I Hold My Breath When…

Someone Stinks

Over time, our sense of smell changes. You may be unaffected by a smell until someone teaches you that odor is one that stinks!

Your thoughts begin to reinforce the idea that what you smell is stinky until you can barely tolerate it. You separate yourself from that smell by holding your breath, covering up the smell with other scents, or exiting the space with the smell.

Since appreciation for smells can be cultural, based on familiarity, or tied to a specific experience, so can the belief that something stinks. With a bit of effort, you can alter your perception of odor.

Take some time to smell something that you avoid. Pay attention to the different parts of the smell. See what memories come up when you relax into the smell. Reframe what you smell. Over time, repeated exposure to a specific smell and an effort to change how you think about that smell can eliminate your need to hold your breath.