As goofy as it might seem, Idunno, aromatherapy has probably been the most useful thing I've ever used when it comes to trying to deal with anxiety and agitation.

Years ago I had a very stressful office job combined with dysphoric mania symptoms, and I had a few candles in my bottom desk drawer. Sometimes when nobody was around I would just put my face in one of the candle jars and just deeply breathe for like five minutes.

I still use this sort of thing to this day, whether it is putting my face in candles, putting my face in cloth sprayed with perfume, or putting my face in my hands after using a scented lotion. Just breathing in a fragrance that I find very pleasant and just focusing on that breathing and the fragrance. It's like my own version of quick meditation or mind-clearing and calming.

Of course during the worst parts of my worst episodes, it doesn't do much in a pinch. But just generally trying to make my environments smell nice (to me) makes a surprising difference as far as trying to keep my mood steady. And during the not-worst moments that are still pretty bad, it's kind of amazing to me how soothing a good smell can be if I just focus on breathing it in.

This is compared to various mental exercises, as well as a slew of other coping techniques I've been advised to try over the years. I've actually never had a mental health professional suggest aromatherapy techniques, which makes me wonder if this is just a weird me-thing or if it should be suggested more often.

I tend to go for earthy stuff, like
- Patchouli
- Sandalwood
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Mint
- Lily Of The Valley
- Hyacinth
- Pine
(Basically anything that smells like wood or dirt, foresty, with a touch of herb or floral, tends to do the trick for me.)
Those all tend to be very relaxing.

Then citrus, maybe combined with mint or pine, tends to help me feel a little more 'uplifted' during a bad depression day.

I mean don't get me wrong here, candles don't just cure my bipolar issues. If that was all it took, I would have gotten my life together many years ago. But it does seem to help take an edge off sometimes.

Any of you use aromatherapy to help with your moods at all?
What are your fragrances of choice?