Interventions to Manage Anxiety, Part 3: Using Your 5 Senses to Calm

Using our 5 senses to calm our anxiousness is one of the simplest interventions to manage anxiety.  At the first signal of anxiousness, you can begin calming your mind and body by engaging all 5 senses.

• Smell. The brain has an intricate relationship with our sense of smell.  There are files of memories in our brain that are categorized by smell alone.  Several scents are associated with relaxation, including lavender, jasmine, and bergamot.  You can use an essential oil blend, like Tranquility, in your diffuser while you sleep to induce calm throughout the night.  However, when experiencing panic, use a rollerball, like the Serenity Rollerball in the palm of your hand, up to your face, to breathe in.
   
• Touch. The second step in using your senses to calm is to engage your sense of touch.  Stick your bare feet in the grass or in your pool, soak up the sunlight, feel the wind, splash cool water on your face, snuggle your furry friend, wrap up in a blanket, etc.  Sometimes on-the-go a stress puddy, such as Pinch Me can be just what you need.
   
• Sight. Nature has a plethora of sights that naturally calm our stress and can be helpful during panic.  Watching the wind rustle the trees or a squirrel rummage for food can be a simple stimulus that allows the body to instinctively calm.  A body of water is the most ideal spot. Stake out a place that you can go to see the water, even if it’s a local water fountain. 
  Sometimes, it’s the absence of stimuli that we need to help us calm.  Closing our eyes (with a cool washcloth) can also be helpful in calming the body and mind.  
   
• Taste. Pick out your favorite soothing drink, such as Tazo’s Calming Chamomile Tea to engage your taste buds.  Drinks with caffeine or alcohol are not recommended as an effective long-term approach to reducing anxiousness, however the alternatives are endless.  Pick something that soothes you!
   
• Sound. Sound is my favorite of the senses to engage when calming.  Yes natural sounds are amazing through outdoors or apps, but this is your chance to make your playlist!   Put together your favorite music that you can turn on in a moment of panic. 

The Sweet Spot.   The sweet spot is your special place that engages all 5 senses simultaneously, such as the ocean. Do your homework, find a place local that you can access easily where you can take a moment to calm your mind and body utilizing all of your senses.   

Stay Tuned for Interventions to Manage Anxiety Part 4: Calming through Breath