Our sense of smell is the only one directly wired to the limbic system, the part of the brain that governs memory and emotion. Unlike sight or hearing, which get routed through the thalamus (the brain’s relay station), scent goes straight into the amygdala and hippocampus. This is why one sniff of something familiar or pleasant can instantly trigger a vivid memory or quickly shift your emotional state.
When stress lowers, your body can move out of a fight or flight moment and into rest and restore mode where digestion improves, immunity strengthens, your mind clears, and your mood softens.
A single breath can shift how you feel. It’s a shortcut to the feeling brain. Smelling your favorite smells can calm, uplift, transport, or reset.
Weave in a good smell to your day, especially when you could use a reset. What smells transport you? Cup of peppermint tea, peeling an orange, picking basil? A walk through the pines, brewing coffee, reading a book from the library?
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Ilona Yaeger
August 25, 2025
White sage and lavender!