As I moved out of the dorms and into a house my junior year of college, I found myself having the ability to decorate and organize everything the way that I wanted. Living in the dorms comes with many limits regarding the way we can decorate, what we could bring and have in our rooms, and always being watched by RA’s. When you move out of the dorms, these limitations tend to disappear. One aspect of living in my own house that I was excited for was being able to have my collection of candles and actually use them. No matter what is going on today, or how I am feeling, having a candle lit always completes my day. If you don’t know which candle scent would best suit your mood, here are some suggestions to try for yourself!
- STRESSED/overwhelmed
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A scent that I personally believe you can never go wrong with is lavender. Luckily, this flower is one that doesn’t have that bold flower smell and makes you sneeze non stop. It has a sweet and delicate flower scent with lingering herbal aromas. Once you smell lavender, you instantly be able to recognize it the next time you smell it. Lavender has a calming effect and soothing ability that is perfect to smell in times of high emotions and stressful situations. Next time you are studying for an exam try lighting this candle. I promise you won’t regret it!
- Peaceful/Calm/relaxed
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One of my favorite candles is the Chesapeake Bay: Balance and Harmony candle. I originally received this candle as a gift and instantly fell in love with the scent. There is no other way to describe the smell of this candle other than emitting a relaxing scent that makes you want to engage in deep breathing exercises. This scent is more on the subtle side. You have to light it and then let it burn for a decent amount of time before fully smelling it. Pure tranquility!
- refreshed/ready to take on the day
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A scent that represents a fresh start and a clean environment is fresh linens. At least once a week, I take a half hour or so out of my day and dedicate it to cleaning and organizing my room and various parts of my house. After wiping down dirty surfaces, folding my clean laundry, and vacuuming the floor, all I want to do is keep the fresh and clean feeling going! The fresh linen scent smells exactly what it sounds like and gives the feeling that you are sitting in a laundry room filled with freshly washed and dried sheets/clothes.
- Sad/in your feels
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Although it is somewhat similar to lavender, bergamot is an aroma that has very therapeutic effects. These can include reducing depressive symptoms as well as stimulating the secretion of ‘feel good’ hormones. There is no better time to light this candle and enjoy its scent than when you are felling sad or blue. Bergamot is also a wonderful flavor to add into tea and can provide these benefits as well!
- Holiday Season Feels
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The two candle scents that I would recommend for the winter holiday seasons are Balsam & Cedar and Apples & Cinnamon. For the fall season, spanding until around Thanksgiving, the Apples & Cinnamon scent is perfect! Smelling it takes me back to apple picking in the orchards with my family and using the apples to make apple pie and apple crisp. Yum! Balsam & Cedar candles smell exactly like Christmas! There is nothing better than sitting on your couch next to your fireplace and decorated Christmas tree and smelling this candle. I would truly consider this scent to be my happy place.
Many people think that candles are simply something to ‘get rid of the bad smell’ or something that is aesthetically pleasing to look at. But candles are more than that. They are a way to express how you are feeling on top of a way to make a room smell good. By picking a candle that matches your mood, you are able to reflect on your current mental state and validate your emotions regardless if they are negative or positive.
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