Making Use of All the Senses in Mindfulness

The longer I go on with mindfulness practice the more I recognise that I can become stuck in ruts. We like habits and sometimes it's a relief to have stability in something in contrast to the turbulent emotional and internal lives many of us battle against. There is a need though, to 'mix it up' and rediscover the fresh in our experience of the everyday. I find that I focus a lot of my mindfulness practise on hearing and sight, I tend to ignore taste, smell and touch. Yet, I know when I do try something out that focuses on these senses I tend to enjoy the change and what it gives to me in opening up a sense of moving forward and experiencing new things in the every day.

To help structure my ideas around my senses I have put together a worksheet, with a view to including it in a day course I'm running in October. Let me know what you think - any feedback (kindly meant) is gratefully received!

Making Sense of Mindfulness

You have been practising Mindfulness for some time now. These questions are designed to help you decide what works best for you, and to help you try out fresh ideas to use all five senses in your mindfulness practice.

1. When I take time to be mindful I usually use exercises which use my
Hearing /Sight/Taste/Smell/Touch *

2. I have never or rarely tried exercises which use my Hearing/Sight/Taste/Smell/Touch *

*Circle the answer

3. List your top three favourites sounds:
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4. List your top three favourite sights:
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5. List your top three favourite tastes:
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6. List your top three favourite smells:
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7. List your top three favourite sensations (Touch)
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Now from these lists, note the experiences which you find help you to feel:
 Calmer
 Pleasure
 Enjoyable anticipation
 Warmth
 Nurtured
 Relaxed
Exercise:
Sit as you usually do when practising Mindful exercises. Notice your breathing and allow your mind to focus on the rise and fall of your stomach/rib cage. Focus on the sensation of your breath in your nose, then as it travels into your lungs and out again. Allow distractions from thoughts, memories, to pass through.
Now choose one of your senses to focus on. (touch or taste or smell make sure you have any props set up within easy reach). As you use your senses become aware of initial thoughts/judgements? Notice them, then let them go.
Spend some time simply experiencing your activity. Notice feelings about what you are experiencing. If it is pleasurable do not push it away, but allow yourself to sit with it. If it is negative, notice it and let it pass. Change your focus back to your breathing and away from what you are experiencing, then return return to the focus on your sense. Repeat twice more, then when you are ready, return your focus to the room.

50 Ways to Give Your Emotions a break

This is from a Pinterest board run by the Black Dog Tribe - thought it was excellent for generating ideas for self soothe, getting active, opposite emotion to name just three DBT skills. I've noticed too it's got a good range of different senses involved in activities. Am going to try a few that I've not tried myself yet, biggest challenge - have a complete break from electronics!! A fun read and worth trying to use if you've got into a rut with self soothe and self care.

My Favourite Soothing Images and Memories....

When my mood prevents me from engaging with the world outside, it takes me a supreme effort to even venture beyond the door. I have had periods of low mood, panic attacks and just plain emotional exhaustion when I have not had contact with the world outside for up to a month. At those times when fear of contact with people prevents me from doing what I know would be helpful ie getting out and about, enjoying fresh air etc, I need to focus my mind in a way that allows me to be fed with 'good things'.

It helps for me to reawaken my senses by listening, by eating regularly, by looking and noticing familiar images. These images are positive for a number of reasons. Because some of them remind me of positive moments such as holidays and family, they allow me to reconnect with positive emotions and connect them with the world outside my own head. I use the photos as a way to engage my sense of smell, sound, taste as I imagine myself back in those moments. For the pictures of nature I again imagine that my senses are engaged with the world outside and imagine myself enjoying the feel of sun on my skin, the sense of wind tousling my hair, anything that reminds me I am not imprisoned inside, nor have I been all my life and to believe that I could enjoy such moments again.

My senses are a gift that I forget when I am struggling with emotional pain and distress, but by using these pictures I am able to remind myself that I once engaged with the world around me and I will be feeling well enough to do so again.