Simple Strategies: Using Our Five Senses to Calm and Focus Our Minds
How sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste can be helpful coping tools
Simple Strategies is a series of posts designed to focus on one specific tip. Many of these strategies are not a “one size fits all” solution. They work differently for each individual and situation. In order for them to be useful, they do require practice and consistency. I recommend using them regularly so they are more available and accessible to you when you need them most.
The Problem: Feeling Distressed or Difficulty Focusing
Have you ever had moments when your brain doesn’t want to cooperate and stay on task? Perhaps it is hard to stay in the present moment and you find your thoughts jumping from the past to the future (mental time travel). You get pulled into worrying about things that could happen or ruminating about something upsetting in the past. Perhaps you notice difficulty concentrating and needing more time to accomplish tasks. These experiences can be in response to increased stress or conflict or when we are feeling increased anxiety. What can we do to feel more grounded, calmer, and focused?
Strategy: Use Our Senses to Bring Us Into the Present Moment
Our senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell) are a wonderful resource and are with us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When we attend to our senses it brings our brain into the present moment, what we are experiencing in the here and now. Even though we are constantly using our senses to take in information around us, we don’t always pay attention. It is similar to breathing. We breathe constantly, but when we focus on our breath by inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly, it can have a calming effect on us.
This practice can be done anywhere you are. Sometimes if I am in a beautiful outdoor location I will spend time observing what I see around me. Next, I listen and identify all the sounds I hear. I then take time to focus on the smells of the outdoors, and the way the sun or air feels against my skin (temperature, wind). I can only focus on one sense at a time so each gets their turn. Another example that is part of our daily experience is being intentional and observational about eating and focus on the tastes and textures we experience.
Why Does This Work?
The goal of this strategy is to bring our mind into the present moment and create a break or reset for the brain when needed. At times it may feel like our brain isn’t trainable, however we have the ability to guide it. This is the foundation of mindfulness and why it is considered a practice. Similar to our heart which requires regular exercise to maintain cardiovascular fitness, our brains also need regular “exercise” through moments of focus and meditation. This is especially true in the age of technology which inundates us with constant stimulation, often from multiple sources, throughout the day. It may be surprising (or not) to learn that the brain is not very good at multitasking. This is why when we feel pulled in several directions it can be challenging to accomplish anything. When our emotional distress increases it also makes it difficult for our brain to focus on other tasks. If we direct our brain to focus on something tangible in the present moment it reduces the chances it will get pulled in other unproductive directions.
Want To Learn More?
Research shows that our senses are connected with our neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, etc.) and there are several specific ways to use them to address distress, create calm, and increase focus. Engaging our senses is a tool that can be used to address a variety of concerns associated with ADHD, anxiety, stress, sensory overload, and more. To find more tips on using senses you can access this free resource on using “4 Senses to Activate Clarity, Motivation and Stress-Relief” from Mendability where they design custom brain boost and repair programs to help with neurological conditions (e.g., ADHD, autism, and others). This how-to guide focuses on understanding the connection between our senses and our emotions and how to prime your brain in preparation for an intense day or event. It is freely available to Mental Tune-Ups subscribers (for a limited time) and is a helpful tool. Click here to access the PDF.
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