MANIFESTATION IS THE LATEST (SO-CALLED) ‘WELLNESS’ CRAZE. If you haven’t heard of this (unlikely) it’s the idea that you can literally make your dreams a reality – you only have to want/believe in it enough. Celebrities are so called proof it works, as demonstrated by Twitters latest billboard ads, and influencers swear by it. But can your dreams just get handed to you on a plate or is this just #wishfulthinking?
MANIFESTING THE TRUTH
Our friends at British GQ state that ‘manifesting, has gone viral.’ This is a culture of positive affirmation, channeling positive energy into your hopes and dreams, in anticipation that the universe will provide. As reported by the BBC, studies now show that 'manifestation is proving harmful to people’s long-term mental wellbeing', leading to depression when these aspirations don’t manifest themselves into reality. There’s a real danger that today’s youth are being encouraged to believe that they just have to believe in something hard enough and that the some cosmic power will manifest it into reality. Is it me, or does this sound a bit like a cult movement?...
So far, so ominous. But what’s interesting is why this trend ‘manifested’ in the first place. At the heart of the manifestation trend is people’s need for hope, aspiration and positivity. And sometimes just a belief in a higher power in times of uncertainty, when things feel out of our control. While we remain heavily pessimistic about manifestation itself – we are passionate advocates of the act of daydreaming and ‘thinking for pleasure’. “The good news is that for many of us daydreams are a genuine source of happiness!” says a spokesman for a recent Synseal study.
DAYDREAMING IS THE NEW MINDFULNESS
So what is this ‘thinking for pleasure’ trend - and how do daydreams differ from manifestation? Well firstly, daydreaming is not all sexually-explicit musings or aimless mind-wanderings as is conventionally thought. Daydreaming is the act of indulging your subconscious and positively fantasizing about everyday desires – this can range from winning the lottery to a once in a lifetime vacation, as well as those other musings we just mentioned ;). (If you want to know more about what type of daydreamer are you - look out for our new blog post, coming soon). Think of them as a form of therapeutic entertainment and momentary escapism – rather than forced self-fulfilling prophecies. These types of positive daydreams have been scientifically proven to alleviate stress and anxiety, as well as improving our general state of wellbeing.
But how do you activate your brains 'daydream mode'? (yes that’s a real thing!). Funnily enough we asked the very same question, and found that scent is the most powerful sensory trigger for activating this part of the brain which powers our subconscious imagination. So, move over manifestation, as scent-inspired daydreaming is the wellness craze that really works. Whether you fancy daydreaming about being an adrenaline-pumping STORM CHASER or what life’s like in the MILE HIGH CLUB – we have a scent for that.
Our advice - stop manifesting and start daydreaming.
Happy DAYDREAMIN’ 💙