Aromatherapy & mood Enhancement - holiday edition

Have you ever walked into a bakery and the smell of fresh baked pastries instantly lightens your mood and makes you happy. How about feeling a sense of calm take over when you're walking through a park with fresh flowers all around? The association of scent and mood is not a fiction poets came up with, our olfactory receptors are directly connected to the limbic system which is known as the seat of emotions. When we are able to recognize a scent it has activated our limbic system triggering a deep emotional response. Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment using aromatic essential oils to treat the mind, body, and spirit. This holiday season, explore the scents that come along with the holidays and what they can do for your mood. 

• Balsam Fir - 

This essential oil has a fresh, woody, and earthy scent that can be reminiscent of a winter wonderland or the classic Christmas Tree. When diffused the balsam fir aroma has been known to have a grounding and empowering effect that stimulates the mind while promoting relaxation. A whiff of balsam fir will help to re energize and calm the mind while relieving stress. 

• Peppermint - 

This essential oil is a hybrid of spearmint and watermint and gives a cool, minty, fresh and herbal aroma. This is a familiar scent that brings to mind candy canes and other wintertime goodies. When diffused peppermint creates a focused environment and can keep you alert and invigorated. It has also been proven to help improve memory. 

• Cinnamon - 

This essential oil is a warm and spicy scent that is commonly associated with holidays. Cinnamon is known to boost your mood and has properties to help fight depression and the fatigue that depression can cause. In addition, it can enhance spirituality and improve mental and emotional stability. Cinnamon is a natural aphrodisiac and can improve concentration and focus. 

• Frankincense - 

This essential oil smells like a combination of pine, lemon, and woodsy scents. Frankincense is most commonly known for being one of the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus on what is now Christmas. When inhaled Frankincense has calming effects which lower your heart rate and blood pressure. It has anti-anxiety and anti-depression effects that don’t include the side effects that medications do. This oil is a natural sleep-aid not only because it reduces stress and anxieties that can keep you up at night, but it also helps to open breathing passages and regulate your body temperature to a comfortable level to sleep. 

The holidays are a time that everyone has their own traditions and memories created. Holiday scents are a huge part of the memories made every year. You can associate the scent of baking pumpkin pie with childhoods at Grandma’s helping in the kitchen, or gingerbread with the times you and your kids spent hours building mansions. All can contribute to the holiday cheer that most people feel in the holiday season and now you know how to enhance your mood with specific scents. The added benefit of aromatherapy with these holiday scents are the physical benefits that they can provide. During the colder months when viruses run rampant, a lot of these can also be used to fight infection, pain relief, soothe sore throats, and more. Enhancing your mood can be as simple as buying candles or a diffuser to spread the scents of the holiday season you love.