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Aromatherapy Tips Before Midterms

Karen Chang
Melody A. Chang
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Berkeley chapter.

 

Amid balancing those midterms and those hefty extracurriculars, from sports practices to rehearsals, stress may seem inevitable and even difficult to manage. However, why not take notes from some of autumn’s coziest scents, be it those vanilla cookies, pumpkin spice lattes, or the reassuring scent of pine? Beyond smelling heavenly, these scents could just help you with concentrating on preparing that exam, relieve stress for those bouts of anxiety, and boost your mood so your autumn will be just as wonderful as it smells! Try using diffusers, or even making your own with your friends through essential oils and bamboo skewers!

    

Vanilla

It’s not just sweet smelling, but it can be an optimal mood booster for those dreary days! From being able to enhance brain and mood health with magnesium, potassium and manganese to reduce stress and tension, the scent of vanilla can also elevate your mood by increasing serotonin and dopamine levels!

 

Cinnamon

Trying to sharpen your mind? Well, cinnamon may be just the key to an optimal study session. Its wealth of antioxidants can help boost your memory for studying, and it also contains powerful antioxidants as manganese, which is optimal for maintaining proper brain health. Furthermore, it

can improve cognition and reduce oxidation in human brain, which could be great for maintaining good health especially during your exams!

 

Pine

Stressed out from all the exams and homework? Smelling pine can help you relieve stress and optimize concentration levels for when you need to take a deserved break from all that studying. Beyond calming you, it can also increase metabolism levels and boost activity levels!

 

Apples

Another migraine or headache got you down? Why not try smelling apples! According to studies from Health Impact News, smelling green apple oil has shown to be able to relieve migraine pain, and could further help elevate your mood!

 

Above all, don’t forget to find moments of solace and appreciate the beauty of fall during midterm season! It’s perfectly fine to take breaks, especially to recuperate from stress, and find simple ways to elevate your mood or relax during this time! You’ve got this!

 

(Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/nutritional-benefits-of-vanilla-bean-for-your-mind-and-mood/

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/aromatherapy-can-help-reduce-anxiety/))

Karen Chang

UC Berkeley '22

A current first-year at UC Berkeley, Karen Chang is deeply passionate about writing short stories in cafes, dabbling in exploring the intersection between art and culture, and indulging in occasional Netflix binges. In her free time, she can be found trying eclectic dishes from around the world and going on an occasional hiking trip!
Melody A. Chang

UC Berkeley '19

As a senior undergraduate, I seek out all opportunities that expand my horizons, with the aim of developing professionally and deepening my vision of how I can positively impact the world around me. While most of my career aims revolve around healthcare and medicine, I enjoy producing content that is informative, engaging, and motivating.  In the past few years, I have immersed myself in the health field through working at a private surgical clinic, refining my skills as a research assistant in both wet-lab and clinical settings, shadowing surgeons in a hospital abroad, serving different communities with health-oriented nonprofits, and currently, exploring the pharmaceutical industry through an internship in clinical operations.  Career goals aside, I place my whole mind and soul in everything that I pursue whether that be interacting with patients in hospice, consistently improving in fitness PR’s, tutoring children in piano, or engaging my creativity through the arts. Given all the individuals that I have yet to learn from and all the opportunities that I have yet to encounter in this journey, I recognize that I have much room and capacity for growth. Her Campus is a platform that challenges me to consistently engage with my community and to simultaneously cultivate self-expression.