Did you know that our sense of smell is the only one of our five senses that has an immediate, unfiltered access to our emotional brain? What this means is that our brain (and our body) reacts to scents before we consciously realize there is a scent. It’s an evolutionary mechanism to warn us of impending danger, such as fire. On top of that, the same regions of the brain that process our memory also process any olfactory inputs. If the smell of freshly baked cookies makes you think of your grandma and you suddenly feel nostalgic and happy, this is the result of your brain making a connection between a scent and an emotion.

The great news is that we can harness both of these things to help us create more intention and mindfulness in our daily lives, utilizing essential oils as tools. All you need is a cotton ball (or a blank personal inhaler stick) and a few essential oils or essential oil blends to work with. 

Creating mindfulness and tapping into intention with scent

When you smell something, it’s virtually impossible to not focus on what your nose is doing (but you can zone out while eating or even listening to music). Whenever you feel like your mind is wandering off, you can use a cotton ball with a drop of essential oil (or your personal inhaler) to bring you back. Just take a deep breath in and think about what you are smelling. The choice of essential oil is really up to you, though research shows that rosemary oil is promising as a memory and focus enhancer, while lavender, orange and rose help ease an anxious mind.

You can also add a scent to whatever activity you are engaged in to help you stay present and mindful throughout. This includes your meditation sessions, gratitude journaling, or any similar inward-focused activity, but doesn’t need to be restricted to that. Even house chores can become a moving meditation, and adding a dedicated scent can help you see them as such. 

Can essential oils help me keep my New Year’s Resolutions?

This is where we can harness the power of “scented memory” and create a connection between an intention and a smell. How would this work? Let’s say your resolution is to be more assertive in your life. What you can do is create a situation in which you feel confident and strong, and introduce a (new) scent. This way whenever you need to be reminded of your own self-worth, you can smell your personal “confidence scent” to bring you to that particular headspace. Or perhaps you might want to improve your sleep hygiene. In this case, you can introduce another scent together with creating a moment of peace so that your brain will learn to associate that scent with relaxation. You can then use it before you go to bed to signal to your body that it is time to relax.

Basically, you look at your resolution and think about how you need to feel to be able to keep it, then create an aromatic anchor to go with that feeling. And whenever you need a little extra encouragement to keep to your commitment, you can take a whiff of that bespoke scent to help you. If this sounds too good to be true, just think about the scent of freshly made coffee. Don’t you already feel more energized even before taking a sip?

Which essential oils are best?

To create an effective aromatic anchor, the important thing is for the scent to be novel for you, so in this case, anything that you find pleasant and interesting will work. That said, there are some that the research shows are more appropriate for certain areas of our lives. For example, lavender has been shown to ease anxiety, and so have bergamot, rose, and orange. Spearmint may be helpful for athletic endeavors, though the studies are limited. 

Essential oils we already associate with meditative practices, such as frankincense or sandalwood, can be more conducive to create similar moments. And rosemary and peppermint show promise in improving focus. Peppermint even shows promise to promote a more defensive driving style according to research.

Find what works for you

Our sense of smell is a powerful tool that we can harness to create more intention, focus, and mindfulness in our lives. You can use essential oils on a small cotton ball, in a personal inhaler, or even through widely available aromatherapy jewelry to introduce scent into your daily routine, creating aromatic anchors that bring you back to the present—or wherever else you’re looking to go.