The Power of Scent & Memories 🌺

May 4th, 2025

Issue 28

Weekly Pause & Reset

Mindfully designed to offer healthy lifestyle-design & wellbeing info, tips, inspiration & insights to jumpstart your week.

Scent & Memories

Happy Sunday.

The other day I was in the house while my husband was mowing the lawn, and I was overcome with the smell of fresh cut grass. I was immediately transported to previous summers, happy memories, and oddly enough, a perfume I had when I was a teenager…it was called Grass by Gap (I just googled it and they still make it!).

Scent and our olfactory (sense of smell) system are directly connected to the memory and emotion centers in the brain. Smell is the most primitive sense for humans, with touch coming in at a close second.

When I was in grad school to become an Occupational Therapist, one of my clinical affiliations was at a VA residential hospital with older adults. We led structured sensory groups for the residents with dementia. For these groups, a theme was picked and the sensory items were presented in a sensory hierarchy. The sense of smell was presented first, to “awaken” their memories and to promote engagement and participation.

Knowing there is a direct connection between scent and memory, we can use this to our advantage to form memory scent associations to trigger emotions, experiences or memories. For example, using scents known for calming (i.e. lavender) during bedtime can help our brain associate the scent with falling asleep.

What scents transport you back to a specific memory? How can you harness the power of scent in your life?

Have a great week! 🌿

Steph 🤍

"Scent is the passport to the soul, unlocking hidden chambers of memory." — Marian Bendeth

Speaking of the sense of smell…

This Saturday! A few spots left!

Stop and Smell the Roses: A Mindful DIY Wellness Workshop

Rose-themed workshop — everything is coming up roses! May 10th! Details and Sign up here!

✨ Looking For 2 Participants For a Lifestyle Redesign Opportunity! ✨

As I enter the last leg of the Lifestyle Redesign® OT grad certification, I'm looking for 2 volunteers to be my clients.

Lifestyle Redesign is a form of OT that focuses on the habits, routines, and roles in a person’s lifestyle that can impact overall health and wellbeing (looking at physical activity, nutrition management, sleep, stress-reduction and stress management, etc)

The commitment would entail participating in 8 one-hour-long sessions from late May to late August (approximately every other week-ish). These sessions can be in-person or remote.

If you're curious and open to engaging in this process with me — I'd love to hear from you! Please reply to this email if you're interested or have questions — and thank you for considering!

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EVOLVE & GROW WELLNESS

Health & Wellness Coaching and Occupational Therapy to redefine & redesign your life-balance, add healthy habits & routines, feel more fulfilled, less stressed, and more productive.