How I Use Fake Flowers for a Mental Health Boost Without Triggering a Painful Memory

How I Use Fake Flowers for a Mental Health Boost Without Triggering a Painful Memory

Johan Brown

Even now, if I see a flower store or a coworker enter the building with a bouquet they received for some kind of celebration, I still wrinkle my nose. Even yet, I can't help but have a soft spot for flowers.

I adore how they seem. I love how they add color to the otherwise gloomy neighborhood lined with gray and beige homes. But the scents bring me straight back my mother's funeral.

Artificial Flowers

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I've found the answer to my problem: artificial flowers. Fake flowers may seem inappropriate to some, yet they are sustainable and eco-friendly. If you don't like flowers, have allergies, have children or pets that want to knock things over, or if you have any of those things, artificial flowers can be a fantastic alternative.

Have you ever smelled anything and then instantly remembered something? Perhaps it was a scent you picked up while baking or a laundry detergent that brought back memories of your mother's brand when you were a child. These smells may be comforting and grounding or cause an unintentional recollection of unpleasant memories.

Fragrance Is The Strongest Memory

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Elizabeth Harvey Abrams, a certified mental health counselor in New Mexico, says, "Of all the senses, the fragrance may be the most strong trigger of memory, frequently bringing up emotions that accompany the memory." "The fragrance linked with it may immediately transport you back to that situation if the recollection is terrible."

Even if you dislike how flowers smell, you can enjoy the colors, textures, and organic forms. I'm always in awe of hummingbirds and the flowers that attract them whenever I see one skimming across my neighbor's blackberry bush.

A Unique Significance

Pexels / Unchalee Srirugsar

Flowers have had a unique significance for humanity throughout recorded history, according to Abrams, signifying the birth of life and beauty into the world. Flowers can lift your spirits and lessen depressive symptoms by fostering a connection to nature.

Making a flower arrangement, for instance, maybe a way to convey feelings in concrete ways. According to Abrams, "authentic expressing and processing of emotions is a crucial aspect of maintaining wellness."