Diary of a Smell

A daily routine for connection.

I’ve got this morning routine of starting my day connecting with a scent. To me, it’s really joyful and rewarding. The scent reveals a lot about itself and, at the same time, ends up giving me valuable advice in return. You’d be surprised how much communication there is between your nose (brain) and a smell. 

I like to capture the experience in a notebook, so I can really focus. Listening to the scent and then putting what I hear into words helps me process the information better. The daily entries become a sort of “diary of smells”.    

Here’s how it works, in case you want to try it yourself. 

I go to my collection of essential oils, close my eyes, and grab a random bottle (I love the surprise!). If you don’t have essential oils, you can use any aromatic item; take something out of your pantry like an herb or spice, for example. The key is that the item has a smell. 

Then I find a quiet place to sit, grab my notebook and pen, and set my phone timer for 5 minutes. Try to minimize distractions by putting your phone on silent, no music, or outside disturbances (maybe close the door). 

Start by bringing the scented item to your nose and smelling for 5 seconds. It’s the initial impression you’re looking for. Simply take it in and then begin writing down what you smell. How does the scent present themselves (think of meeting a person)? Describe the smell as much as you can.

Now smell again, this time listening for what the scent is telling you? What advice are they giving you? What are they saying to you? This is challenging at first because we’re not used to reflecting back onto ourselves, but it’s where the magic lies. You’d be surprised how revealing the scent is. 

Today I thought I’d share from my own diary, smelling jasmine...