The air is heavy with all the grief, the madness, the loss, the desperation, the fear and a million other things. In a time such as this, it is tough to sit back and relax – there is no desire or interest in the little joys. However, they are more important than ever right now.
Your taking care of yourself will enable you to help everyone else more, it will help you be safer.
Take out a few moments for yourself where you disengage from reality, without any guilt. We owe ourselves the simple pleasures of life. These are some easy things that I have found immensely helpful. Having a pleasant smell makes one relaxed. At spas, I never understood why they have the option of Aromatherapy for me it was always Swedish massage. The pandemic has made me realize why most spas have the option of Aromatherapy. Can’t wait to try it out once the pandemic is over. Meanwhile – Given are some ways I add Aromatherapy to my daily life in order of preference –
- Scented candles – For the longest time, I judged the candle burning form of self-care as a hoax. Boy, was I wrong? Ever since I’ve burnt my first candle – I have been obsessed. Just watching the flame is relaxing, topped with the light illuminating glow – it’s mesmerising. I have no recommendations simply because they are more or less the same. Most candles these days are made of soy or beeswax, which are safe to burn indoors. Paraffin based candles are harmful to the lungs so avoid those. Miniso has affordable and nice smelling options, Bath and body works are their luxurious counterpart. If you want to splurge go for a triple wick.
- Perfume/Deo – All day long there is this air of boredom floating around like there is nothing new. A dash of perfume can solve this. Wherever you go carry your bloom. Once in a week wear your favourite one, use all those which have been sitting on your dressing table for millennia now.
- Bath salts – They are to turn your bath from a task into an experience. Each bath salt has different directions based on potency generally the following instructions work – add a handful to the bathtub, 3 tablespoons to the bucket or if you use a shower generously sprinkle over the floor. Bath salts are therapeutic for both the mind and the body. They help relieve pain.
- Lotion and soaps – This is tricky as most nice smelling products have artificially added scents that aren’t very good for the skin. I don’t use this on the regular but I am always on the lookout for products that have mild pleasant aromas. Using them in the form of soap and creams feels nicer, knowing you are the source of the fragrance – Guess that’s how being a flower feels like.
- Smell your tea while it’s being made, smell the fresh mint leaves used in cooking, smell your soap, basically anything. Smelling is one of the most neglected senses to exist. This will help you be more present, appreciate the world a little more.
- Scent diffuser – I for some reason don’t like scent diffusers that much. The peak of my liking scent diffuser is those little scent diffuser packets put in the washroom or nice smelling potpourri placed in trinkets. For bigger rooms, I have found them to be ineffective if placed too far and if placed too close – they make me sneeze. But Hey, maybe that’s just true for me. I am yet to invest in more scent diffusers so maybe it was just one bad product. Will definitely invest in a variety of essential oils and various scent diffusers in the future too soon to write them off.
Try out these options for yourself. See what works, what doesn’t. Wish you an Aromatic week ahead.
This is a humble request –
to not let your guard down till there are no cases left.
To be kind as everyone is struggling.
To not order anything from outside.
To verify leads, to forward them.
To check-in on people
To take care of yourself
To do everything you can
This is a request –
To acknowledge these are extraordinary times
To let yourself fall apart
To let yourself smile
We don’t know how long this will last, this won’t be over
Planned aromatherapy – this happened
Summer school – covid happened
Sense of control
John green – humans plan too much now life extended planned life ended
Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.
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Bhavna Chaudhary, Author & Wellness Enthusiast |
