If you struggle to manage your stress levels techniques you’re probably focused on solutions like getting more sleep, breathing techniques or even a spot of meditation.
However, there’s another crucial trick that you’re probably missing when it comes to beating the pressure – and that’s the role of fragrance.
Perfumer Ben Janousek, who helped create the newly-launched Fenwick Quiescent fragrance which features ingredients scientifically established to alleviate stress, says that the practice of aromachology could help all of us to find inner calm when under pressure.
‘Aromachology is the study of the influence of odours on human behaviour,’ he explained.
‘Using memory association we can pair certain smells to different emotions.
‘For example, if you have felt most relaxed whilst on holiday, the smells you have experienced at that very moment can be replicated at home and help trigger a similar sense of calm.’
While everyone is different there are some smells that are highly likely to work if you’re battling a stressful situation.
Here Ben reveals the six scents that can help soothe the mind in tricky situations.
Perfumer Ben Janousek reveals how odours that stimulate the part of the brain that controls and drive emotions can be harnessed to beat stress. Sea breeze scent often reminds people of holidays and helps to calm an overactive mind (stock image)
Ben Janousek (pictured) said that scents such as fresh grass can help ease stress while battling the high street changing room
To ease an overactive mind
Sea breeze is a popular smell because of this association with holidays – it can help cleanse the mind and put you at ease.
However, the most important thing is to use smells you like and not just follow a prescribed route.
Each person is an individual and odour is extremely subjective, and this is the main principle of aromachology – there is no right or wrong smell, it’s what works for you that matters.’
Although scent is often a matter of the environment you’re in and therefore sometimes hard to avoid, there are steps you can take so that fragrance doesn’t make your stress worse.
Sometimes very strong smells can cause extra stress. As humans we have evolved to dislike the smell of decay for example, so to help keep you calm in the home remember to take out your bins on time.
As with everything mentioned above, it’s best to experiment with smells you like and smells you don’t, which you will find along the way.
You can always also use your favourite aroma to mask something malodorous that’s causing you anxiety, so always carry a nice scent to smell with you.
After an argument
Ylang Ylang, translated as the ‘Flower of Flowers,’ is notorious for its relaxing properties.
The pure essential oil of these blossoms has been found to aid issues of palpitations, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.
It is also a proven sedative and tonic so it would be an ideal smell to help calm an argument.
Ylang Ylang is a proven sedative and tonic and can help ease the atmosphere after an argument (stock image)
On the school run
Lavender has calming properties that helps control emotional stress.
This essential oil has a soothing effect on nerves, can relieve nervous tension and depression, as well as treat headaches and migraines.
It’s common for parents to put a single drop of Lavender oil onto their child’s pillow to help with a soothing, good night’s sleep so perhaps a drop in the car might do the same.
At work
Lemon or other citrus aromas work well to soothe work tensions.
This scent promotes concentration and has calming and clarifying properties that are helpful when you’re at work to get you through the day.
A few drops of lavender in the car on the school run can make things less fraught (left) while citrus scents can ease stress in the workplace (right)
Clothes shopping
Grassy notes, as used in Fenwick Quiescent, is one of the most common favourite, calming aromas.
It often brings back memories of fresh cut grass – signalling the start of summer as a child and the feeling of wide open spaces.
Shops might supply everything you need for your home, but when you have to be indoors and often in the heart of a town centre, this outdoor aroma gives people a little break from a hectic pace of life, as well as a fresh boost.
Rosemary has stimulating properties that fight physical exhaustion, headaches and mental fatigue (left). Aromas of fresh grass are ideal for taking the sting out of battling the changing room (right)
The fragrance is a sophisticated fusion of sandalwood, cedarwood and uplifting and calming mandarin, with notes of vanilla and jasmine at the heart
At the supermarket
Rosemary is the perfect pick-me-up.
In addition to improving memory retention – ideal for helping you remember the items on your weekly shopping list – rosemary has stimulating properties that fight physical exhaustion, headaches and mental fatigue.
To celebrate the opening of Fenwick Bracknell the retailer has launched Quiescent, a limited edition fragrance created using aromachology. Shoppers can register in-store to win a limited edition perfume and trial the calming scent in the vaporising Aromachology Changing Rooms for a month in September.