Having experienced first-hand the benefits of various aromatherapy mixtures – a fringe benefit of having my wife taken various training in this area – the fact that smells of various foods or beverages having an impact on your mind and body isn’t all that much of a stretch.
One of the 5 key pillars to achieving greater things in your life outlined in ‘Beyond Greatness’ is simple techniques to manage stress in your life. By managing stress not only can you let the ‘real you’ come out of its shell, but you can have physiological improvements in your body that will help you look better, feel better and stay healthier.
Even still, when I came across this new study on the benefits of coffee aroma, it did make me wonder what other drinks and foods could possibly have a positive impact on our system.
Certainly, it has been shown that when you smell citrus – especially oranges – that your outlook, emotional state and overall feeling can turn more positive. Lemon has been shown to act similarly on the brain.
To the extent that an odor can trigger brain functions including the release of chemicals within our bodies, you certainly have a proven biological explanation about how smells can impact emotional and physical states in your body.
So, coffee smells can lower stress, what else?
From aromatherapy training…
1. Lavendar is thought to be one of the best scents for relieving stress
2. Peppermint and chamomile – several times I have let my nose hover over a steeped tea cup full of peppermint and lavendar to enjoy the calming effects that can bring on a crazy day
3. Citrus – if you need a pick-me-up, then try orange or other citrus scents, they can work wonders for stress relief too
4. Rose – I’m not crazy about the rose scent, others swear by it as a great tool for relieving stress
5. Vanilla – maybe it’s because I’m a man and we always think with our stomachs that vanilla seems such a calming scent to me
I’m off to try a mixture of coffee and vanilla – wow, if that doesn’t work to relieve stress, nothing will!
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