Making mental health & wellbeing a priority
The World Health Organisation encourages individuals and governments to prioritise mental health and reduce factors known to pose stress and mental health issues. Monday 10 th October marks World Mental Health Day, a day to talk about mental health, how we need to look after it and how important it is to share your struggles and create conditions in which you can thrive
Whilst we would never claim to be experts in the field of mental health, we do know home fragrance really can be beneficial when it comes to selfcare. Scent can affect your mood, metabolism and stress levels, it’s also been known to have aphrodisiac effects!
How Can Home Fragrance Contribute To Improving Your Wellbeing?
Good Vibrations
Believe it or not, scent has a palpable energy. Yael Alkalay , founder of holistic beauty brand Red Flower explains “It’s like a heartbeat .. you can read vibrations of an essential oil with a gas chromatography reading the vibration (of unique molecules) is transmitted when you inhale the scent.”
We are big advocates for taking care of yourself and the people around you. The rituals of lighting a scented candle, seeing the flickering flame, turning diffuser sticks, spritzing a room mist aren’t going to solve your problems, but they can make a difference by lifting your mood and allowing you to be in the moment.
Meditative
Sometimes we just need to escape the busy chatter of our mind. Burning a scented candle can help with this by focusing the mind. Not only through its relaxing scent but also through the soothing effects of its flickering flame. A candle’s shimmering glow pulls you in with its varying shape, changing colours and the halo produced by the flame. All this mesmerises the mind, draws in your attention and puts the mind in a relaxed mood.
Revitalising
We can all get bored of the four walls we live in, leaving us feeling gloomy with a strong need close the blinds and hunker down. But don’t worry you can easily boost the energy of your home and mood. It’s amazing how a room’s ambience can be lifted by simply adding bright & breezy fragrances. It will help you experience your space in a whole new light, making a huge difference to how you feel and live in the home.
A Journey Through The Seasons
As the seasons changes so do our home fragrance needs and desires. Just like a simple switch up of cushions on the couch, fragrance can bring a sense of sunshine or comfort to a space. It’s easy to infuse your home with scents that bring seasonal feels, whether that’s to blend with the season or to escape the extremes each season brings.
A Sleep Aid
We know a good night’s sleep can make all the difference to our physical and mental health. Scent can help by becoming a key part of your bedtime routine. Perhaps have a long soak in the bath, in the company of a book, relaxing music and a softly scented candle burning in the background. As you move to the bedroom spritz your pillow and curtains with a room mist, turn the reed sticks in your room diffuser, subdue the lighting and snuggle down for a restful night.
The Perfect Self-Gift
Buying a fragranced candle or reed diffuser not only uplifts your mood through scent, but the act of self-gifting also reminds you that you’re worth it no matter what the occasion.
A Guide To Scentscaping
Getting yourself in the here and now through fragrance will help restore your inner peace and give you emotional comfort as you escape everyday stresses and life’s mundane chores. Whether you go for a well-placed candle, diffuser or room mist here is some guidance on how to scentscape your home as part of your self-care routine.
Brighten The Morning
Citrus – carries high vibrational activity so is a natural mind stimulator. Sunny scents like orange, grapefruit and lemon are energising and uplifting, reducing anxiety and creating feelings of positivity. As you breathe in the zesty notes you will want to roll up the blinds, let natural daylight in and get ready for the day ahead.
The Apsley Vesuvius Luxury home fragrance range is definitely uplifting and effervescent. Vesuvius is bursting with notes of sparkling citrus, peach and vanilla, erupting like a blazing volcano. Encased in an artisan mouth blown glass vessel and flaunting a truly unique design.
Another home scenting option from the Apsley Luxury Soy Candle Collection is Reykjavik It offers a
tantalising medley of neroli, lime zest and vetiver encased in a mouth blown glass vessel that is entirely unique, this candle is redolent of Iceland's awe-inducing Reykjavik.
Energise Your Workspace>
Ginger – is known to enhance performance, focus and memory – perfect for when you need to be creative and mentally invigorated. Ginger also stimulates and warms the senses, producing feelings of joy, reducing irritability which in turn reduces feelings of stress and anxiety, helping get you through a demanding day in.
The Scented Space Lemongrass Ginger 200ml Reed Diffuser bursts with scents of ginger, pine & thyme and an additional boost of lemongrass. The zesty vigour of this energising fragrance will awaken your senses and help you keep focused.
Woodland Walks>
Pine – The great outdoors is known to be fantastic for the body and soul. A Japanese study discovered participants who walked through a pine forest felt significant feelings of relaxation. The scent of pine has a positive impact on mood by clearing the mind of stress, eliminating fatigue and helping to promote a positive outlook.
Our Scented Space White Fir Candle is one of our best Christmas candle fragrances but doesn’t have to be just for the festive season. If you’re looking for a sense of calm take yourself on that walk through the forest as you absorb the calming benefits of fir balsam, cedarwood and amber. You will soon be transported to open spaces with the evocative scent of snow-covered fir trees and fallen pine needles
A Cosy Night In
Woody Tones – Scents like amber, sandalwood, cardamom and cedarwood are perfect for winding down after a long day. Their warming tones help calm the mind by creating a cosy and comforting ambience in your room.
Bedtime>
Lavender – is renowned for its calming and soothing qualities, helping to relieve stress and promote a good night’s sleep. Research has shown it can lower your blood pressure, calm the nervous system and lift your mood having a relaxing effect on your body and mind.
We know lavender can sometimes be considered a somewhat uninspiring fragrance so we would recommend trying our Adagio fragrance available in a Hand-Cut Black Glass Twin Candle Set and Diffuser Set Bask in top notes of bitter orange and cardamon, with a blossoming heart of lavender and jasmine followed with the abundant base notes of sandalwood which again is known to help find an inner peace.
We hope this guide goes someway to helping you improve your mental health and gives you the confidence and momentum to create a scentscape that will aid you in your self-care mission. You don’t have to spend a fortune when investing in your health. Apsley Australia offers a range of home fragrance products to suit all budgets, tastes and needs from small candles like our Travel Candles and Luxury Room Mists to impressive 500ml Diffusers and 2.4kg giant candles.
Here's to creating a personal haven that calms and soothes your mind, heart and soul. And please remember it’s okay to ask for help!