By: Adelina Perez
Last week I talked a bit about how using colors can help with anxiety along with using lighting to help focusing and studying.
I would like to piggyback off that a bit more and talk about the use of aromatherapy. Just like colors, smells can be used to change mood and your mindset altogether. Like the use of colors, the use of smells is nothing new. The use of aromatherapy started over 3500 BC and was even used to help treat soldiers in World War I.
This is something super easy to implement into your daily life that can be extremely beneficial. I started using aromatherapy before I even realized what it really was. In high school I started to use a diffuser to make my room smell good. If you don’t know what a diffuser is, think about it like a smaller humidifier; it creates a mist to add moisture in the air and typically people use essential oils to create a specific scent. I have always loved the smell and taste of mint, so naturally I would use a peppermint essential oil inside my diffuser (side note: bugs and spiders hate the smell of peppermint so it’s a huge plus to naturally repel bugs).
I noticed that I was able to study and focus longer when my room smelt like mint, and during my tests I would usually chew mint gum. The taste of the peppermint helped me remember what I was studying when my room also smelt like peppermint. There is a study you can look into which proves that chewing mint gum while studying and chewing the same gum while taking a test helps your memory.
Smells hold a very specific part of our brain. Have you ever randomly smelt something that takes you back to your childhood? I often come across smells that remind me of elementary school and I can’t explain why. This is kind of that same idea. There are a various number of ways to use smells to help you in your daily life. As I mentioned previously, using a diffuser in your room is just the beginning, you can also rub essential oils on your skin (test small amounts on your hands and wrists to make sure there is no allergies or irritation). There are also bracelets and necklaces that absorb essential oils to help you throughout your day.
Also, you also don’t even have to use essential oils. You can use candles, incents, or natural ingredients like peeling an orange while studying, or boiling mint leaves.
If you’re feeling a bit stressed out, try some lavender!
Can’t sleep? Try mixing lavender with cedarwood.
Need help focusing? Sweet orange will be your best friend!
There are many sites online that can help you find different smells that work for different things. Try creating your own blend and find what works best for you! My favorite is a mix of peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender for daily tasks. I like to switch out the lavender with orange when I am doing homework. Now is the time to experiment and try different things, especially since aromatherapy has recently become popular and trendy. The sooner you find something that helps you, the easier your college experience will be. Life is about a balance: take some time away from all the schoolwork and your job to find ways to help you decompress. I’m here to help you with that!
This isn’t something just for students to use or to only help anxiety, these are just the first steps. Once you find what works for you, I guarantee that you will start using essential oils every single day. I always keep peppermint in my car because I have many friends that get motion sickness. Smelling peppermint or rubbing it on your temples can help with that!
I challenge all of you to research an essential oil that might help you with something you struggle with. Maybe its headaches, nausea, or even falling asleep. Whatever it is, try aromatherapy out for a few days, and see if you feel better. I even challenge all you professors out there to find a cheap diffuser from TJ Maxx and try out using different smells in the classroom to get your students engaged.
I highly recommend sweet orange or lemon (anything with citrus really) to help students focus and keep them awake. I will continue to share ways that helped me get through college and deal with my anxiety/stress because I believe it is something that a lot of people struggle with, especially in college.
What I say and suggest are merely small examples that you can play around with to discover what works best for you.
