I inherited from my mother a quick reaction to certain scents. For her, it is patchouli oil; I also react strong to patchouli oil (used in perfumes) as well as to certain flowers, herbs, and plants.
As I walked from my cube to the back stairs to grab a Pepsi for the afternoon haul, I was instantly struck by a heavy, sweet scent that gave me an instant headache and made my sinus areas flare. I cannot tell it if it is someone's lotion, the many flowers, pointsettas, and wreaths around the office, or someone's perfume that triggered it, but the reaction was swift and the effects are lingering.
Like many things, once I sense it I cannot get it out of my head. I am now hypersensitive to everything around me with a smell. My boss just made her popcorn, another scent I don't care for, and it is causing me discomfort. The guy next to me has shoes with an oddly rubbery smell (like they have been wet too long) that is bothering me. I can smell the soil in Fred's (my cubicle plant) pot! Even the dirty chemical smell from the recently cleaned carpet is suddenly annoying me.
Hopefully this reaction will ease back in a few minutes as the headache passes and my senses come under control.
When you are living in cubicle land every day, people must try to be cognizant of those around them. Perfume, oils, flowers, plants, the food they eat, smoking, and even natural body odors can be pervasive and annoying to those around you. It is important to listen for reactions, or to ask your fellow cube-huggers, if the scents you use often are bad for those around you. If you don't, you may find yourself in the middle of a biological war with everyone's noses the primary victims!
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A coworker of mine is also very scent sensitive and finds she gets headaches and sinus related problems when she encounters such scents. One product she does use that seems to help her is the medicated stick called HEADON. She keeps it in her purse and will use it if she feels any of those symptoms coming on.
ReplyDeleteSorry to pass on such a nasty gene. Yesterday, it was the double whammy: patchouli oil on a customer at Wal-Mart, followed by the huge stack of new tires at the nearby Sam's Club.
ReplyDeleteScents are akin to smoke issues: if/when a scent triggers me to illness, either I have to leave or the offender has to leave. Where does one person's right to wear odors infringe on another's right to work in a scent-free workplace?
It appears that many people have no idea how strong their scents can be--and do NOT like to have that pointed out to them.
I've found people who don't get it just don't get it. Kind of like the smoking issue. You can smoke in your home, but I HAVE to be in this space to get to my workplace. Or you can smell nice at home, but I HAVE to be in this space to work. If I can't breathe, then I can't work. If you've got the offending scent... one of us has to leave the workplace. Sigh. It's just so darned frustrating that people just don't get that it's not a favour I'm asking, it's not that I'm trying to be rude or obnoxious, I'm not trying to take away their rights. I'm only trying to make sure that I live! My asthma gets triggered by the most random of scents. ugh. Thank goodness for a "smoke free" province!
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