SIX STEPS:

Sensory Intensive Experiences™️ are any physical activity that you do to engage one of your 5 senses in a deeply focused manner. Spending a few minutes profoundly tuned into your animal body relaxes the nervous system, reassuring it that you are safe and regulated. This calming practice is a beautiful foundation for decision making, overall performance and emotional integrity. It allows the rest of our brains to think more clearly and rationally. Here is how to do it when you are in a quiet spot (public & driving instructions at the end:-):

{With any of these the goal is to isolate the sensory activity tuning out everything else - totally focusing on that one action. When your brain barges in (it will!) gently return focus to the activity with non-judgment (no self talk). Give yourself full permission to get distracted and then redirect back to the activity. Aim for 3-12 minutes.}

1) Choose a sense to engage (touch, hearing, sight, taste, smell)

2) Sit, stand or lay comfortably. Close your eyes

3) Take a few deep breaths

4) Start your sensory action. Examples:

• Touch - gently rub your fingers or palms together, consciously feeling all the textures, temperatures, shapes; stroke your palm or inside of arm, thigh repeatedly; rub the back of your neck or temples; wiggle your feet & each toe; roll a ball under your foot; pet an animal; explore an object with your hands.

• Hearing - locate a sound in your environment and focus on it; play instrumental music in headphones and dive deeply into it; hum to yourself feeling the entire body sensations in ear, throat, vibrations, etc.

• Sight - focus on an object or scene paying attention to every detail you see, shapes, colors, movement, etc. Don’t ‘think’ about them, just LOOK. Look intently at someone’s eyes, facial structure.

• Taste - (for people with eating issues this may not be ideal, but experiment and see how you feel!) what ever you are eating or drinking, engross ‘self in the entire experience from various tastes to textures; chew gum and really attune to the flavor.

• Smell - light a favorite candle and relax into the delicious smell, just breathing it in; same with a perfume, flowers, a food smell (again, possibly tricky), your coffee. Put on yummy lotion and inhale it several times. When snuggled with someone really breath into the way they smell to you.

5) Bring yourself back to your posture. Breathe deeply a few times and open your eyes.

6) Express gratitude to and celebrate yourself for taking a moment to care deeply for your well being.

This is so helpful before an exchange, event, situation that might be causing your some anxiety. Practice it before you have a difficult conversation or challenging emotional event in the immediate future. Before meetings, before calls, before appointments, BEFORE EATING! During eating.

SIE IN PUBLIC OR DRIVING

You can access this soothing practice when people are around in a few stealthy ways:-) It’s also possible while driving as long as you are clearly able to safely drive at the same time!

PUBLIC:

• Touch - just rub a few fingers together or wiggle your feet, rub the seam on a garment, focus on the feel of the pen or binding of notebook in your hand, and so on. People always do these things and no one will notice.

• Hearing - locate a sound far away and hone in there, really listen to the sound of a voice (not the words, just the tones, inflections, rhythm), make a gentle sound yourself like quiet audible breathing.

• Sight - intently gaze at something close to you

• Taste - consciously focus on the taste of your beverage, snack, or gum

• Smell - move your clothing so you can inhale the fragrance of your perfume; put on lotion and deeply appreciate the fragrance; pay attention to another scent in your environment

DRIVING:

For safety, these are the only three I recommend - breathing, touch and hearing.

• Breath - Focus on breathing consciously - don’t count, just tune in while you drive.

• Touch - Really feel the steering wheel. Feel all of the contact points of your body in your seat.

• Hearing - listen with concentration to your music, radio or the sounds of the car and road.