Using our senses can help reduce your stress, anxiety, and depression

Did you know that using your 5 senses can help boost your mood?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Stressed?

Does everyday feel like another day wasted to bad vibes?

If your feeling fed up and looking for new perspective in life try these out:

Smell

Seek out scent.

Everyone has that one smell that can transform them back in time to when they were little, or perhaps even a scent that smells like vacation, smelling a favorite flower, the air after raining in spring. Anything you can think of that brings you home inside your mind. Seek out a scent that will help to clear your cloudy mind. (aromatherapy)

Touch

Take a cold shower

There are so many studies out there that can prove how good a cold shower every-now-and-then can be for your mental health and physical health. Taking a cold shower for up to 5 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week helps:

• Increase endorphins
• Improves metabolism
• Improves circulation of blood flow
• Helps fight off illness

Embrace the weather

Get some sun.

The lack of sunlight can affect your mood. So get up, put some sunscreen on and let your skin glow!

Rainy day? No problem

Rain can calm your mind and relax your body. Cuddle up with a book, journal, or a good movie. Let the rain act as white noise in the background, and reflect on your blessings. Feel your shoulders lighten up as you meditate to the sound of the rain.

Hugs

Hug your friends, family, spouse, children, don’t forget about your pets too! The embrace of someone else is always calming.

Hearing

Stop and listen

Communication is always good on your mental. Talk to somebody who will listen, get things out of your head and off your chest.

Listening to music that matches your mood always does the trick. Music induces relaxation. It makes you move, even if it’s just tapping your foot.

Vision

Look for reasons to be happy

Find some old pictures that might bring back good memories. Remember how you felt when this picture was being taken, what was going on?

Go for a walk and think about how lucky we are to be on this earth.
Pick a spot somewhere and allow yourself to daydream.

People watch.
No judgement, no thoughts just mindless watching.
( You can do this with animals and nature too!)

Taste

Cook with mindfulness

When you prepare your meals, bring awareness to how it got here.

Be thankful for the farmer that took the time to care and grow something that will fill your body with health and energy.
Think about others in areas who aren’t fortunate enough to have home cooked meals everyday.

Movement, relaxing, eating, and touching are essential in human experiences. We all do these things without thinking about it, but what if we bring out attention to how this affects our minds and bodies in incredible ways. Instead, let’s all be more mindful of how senses can bring us joy in life and repeat!