions I have expressed are my own.