Greetings to all who share the wisdom of feng shui!
Summer Slump?
Have you ever experienced midsummer slump? Mood swings and the lows of midsummer doldrums, heat fatigue, post partem blues (even after a splendid vacation), and – could it be possible – boredom will get you down and begging for a change.
With feng shui tools we can diagnose the basic syndrome and come up with a cure. A vision board with mood-lifting images might be one. Another could be the happy tunes of a favorite show, like Mamma Mia for example. Icecream may not be the answer if extra pounds are part of your summer struggle. A small piece of 70 % dark chocolate may stimulate the taste buds, as well as provide the extra phenylethylamine for a quick pick-me-up.
Perhaps you noticed that we are talking about qi (chi) and the senses. Another, often underestimated mood make-over is the qi of our olfactory experience. Sniffing something pleasant is a faster way to cheer up than looking at a treasured souvenir or hearing a favorite song.
Charles Wysocki, PhD, a behavioral neuroscientist at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia says that “the olfactory system is like an interstate highway connection to the emotional part of the brain, while our visual and auditory systems are more like country roads.”
Research shows that the cheeriest scents may be citrus. One study at Ohio State University found that sniffing lemon oil can improve your mood-regulating hormone. Citrus is also recommended to overcome those dreaded 3 pm slumps because the pick-me-up scent of citrus can increase your energy. Stimulating the olfactory nerve inside your nose activates the limbic system of the brain which is associated with mood.
“Citrus scents boost your mood” says Alan Hirsch, MD, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment & Research Foundation in Chicago. He suggests that “age may be in the nose” since women wearing a grapefruit fragrance were perceived by men as being an average of 6 years younger.
The struggle with those extra pounds can also be overcome with scents like green apple, banana or peppermint. Smelling these scents several times a day may cut cravings according to Dr. Hirsch in a study on weight loss where participants lost 30 lbs. in 6 months.
Smell Those Slumps Away
With Pyramid Feng Shui!