How using our senses can ground us in the now

Picture this tale of two meals:

Meal one: You’re in a hurry, eating your lunch without much thought. Your mind is focused on what has to be done next. All you can think about is the long list of tasks ahead. You feel guilty taking time away from work for a few minutes’ break. You finish your sandwich and realize you barely tasted it. Your stomach roils with indigestion and you sigh dejectedly. We’ve all been there. It happens. But it kinda sucks.

Meal two: You’re sitting on your patio, where the cool breeze tousles your hair as you leisurely enjoy your sandwich and sip your iced tea. The sun’s warmth feels amazing on your skin. A neighbor just mowed their lawn, and the smell of the fresh grass drifts toward you. A bird lands on a nearby branch and sings. You can hear the kids down the street playing in their backyard. Time seems to almost stop. You just want to sit and inhabit this moment forever.

What was the difference between these two scenarios? Well, for one, the first meal reflects many peoples’ reality — life is busy and sometimes we have to eat in a hurry. But also, meal one reflects a shortage of sensory awareness due to being rushed. In the second scenario, we’re able to slow down and be in the moment, and our awareness of the sights, smells, sounds and feeling of the warm sun all help put us in a blissful state of relaxation.

There are certain things we can’t change, or maybe we don’t see how we can right now (like the hurried lunch). But maybe there’s ways we can sneak a little sensory awareness into our day — and reap some amazing wellness benefits as a result.

There’s actually an anxiety-management technique built around this concept. It goes like this: What are 5 things I can see? 4 things I can physically feel? 3 things I can hear? 2 things I can smell? 1 thing I can taste?

We can borrow from that to inhabit our space and ground ourselves in a moment, letting our pulse and breath rate slow as we take in the details of the world around us — not in a hypervigilant way, as we would in a “fight-or-flight” state, but rather in a gently mindful, relaxed way.

This is difficult to do when we are under pressure to meet a tight deadline, or we have a million errands to do after work and feel exhausted. And we are human after all, so sometimes we just do the best we can do to get through the day. But maybe we can find a small pocket of time to appreciate the delicate way a big, fuzzy bee collects nectar from a flower, or the way a coworker’s laugh transforms her face and the whole energy of the room. Even noticing small, ordinary things — the way the garage smells (anyone else weirdly love this like I do?), how the grass crunches under our feet, the rubbery feel of a new bud on a tree — can ground us in the moment and help decrease our stress just a little. It can also help us zoom out from the race of the day for a moment, and feel connected to the greater thrum of life. And sometimes, feeling more interconnected with the world can make life feel just a little better.

Want extra support in your wellness journey? I’m here to walk alongside you and explore what that change might look like, whether it be increasing your energy level and mental clarity, reducing stress, sleeping better and feeling more rested, rediscovering your career passion, or reconnecting with loved ones. Schedule a free 15-minute wellness coaching consultation here.