5 Ways to Find Inner Peace “In the Moment” During Anxiety Using Your Senses

Anxiety can be a difficult and alarming experience

Sometimes it can feel like there's nothing you can do to calm yourself down. However, there are some simple ways you can try to access inner peace, even in the midst of anxiety. One of the most effective ways is by engaging your senses. In this post, we'll explore how engaging your senses can help you calm your anxiety, and we'll provide you with tips and techniques to help you ground yourself using each of your senses.

Our senses are intimately connected to our nervous system, and they can play a powerful role in regulating our emotions. 

When we're anxious, our body goes into fight-flight-freeze-fawn mode, which can leave us feeling scattered and out of control. By engaging our senses, we can help our body shift out of survival mode and into a more relaxed state. This is because the senses have a direct connection to the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming us down and helping us relax.

Engaging Sight

One of the most powerful ways to ground oneself during an anxiety episode is by engaging sight. When we're feeling anxious, our mind can feel like it's racing out of control, and it can be difficult to find a focal point. However, by focusing on an object in your surroundings, you can bring your mind to a place of peace.

Try:

• Find an object (it can be your own hand) in your surroundings, and focus on it for a few minutes. Really see it. Look for the details and intricacies.
• Take a walk in nature and focus on the colors and shapes of the trees or the clouds in the sky.
• Discover the many shades of green as you scan the landscape.

Engaging Sound

Sound can also be a powerful tool in calming anxiety. Listening to the sounds of birds, insects, or the ocean, the wind, the rain, can help your mind and body relax and let go of the tension of 'readiness'. This is because sound can have a direct impact on our nervous system, and it can help regulate our survival emotions.

Try:

• Listen to nature sounds. Maybe you will discover some nearby birds singing.
• Notice and hear the sound of your own breathing
• Listening to your surroundings tune into first the loudest and then the quietest sound.

Engaging Touch

Engaging your sense of touch can also be an effective way to ground yourself during an anxiety episode. When we're feeling anxious, we can sometimes feel like we're floating off into space, and it can be hard to feel grounded. By engaging our sense of touch, we can anchor ourselves in the present moment and feel more connected to our bodies.

Try:

• Hold a comforting object, such as a stress ball or a stuffed animal.
• Feel the texture of your clothing on your skin.
• Sense the ground beneath your feet.
• Put your hand on your heart and feel it beating. It might bring some tears or gratitude and relief. Enjoy your tears.
  
  

Engaging Smell

Our sense of smell is closely linked to our emotional centers in the brain, and certain scents can have a powerful impact on our mood. Just as we can be instantly triggered by smell, we can also be 'triggered' as our body-mind 'remembers' how to relax. Inhaling a calming scent, like lavender or peppermint, can help you relax and feel more at ease.

Try:

• Go outside and smell the air. What scents are present? Can you tell the direction of the wind?
• Smell your own arm, wrist, or hand. It's comforting to get familiar with your own scent.
• Inhale the scent of something calming, such as a cup of tea, coffeee or a piece of fruit or bread.

Engaging Taste

Finally, engaging your sense of taste can also be a powerful tool in calming anxiety. Enjoying a soothing drink, like herbal tea or warm milk, can provide a sense of comfort and calm. Certain foods and drinks, such as chamomile tea, can also have a calming effect on the body, helping to soothe anxiety and promote relaxation.

Try:

• Sip a calming drink: Hot drinks like herbal tea or warm milk can be particularly soothing for anxiety. You can also try other calming drinks like tea or a warm lemon water with honey.
• Eating meditation: Chewing slowly and mindfully can also help to ground you in the present moment. Try enjoying a piece of fruit or some nuts and focus on the sensations of chewing and the taste of the food.
• Use taste to engage your other senses: You can combine engaging your sense of taste with engaging other senses for a more powerful calming experience. For example, you can smell and sip a calming tea outdoors while listening to the birds and/or breeze, looking at the leaves and branching moving and sensing the warmth of the cup on your hand/skin. This will create a multi-sensory experience that can help to bring you to a place of peace.

By engaging your senses, you can ground yourself in the present moment and access a sense of inner peace, even in the midst of anxiety. 

Your senses can help you calm down and regain a sense of control over your emotions, allowing you to move through your day with greater ease and comfort. Don't  try to engage all your senses at once. One at a time is ideal and sufficient. So the next time you're feeling anxious, try engaging one or two of your senses and see how much of a difference it can make.

Peace, Power, Purpose,

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