Scents for Depression - when you're down and need a boost

[atomic*orange]

Right on, LushNatty.

 

It may sound silly, but be kind to yourself. I would get down on myself for being down/feeling isolated/being trapped in a crappy job, which made things worse. I learned to cut myself some slack, acknowledge my feelings, try for some perspective, and go from there--but it took work to get there. And by all means don't be afraid to talk to someone who's trained to handle such things if you need to.

 

As far as TAL, I have plans for a bottle of White Light as soon as the site goes live. Seems like it would be good for clearing out the assorted psychic debris one can accumulate.

 

I've also had great, unexpected results with Block Buster. Several weekends ago and in the foulest, most hopeless mood I opened my bottle for the heck of it...and it (or something, anyway) really kicked me out of my funk and made the little yet seemingly overwhelming things much easier to deal with. Doesn't hurt that it smells fabulous. YMMV of course, but it's a thought.

[coulrophobe]

In the voodoo oils, I find Chuparosa to be quite uplifting (to my nose, it's happy little humming birds zooming around a huge old-fashioned rose bush that's tangled up in honeysuckle). In the TALs, I'd go for White Light, if you can get your hands on any.

 

Other than that, it really depends on what notes are comforting, uplifting, etc. due to associations. I'm a big fan of mints (Cathode, Mad Hatter) for energizing and uplifting, clean white florals (Pele, The Unicorn) for feeling peaceful, perfumey leathers (Loviatar) for making me feel sexy and confident when I haven't felt that way for too long, and musks (Morocco, Antique Lace) for making me feel like "me" when I'm out of sorts. Fruits and spices are also scent categories that just make me feel good, whether they're happy-fresh-bubbly (Titania, Jester) or warm and homey (Carnal, any of the autumnal blends).

[Beatrice33]

Hi wonderful forumites,

 

I'm hoping to find and oil to help me get through a rocky time. I'm not feeling sure of myself, not grounded or self-confident, and although I know an oil can't solve all my issues, I'm looking for something to help with my mind and emotions as I figure out how to get back on track. Something for strength, inner peace, confidence, or any combination of the three.

 

I am considering ordering, but haven't smelled yet:

High John the Conquerer

Tarot: Strength

Queen

White Light, when I'm able to get my hands on a TAL oil!

 

What I'm wondering is if anyone has thoughts on these oils, or any others I may not have thought of, and how they would fit my purpose. I love vanilla, amber and spice scents, like tea and some fresh scents, usually don't like rose on my skin. The voodoo scents I've tried so far have each seemed to have an herbally thing going on that didn't sit well with me, or had too much of a "candy" note that I couldn't stomach. Some of my scents faves so far are: Snake Charmer and Snake Oil, Devil's Night, Hetairae, Morocco, Midway, Sudha Segara, Kumiho, Spirits of the Dead.

 

I'm open to any type of scent, though, as I'm looking for more something that might help me out.

 

TIA for any suggestions!

 

~Bea

[Diana]

Hi wonderful forumites,

 

I'm hoping to find and oil to help me get through a rocky time. I'm not feeling sure of myself, not grounded or self-confident, and although I know an oil can't solve all my issues, I'm looking for something to help with my mind and emotions as I figure out how to get back on track. Something for strength, inner peace, confidence, or any combination of the three.

 

I am considering ordering, but haven't smelled yet:

High John the Conquerer

Tarot: Strength

Queen

White Light, when I'm able to get my hands on a TAL oil!

 

Queen made me feel super confident. It seemed to be mostly vetiver, which is not something I really enjoy, but it worked for me regardless. I like Water of Notre Dame as a calming potion. Plenty of the Voodoo oils seem to be for calming or fortification; grab a couple and experiment. They are easy enough to get in imps that you should be able to narrow down one that you find works the way you'd like it to.

 

White Light is an oil that really does require specific actions to be taken for it to work. It's not a "use as perfume and be swell" kind of oil. Most, if not all of the TALs are in the category of "magical use" not "perfume." If that still seems up your alley, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, if you can track some down!

 

You may also look into the Panacea blends. They are aromatherapy blends; use them by applying them and inhaling them, not necessarily wearing them as perfume, but you could do that. Moxie is great for confidence, Lustration or Succor might help with inner peace.

 

Some of my scents faves so far are: Snake Charmer and Snake Oil, Devil's Night, Hetairae, Morocco, Midway, Sudha Segara, Kumiho, Spirits of the Dead.

 

Wearing something that you love and treasure and you find to be a very "you" scent is also a great way to go! If it makes you smell good and that in turn lifts your spirit, I think that kind of achieves what you want.

 

Good luck!

[Capriquarius]

I don't know which, if any, of these voodoo blends you've tried, but you may want to consider: Has No Hanna, Wolf's Heart, Van Van, Water of Notre Dame, or even Block Buster. I love them all and really notice that they help me. Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo is wonderful, too, but I have a hunch you maybe tried it and felt it was too candy-ish. Soo...that being said, High John the Conqueror is awesome, and it smells slightly sweet, with maybe gardenia or magnolia? I tend to wear that one to work, as it's unobtrusive. Also, it tends to work best, IMHO, with improving others' opinion of you, rather than your own self-image. Maybe that's just me. I think you might also have good luck with some of the Panacea blends (unfortunately they're only available in 10 ml, but you could check the swap forums), like Moxie (smells like citrus), Succor, Lustration, or Quietude. Also as a side note, Sudha Segara is my comfort scent! I always wear it when I'm feeling down. Good luck and I hope you get through this tough time!

 

ETA: Diana, you read my mind!

Edited January 25, 2006 by Capriquarius

[Beatrice33]

Thank you, Capriquarius and Diana! I'm looking into all of your suggestions. I haven't tried all the voodoo blends, and I'm going to need to read reviews to see which ones might be good that I haven't tried. I feel an order coming on... :-)

[ladyfair]

I've been going through alot lately too. The two that I have been using the most is High John and Moxie and they seem to be helping. I have also been using Nuclear Winter at night cause the mint seems to help me calm down.

Good luck with everything you are going through and I hope things get better soon.

[Mountaingrrl00]

I find certain wood notes very grounding. You mind want to try Kathmandu, which has a strong combination of woods and a spiciness that I think would mesh with your taste.

[Beatrice33]

Thank you for the suggestions, Mountaingrrl and ladyfair! High John is definitely one I'm going to want to try, and Kathmandu I may have tried months ago, but I will dig out the imp, if I still have it, and give it a whirl.

[minilux]

I suspect you would really like Strength, too. I remember it being very rich, warm and resiny.

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

I find The Cracked Bell very balancing(sort of a confident calm inducing scent).

Doesn't hurt that I love to smell it.

Also,

Thanatos (peace of mind, it helps me come down from being upset and gets me back on solid ground when I feel very wary, emotionally spent or just in need of a boost when feeling discouraged in life, for whatever reason).

I would reccomend Thanatos the most for fitting the bill you're describing, through, as The Cracked Bell is now harder to come by.

 

I hope you find the perfect scent to help you through this rocky period in your life

 

Court

Edited January 26, 2006 by Court Analyst/Strategist

[Beatrice33]

Thanks for the ideas, Court and minilux, I really appreciate it.

 

I've got a tentative order planned, with a number of Voodoo oils I haven't yet tried. I'm also interested in three tarots, and since I can't order imps of them, I was wondering if anyone had more feedback for me.

 

Strength -- seems very appropriate for my situation, and it seems like something I'd also like the scent of.

 

The World -- this sounds grounding and wonderful, too

 

The Sun -- this sounds uplifting and delicious as well.

 

Any thoughts? I can't afford to get all three as bottles unsniffed, so I'd love any guidance from anyone familiar with these ones.

 

Thank you!!

 

~Bea

[aedes]

I would give them all a try first before buying bottles of them, that's for certain. I found a lot of the Tarot and Voodoo imps to be surprising. Strength smells like orange spicy goodness to me, for example. The World smells slightly aquatic, I think, with sandalwood and a buncha stuff. The Sun is nice and warm and comforting, though I think there might be others that do the same job better.

 

I know that, when I need some chutzpah, I just go for the scent I'm most comfortable in. No second-guessing during the day over whether or not it's turned funky, whether it works with the outfit, whether my coworkers like it. Nope. F- 'em all. I also tend to go for more masculine scents at times like that.

 

My faves for strength and confidence are Hades, The Lion (it really does smell... Lion-y!), maybe Iago (some people might get the same mileage out of Wanda or De Sade), oh and speaking of chutzpah, Moxie! Though I do find the TAL blends to be touch-and-go in terms of aesthetics, they are trying to do a job first and foremost. But if you like how it smells, baby do your thing!

Edited January 26, 2006 by aedes

[septima_pica]

I find that for self-confidence and strength, I do best when I wear those scents that reflect what I want myself to be and the persona in which I feel strongest. In fact, these are the things I wear most often. For me, this is Dee and Laudanum. Your results may vary depending on how you see yourself.

Just my two cents...

[WaltzforZizi]

A scent that I really noticed makes me feel good about myself is Red Phoenix. It made me feel stronger and more confident. Which is really odd for me as I normally don't associate perfumes with emotions or my well being. Usually it's either I like the scent or I don't. Don't get me wrong I love Red Phoenix, but it's one of the first that made me feel like that.

 

Also, I got a frimp of Wolfsbane, not exactly a scent I crave. But it was a scent that made me feel comfortable. I don't know why exactly but I like to wear it when I'm feeling jittery.

 

So that's just the opinion of a lowly newbie. So you may want take it with a grain of salt.

[jewelbug]

I've been having a really rough couple of months--multiple eye surgeries (personal hell for anyone, but especially someone senstive about eye-touching), and big medical bills, and the stress of a new job and, well...you get the idea.

 

The offshoot is that I get really easily stressed and depressed now (I'm normally such an upbeat person). That plus the scariness everytime i have to go into surgery again, and I'm really starting to need an extra boost.

 

I was thinking that some of the voodoo blends would be perfect, but i just found out that I need another surgery this week, and I wouldn't be able to order them in time.

 

Does anyone have catalog suggestions? Something to calm/give strength or courage/make me happier? (I have 100-some imps here, so its a good chance i'll have some of what's suggested)

 

Thanks for the help!

[darklorelei]

Moooooxie! For courage, natch. And happy.

[sookster]

these voodoo blends....

 

auntie caroline's joy mojo

high john the conquerer

and

wolf's heart.....

[jarvenpa]

Oh, goodness. I am sending you very good thoughts. Someone more experienced with the BPAL fragrances will have very wise recommendations I know.

I note you have a big bottle of Antique Lace--for me that's the ultimate comfort scent.

But what sorts of fragrances make you, personally, feel safe and centered? I'd go with whatever ones you associate with the qualities you need.

May you come through all this with grace and strength.

[Mountaingrrl00]

I've always found Intrigue grounding and comforting. From your profile I see that you like woods and figs, so it might be just the thing.

[heysunshine]

Bumping this thread 'cause I am in serious need. I've fallen into a depressive episode and after three years of being on my meds they're not quite treating me for what I need anymore so I'm anywhere between feeling sluggish and crappy to an absolute mess. Since I moved over here from NY I've been getting my prescriptions filled there and sent to me but my doc wants me to find someone over here and I've begun the search; only, I can't see my GP for two weeks for counselling or a referral and I'm really stuck. It's extra hard for me now since my depression is getting in the way of my school work which is why I moved to another country to begin with. I'm all alone here and all I've got for treatment other than the meds is my BPAL. My regular mood lifting scents are working for me now so what I need is recs or more information on Panacea and the Voodoo blends and which ones I should try out since determining exactly what can help soothe me is difficult. I'm not looking for a cure in perfume but something to help me cope would be wonderful

Edited January 9, 2008 by heysunshine

[lizardqueen]

to you heysunshine.

 

I wanted to echo wickedgoddess's recommendation from the previous page for TAL's Lionheart. I suspect other TAL blends would fit the bill, too, but that and Protection are the only ones I've tried so far.

 

Also, not sure where you came from in NY or are now in the UK, but I wonder if the advent of winter at a higher latitude is part of what's affecting you? (I've struggled with SAD at higher latitudes, and I moved to Kansas from New Mexico a few months ago, and while it's only about a 4 degree difference, but I swear I can feel it.) If you think that might be it, could you maybe invest in a sun therapy lamp? (Too rich for my blood, at least at the moment, but they seem like they might be helpful...)

[willowtreeling]

TKO makes me feel safe and cozy and happy...I smile when I put it on, every time. What else...hmm...Dragon's Milk and Dorian are my happy time scents. I love to smell Penny Dreadful, too, it makes me feel grounded and happy. Xiu makes me think of sunshine and summer

[Mrs.Black]

Bumping this thread 'cause I am in serious need. I've fallen into a depressive episode and after three years of being on my meds they're not quite treating me for what I need anymore so I'm anywhere between feeling sluggish and crappy to an absolute mess. Since I moved over here from NY I've been getting my prescriptions filled there and sent to me but my doc wants me to find someone over here and I've begun the search; only, I can't see my GP for two weeks for counselling or a referral and I'm really stuck. It's extra hard for me now since my depression is getting in the way of my school work which is why I moved to another country to begin with. I'm all alone here and all I've got for treatment other than the meds is my BPAL. My regular mood lifting scents are working for me now so what I need is recs or more information on Panacea and the Voodoo blends and which ones I should try out since determining exactly what can help soothe me is difficult. I'm not looking for a cure in perfume but something to help me cope would be wonderful

 

If it has to be BPAL, I´d recommend Aunt Caroline´s Joy Mojo, but my best recommendations would be TALs Radiance of Ra, Anthelion and Peace. Hang in there, heysunshine!

[MeiLin]

Aw, sweetie. I've battled depression for a long, long time myself. Make sure you eat decent and get walks in, even short ones around the block. It helps so very much, and I hate walking. Be as gentle as possible with yourself. As for smellies, you'll know better than I what will make you feel better, but I find Doves Heart to be very soothing. Be well, dear.