Managing & Thriving Through Stress

Scents Can Soothe

“Managing your stress” is so vanguarded by modern lifestyle media, that it can sometimes feel like another part time job for anyone these days. Self-care shouldn’t be stress inducing. Your tricks can be simple, and we find them to be most grounding when you integrate them into your life at home.

We want to give you an extra piece of advice on how to relax at the end of your day – but, at the end of the day, we don’t want you to become so obsessed with your stress-reduction-purchases, that you lose intuition about what gives you calmness. To intuitively activate stress reduction, try stimulating your sense of smell using aromatherapy.

Stress Hormones & Challenges

Cortisol is helpful during times of stress, because it can help you maintain energy when you would normally become burnt out. It can increase your focus, heighten your immunity, and lower your sensitivity to pain. Some people experience a greater peak of cortisol during stress than others do. This can fluctuate according to the consistency and the intensity of the stress one experiences on a day to day basis.

Trying new, exciting, and slightly stressful things can assist in the production of healthy cortisol, and learning how to de-stress can help you return to healthy level of minimal cortisol in your body. So, using aromatherapy in your home can be like the complementary exercise to going to the gym for cortisol balancing.

Because, when cortisol doesn’t leave the body, it can lead to many symptoms that are related to having chronic stress in your life. This can include high blood pressure, headaches, blood sugar imbalance, or low focus.

Scents Activate Memory

Scent is widely known for activating your memory. By using the scents of essential oils in your home, you can trigger a similar response to your nervous system that is simply reminiscent to the concept of home. This trick can help you foster an everyday sense of feeling grounded as you return home from work at the end of your day.

Different Scents Deliver Different Benefits

Different essential oils are reputable for having different benefits. Feel free to explore what oils will work best for you by reading the proclaimed benefits, but also feel free to just let your senses lead the way. Chances are that you will be keen to the one that will end up working best for you.

Lavender:

Lavender is maybe the most commonly used essential oil in aromatherapy. It is used to help induce sleep, calm the nerves, and regulate cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that is excreted by your adrenals as a response to stress. It is important that you produce a healthy amount of cortisol and it is important that you can return to a normal state of not excreting cortisol while you rest.

Rosemary:

Rosemary is also shown to help in the balancing of your cortisol levels. It has a warm but sweet smell, and can be reminiscent of family cooking or the neighborhood garden. Many of the benefits of essential oils can be sensed according to tastes that you may be familiar with.

Citrus:

Citrus has a bright flavor profile, for example, so the scent of citrus is also going to be invigorating to you. You’ll probably be most drawn to use your citrus essential oil in the summertime, at the same time that other yellow fruits and vegetables are in season. Lemon has been known to boost your energy and your mood.

Peppermint:

Peppermint will be cooling and relaxing. You can try using it after building up heat from a workout, or maybe after dealing with a hot headed co-worker. Peppermint aromatherapy has also been found to increase memory and alertness. It can provide a great pick-me-up for too-tired and too-busy people, stressed students, and the overworked.

Cinnamon:

Warm scents like cinnamon, on the other hand, will be most helpful to you in the winter, when you need extra help building heat. Cinnamon is also known for improving your cognitive functions like your memory and concentration.

No matter what the occasion, you are sure to find a scent that brings you to a place of comfort. You can be reducing your stress while you Managingincorporate these tricks into your home. And for when your sweet smelling home needs help staying clean, call us at Crystal Clear Home, 707-827-3316. You can also fill out our cleaning estimate form and let us help you keep your home clean and stress free.