Using Colour To Improve Your Wellbeing
We cannot underestimate the power of touch & smell to wellbeing. Stroll into a home filled with the delicious aroma of roasted chicken, and you instantly feel warmer and contented. Or what about the sweet-smelling fragrance of freshly cut flowers in your sitting room which takes you out to another realm?
Then we think of touch, the most ancient sense is vital to wellbeing also. How? Think about crisp, clean sheets in bed, the feel of your baby’s soft skin, and a hug from your son or loved partner are some of life’s simplest but greatest pleasures we experience through our sense of touch.
Find below the power of touch & smell to wellbeing and how they manifest and give us positive energy.
Simple Guides On the Power Of Touch
The power of touch is the first of the power of touch & smell to wellbeing analysis. According to one renowned psychologist in his report on The Secrets of the Senses:
Modern life has created a ‘touch-hungry’ society while our eyes and ears are suffering a ‘sensory assault’ of sounds and images. This imbalance is affecting people’s capacity for pleasure, love, success, and a healthy life.
Although our touch sensitivity declines as we age, touch still keeps us energized. Find below some easy-to-follow power-of-touch guides to wellness.
Get a massage
Nothing beats a good rub down giving the greatest sense of well-being. Regular massage strengthens and tones the whole body. It stimulates or calms the nervous system, and eases tension, stiffness, and pain. In the end, it leaves you with an enhanced sense of well-being. So, find the time to get a massage. You can’t beat the invigorating feeling afterward.
Get sexual
Foreplay is a delicious treat for the senses. So try to prolong it as much as possible and don’t forget to ask your partner where to be touched or kissed. Then devote ten minutes to that area. Sexual touch is a great way of allowing time for sex hormones to build up. Thus getting the body ready for lovemaking. Use other props that will enhance your sexual senses. Such as soft sexy lingerie, alluring perfume, massage oils, or even ice cubes.
Get love embrace
Oxytocin is nature’s bonding chemical that is released when we touch. It plays a crucial role in slowing heart rates. Studies have shown that just 10 minutes of stroking a day can reduce blood pressure. So the more you touch someone, the closer and healthier you feel. Make time for that regular embrace on the sofa. Touch is important in all relationships. Therefore don’t be prudish. Even children need loads of hugs and kisses to blossom.
Get your hands dirty
Indulge your creative side and get into something artistic like pottery, tie, dye, painting, or gardening. Art colleges offer opportunities for you to learn a new skill while relaxing at the same time.
Get your hands working
A creative activity that allows you to use your hands is a great way to tune into your senses of touch. For example, cutting and sewing, jewellery making, knitting, and playing the piano or organ. It will give you pleasure, leave you fulfilled as well as improve your sense of wellbeing. Leisure pursuit is a good exercise for your mind, which helps prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Get to wear fabric soothing to your skin
The power of touch & smell to wellbeing is further extended to a well-deserved indulgence in silky underwear, soft pyjamas, and natural fiber shirts, etc. Try to make the feel of things a priority instead of just how beautiful it looks on the hanger. Truth is that dress might look ordinary on the hanger but it could feel sensational on your skin.
Get the feel of nature
When it rains, we all run for cover, forgetting how happy we were as kids playing in the rain. So when was the last time you walked through the rain? Make time to be on the beach and get wet. Nothing beats a good dose of Mother Nature, to leave you feeling full of the joys of the rainy season. Next time you get the chance, don’t feel too adult-ish, grab it. Join the kids to jump in puddles in the street. Don’t give it a thought; just do whatever will get you feeling at one with yourself and the world.
Get the sensation of water
The feel-good property of water is indisputable. You don’t need to drive to the beach in order to indulge your senses with water. A cold or warm shower or bath or a plunge in the local swimming pool can do wonders. Exercising in water actually reduces the risk of bone or muscle injury. Furthermore, water can also be used to treat a variety of ailments. From ice packs on swollen ankles to Jacuzzi jets for tired muscles. You can also add Epsom salts to your bath for relief from pelvic problems.
Simple Guide To The Power Of Smell
The power of touch & smell to wellbeing is also deeply rooted in aromas which help to create different moods. As well as beautifully scented surroundings that make us feel better. Studies have shown that special aromas can soothe frayed nerves, promote sleep, boost morale, and help us work much better. It is well appreciated that fragrance can have a strong influence on our sense of well-being. While some lift our spirits and give us great feelings of comfort, others awaken our minds and help us concentrate better.
Brings back memories
Also don’t forget how certain perfumes remind you of people, places, holidays, and the best times of your life. I remember using Aromatic Elixir by Clinique in 1986 while a student in England. Ten years later in the summer of August, as I walked through Selfridges, a whiff of Aromatic Elixir immediately brought back the memories of my university days. It was an emotional and soothing feeling.
Healing properties
Apart from the beautiful fragrance, some of the more pungent aromatic essential oils like eucalyptus, pine, and tea tree have powerful natural anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. So if infused into the air, the fragrance can help keep in check coughs and colds during the wet season.
DIY fragrance
Now, this is the time to make a fragranced splash and give the rooms a new dose of healthful aroma. This is not about commercial synthetic ‘lavender’ or ‘apple’ chemicals that worsen your asthma. Or give you a headache. Only genuine natural scents will do.
If you decide to burn candles or essential oils, spray fragrance or put potpourri on your sitting room cabinet. Ensure that what you use is made with natural essences of herbs, plants, flowers, and spices.
We provide below some tips on how to use scent to make each room conducive to its purpose.
Kitchen senses
The aroma of fresh-baked pies or cakes, bread, and hot toasted sandwiches gives pleasure to the senses. Then again there are some unpleasant stale smells that linger in the kitchen, which you want to get rid of. We all desire to go into a kitchen that smells fresh. How do we achieve this? There are so many scents in the kitchen. Orange or lemony notes make it feel clean and fresh. While pots of herbs on your windowsill will fill the air with the garden mint. And if you are too busy to fill your kitchen with that warm bakery smell, you can burn vanilla-scented candles or oils to elicit happy memories of buttery cream cakes.
Bedroom escape
I got a gift of Llewelyn-Bowen room fragrance from my cousin. It smells heavenly. I just spray it all over the place. But seriously, your room should be your haven of calm and peace away from all the stresses of the day. It should be a place for you to relax and a sort of an ‘escape island’.
So, in order to freshen your room and make it inviting, you can spray with citrus scents like bergamot or verbena. And to bring on a deep, relaxing doze, try spraying your pillow with lavender. And if it’s a sensual feel you want, fill a bowl with perfumed rose petals, a handful of vanilla pods, and a few drops of heady frankincense or cedarwood. Place the bowl by your pillow for a sensational aphrodisiac potpourri. Sweet dreams all!
Living room peace
Fresh flowers are hard to beat for creating a lively but relaxing living room. I love flowers. My husband wooed me with flowers…lots of them. Magic is one type of plant or flower and loads of it. If your favourite flower lacks a strong smell, you can mix it with aromatic foliage such as eucalyptus. Fill your sitting room with roses, lilies, chrysanthemums, hibiscus, and sweet-smelling plants. Give your gardener your request and he or she should be able to give you professional advice. You can also add life to your room by burning scented candles infused with natural scents, not synthetic.
Dinning room ‘garden’ feel
You may be discouraged not to bother particularly when you have boisterous children. Children who you know turn their noses at the scent. Or very good at disorganising your well-arranged dining. Try not to despair. You can have fun with scents when you entertain your friends. This is always an opportunity to bring the scent of the garden indoors, by using a fragrance that mimics the outdoor smell. You can spray lightly tablecloths and napkins with a citrus scent such as bergamot and light scented candles at the center of the dining table. Also for a spicy aroma put a potpourri of orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla pods in a glass bowl.
Study calmness
The power of touch & smell to wellbeing is displayed in peppermint’s sharp smell which is very good at waking up your thinking faculty. Studies have proved its positive effect in beating drowsiness. As well as staving off headaches caused by staring at a computer screen or labouring over paperwork. You can also get rosemary and basil oils from gift or housekeeping shops and place a few drops on dry plants on your desk. Or spray diluted oils into the air. The spicy smell of basil and rosemary is a great antidote to mental fatigue.
Children’s room sleep-inducing
The essential oils of lavender, chamomile, and orange are ideal for babies and kids because of their gentle sleep-inducing properties. Spray diluted oils into the air or burn oils in the room when kids are out. Be cautious of burning oils near your kids. This is because oils are dangerous if they get into the eyes or onto the skin. A couple of drops of eucalyptus oil on a child’s pillow stave off nightmares. While a bunch of dried eucalyptus hung up in the room reduces congestion and promotes sleep.
Bathroom freshness
This is the last place people want to go unless it’s super clean and smells heavenly. So how do you make your bathroom inviting to your family and guests? Fresh and invigorating citrus fragrances like grapefruit and lemongrass are perfect for the bathroom. And will surely wake you up in the morning and revitalize you at the end of a hard day. Mix lemongrass and orange oils in running bath water for a tangy smell. If you’re a shower person, sprinkle a few drops on a flannel, and place it under a warm shower for a while to release some aroma. Or if you like to take your bath from a bucket, drop some oils, stir, and get on with it.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/scents-and-wellbeing_n_5193609?guccounter=1
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
