Can you smell happiness? Probably not, unless you have the snout of a canine or other animal. Emotions may not have distinguishable scents to us, but smells most definitely do elicit emotional responses for most people.
It’s a scratch-and-sniff world
Close your eyes for a moment and inhale deeply through your nose. What do you smell? Anything? How about when you imagine some of your favorite places? Picture your favorite coffee shop and you can almost smell the rich aroma. Think of your favorite season and you may find that your mind conjures specific smells alongside the seasonal images. When you walk into a restaurant, step out of the car in a forest park, or walk along a sandy or rocky seashore, the scents of a place will trigger specific feelings. You might feel comforted, relaxed, invigorated, or even disturbed. Smell, it turns out, is a very emotional thing.
The power of scent is no secret. Marketers have long capitalized on the connections between smells and emotions. Everywhere we go we see (and smell) perfumed cleaning products, scented candles, laundry soaps and softeners… The air freshener aisle has almost as many options as there are cereals in the breakfast aisle. Even our garbage bags are infused with citrus or flowers or tropical fruit perfumes.
Ugh! What is that smell?!
As popular as fragrances are, they are also, as you’d expect, quite personal. I learned the hard way that not everyone in the family appreciated my introductions of various aromas to our house. My excitement at discovering scented wax warmers with a plethora of scent options and combinations was dampened by the simultaneous discovery that a great many of my favorite aromas ranged from unpleasant to unbearable to my partner. I had to make my choices carefully, and use certain smells sparingly or not at all. It all became so complicated that I eventually abandoned my efforts to satisfy my olfactory desires.
I’m not sure which fits better – the saying that ignorance is bliss or the one that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Well, I didn’t know what was missing in my life until I found these wonderful wax warmers. After I stopped using them, I suddenly felt a gaping hole in my harmonious core. With a sad sigh, I put that feeling away with other unmet needs.
A healthy alternative
Some time after my short-lived affair with perfumy air-fresheners (because that is essentially what those wax warmers are), I was introduced to a new experience. An old friend contacted me out of the blue one day to suggest that I might enjoy watching a video about a healthier way of living. She sent me the link to an online class called Essential Oils 101.
I’d heard of essential oils. At least, I’d heard of oils as an alternative to the scented wax. I’d never really tried them though, and I didn’t know that they were any different from any other smelly things, other than being more expensive. The concept of essential oils as essential oils was new to me.
So I watched this video and felt like I actually learned a lot. These essential oils seemed like a pretty good thing and I liked the idea of having naturally derived alternatives to commercial pharmaceuticals. I took the plunge and ordered a home essentials kit to try them out.
Heaven in a box
When my kit arrived in the mail, I eagerly opened the box. Immediately I felt of wave of what I can only describe as euphoria wash over me. The box smelled AMAZING! This was different from the surface-deep pleasure I felt when I used scented wax or candles. This was much much more. It didn’t just smell good, it felt good. And I hadn’t even opened any of the individual vials.
My kit contained a selection of 10 of the most common and useful essential oils for daily life/health, and a pretty diffuser (device for sending a fine mist of oils into the air). I was interested in the various properties of the oils and spent a lot of time watching videos and reading articles. Rather than simply rely on my fragrance preferences, I learned to make choices based on my mood and my desired outcome.
I found a combination that I diffused for my parents to help boost their memory and focus. I made simple rollers to keep in my purse to hand my daughter when she got headaches in the car. Soon Mommy’s magic oils became the family go-to for tummy aches, growing pains, and scrapes and bruises.
The smell of happiness
By far the best side-effect of this new healthy life choice was one that I hadn’t even really thought about. I walked down the stairs to my room one afternoon and stopped dead in my tracks. With my eyes closed I inhaled deeply. I instantly felt calm and relaxed, as a memory of the massage parlor I used to visit in Japan flooded my mind. For the first time in a very long time, it truly felt good to walk into my room. I had found the smell of happiness.
What I have come to realize is that the smell of happiness isn’t one specific aroma. It isn’t dependent on my personal preferences or favorite scents. The smell of happiness changes, because the root of happiness is fluid. Knowing what my body and my spirit needs at any given time ,and satisfying that need with the right combination of essential oils, triggers happiness. There is an almost tangible release of tension, negativity, and discomfort.
What is your smell of happiness today?