MANAGE STRESS BY FEEDING YOUR SENSES
Awakening and engaging our senses provides us with valuable information and guidance that can assist us in evaluating and managing stress. Rather than forcing our body to submit to the direction of our mind alone, we can learn to work with it, instead of against it. We become allies and friends, rather than antagonistic co-habitants.
Consider how you’ve viewed your body through your life. Is it a valuable part of you? Or, is it an annoying and obstinate handicap to your happiness and peace of mind? Have you historically listened to its signals, or shoved them aside and pushed yourself onward? As part of a generation of women who wanted “to do it all”, I know I certainly pushed myself harder than was healthy for many years in all areas of my life.
A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE BODY
Most women of our generation have spent years, if not decades, trying to control and micro-manage the perceived whims of our body. We have forced any number of starvation diets upon it, over fed it in moments of despair and frustration, overworked it, ignored and neglected it, criticized and scolded it, and generally did not treat it as well as we treated our pets. No wonder it is rebelling now!
Step back for a moment and see if you view your body as a separate entity, a being in its own right. It is your friend, a guide, a powerful resource for your health and well-being. It has the ability to offer guidance and quiet, gentle support when we choose to tune into its voice. Consider giving up the need to “manage” it and let your body tell you what it needs. When we learn its language, and each body has its own unique language, we are better able to cooperate with its real needs, rather than against them.
RELAXATION IS KEY
If you’re having difficulty tuning in to your senses, it may be because your thinking mind has taken over. An overactive mind will block our ability to feel. We find we are mentally evaluating or thinking about what we are doing, rather than experiencing it fully. The key to reducing the thinking mind is through relaxation. Following are a few ways you help your body relax.
- Take several long, slow deep breaths. Slowing your breathing provides an automatic signal to your body telling it to relax.
- Tune into guided meditation on apps like Insight Timer.
- Listen to “spa music” on your favorite music app.
CBD For Relaxation
CBD, or cannabidiol, is quickly becoming one of the most popular natural remedies for relaxation and stress relief. While CBD is derived from the hemp plant, it’s completely non-psychoactive and doesn’t cause any intoxication associated with marijuana. In other words, you can relax without worrying about feeling “high”. Delta 9 Gummies are a great way to get your daily dose of CBD for relaxation. Each Delta 9 Gummy contains 10mg of 99% pure hemp-derived CBD isolate with no THC or other psychoactive ingredients. In addition, Delta 9 Gummies come in flavours like strawberry and blue raspberry, making them an enjoyable way to relax and unwind.
FEED THE SENSES
Our senses are our body’s most powerful receptors and indicators. Notice how your body responds to your environment. As you go through your day stop a moment when you see, smell or taste something good or beautiful and tune into the of the sensations in your body that there in that moment. Listen. Try not to judge or evaluate, just perceive. Likewise, when you encounter a stressful or unpleasant sensation, tune in and notice. What is your body experiencing? Is your body tense or relaxed? If it is tensing, where in your body is this sensation? Is your throat constricting? Do you have a “knot” in your stomach? Are you feeling back twinges?
Tuning into physical sensations in our body is an essential practice for healing and improving our overall well-being. The more aware we become of its voice and guidance, the less often we will attempt to override it and the more adept we will become at working with our body instead of against it.
PRACTICES THAT WILL AWAKEN YOUR SENSES
- Experiment with essential oils; choose a few favorites and use them when you are feeling stressed or tired.
- Experiment with water; soak in a bath, drink more of it, wash your dishes by hand rather than tossing them in the dishwasher, soak your feet in a soothing foot bath
- Splurge on a massage; or a session with a reflexologist
- Get a pedicure and/or manicure
- Walk barefoot
- Spend time in nature, but close your eyes and smell, listen and feel the air on your skin
- Hold a rock, a crystal, a piece of wood. Close your eyes and feel the weight and texture of it.
These suggestions are just a very small beginning. The key to achieving health and well-being is to:
- Tune in to sensations
- Increase your awareness and understanding of your body’s reactions and responses
- Using your body’s guidance system, gently move yourself toward positive influences and away from negative.
- Little by little, add positive physical support into your life and remove draining and depleting elements.
© Dorothy Sander
HOW TO RECOVER FROM STRESS OVERLOAD
DEVELOPING A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
You may enjoy a “Sound Bath” to expand your senses and heal your body. Laurie did!
Discover more from Aging Abundantly
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Thanks for the helpful tips here. My sister, visiting from Pennsylvania, brought with her Tom Gale’s CD, Hypnotherapy for Deep Sleep, Relaxation, and Confidence. We’ve taken long walks. Tomorrow we have appointments for a pedicure. I tend to neglect self-care, but not this week. Great post, Dorothy!
Sounds like a wonderful visit with your sister! I’m headed to Virginia for a couple of days with my sisters. We’ve gotten much better at relaxing and enjoying our time together. I have a sister who wants to be always on the go and often drives the ship! Last time, we took in a movie, had a nice dinner out and the rest of the time walked and talked. I’m hoping for the same this time as I am in recovery mode and determined to get back to myself before my grand-baby is born. Enjoy your visit!
Hi Dorothy,
I loved reading these strategies for managing stress more effectively. Another way to increase awareness of sensations and the body’s reaction to stress is to do a body scan – close your eyes and “scan” your body from head to toe very slowly, checking for and releasing tensions. My biggest vice is not getting enough sleep – I have to force myself. Lavender helps with that, too.
I love this one! It works for me in the most amazing ways. Invariably I discover something going on that was just beneath the surface of my awareness, allowing me to tune in and address the issue. Thanks for reminding me of this stress reduction method. I’m all about Sleepy Time tea. I like lavender, but it makes me sneeze! Thanks for your input, Kathy.