It’s that time of year. We are approaching “holiday season.” 

Holiday time, with its fun festivities and sweet indulgences offers an extra-rich load to our senses of taste, touch, scent, sight, and sound. It can take us to the edge of overstimulation (and beyond). It’s normal to want to partake in all the delights of the season. But overdoing it can lead to all kinds of trouble, from the expected fatigue and seemingly inevitable sinus infection, to other kinds of dis-ease in your mind and spirit.

Photo by Stefan Vladimirov on Unsplash

How can we fully enjoy life and avoid over-stressing ourselves? This month, the Self-Care Series offers simple practices that nourish and care for your precious five senses.

 

You, Your Senses, and the World

Think for a moment about how important your senses are to your life experience. Sensory inputs translate the world around you into vivid information that influences how you think, feel, and act. Without access to sensory information, your world is muted. 

Your sensory capability is unique to you. You may have been born with certain capacities in your sense organs, and they change over time. You may have been born without sight, for example, or your sight may degenerate over time due to illness or age. Whatever sensory capabilities you have today, they are your windows to the world. It makes sense to take good care of your senses!

The ancient healing science of Ayurveda teaches that one of the causes of disease is “disrespecting the senses” (in Sanskrit, asatmendriyartha samyoga). Not paying attention to the information we receive from our senses leads to poor choices that can impact our health (like not wearing earplugs at a loud concert, even though the volume is uncomfortable). Repeatedly doing things that dull or damage the senses (like hours and hours of up-close screen time) adds stress to your entire body.

On the flip side, you can use the wisdom of asatmendriyartha samyoga to improve well-being and enjoy life more. Treat your five senses with kindness and respect, and you can not only enjoy more vivid and rich life experiences, you can support health and healing in your body, mind, and spirit.

Try one (or all) of these practices to treat your senses this fall, and all year ‘round.

Sound Sensation

Give your sense of hearing your full attention. Close your eyes and just listen. What sensations come through your ears? Big sounds, small sounds, sudden surprising sounds? Sweet, subtle sounds?

Now, see if you can take in more. What sound can you observe in your internal self? Are there gurgles in your tummy? Thumping in your chest? Grinding between your teeth?

And now, take in even more. What sound do you perceive with your being? What sensation do you connect to in the room? In the neighborhood? In the world?

Finally, what can you learn from the sounds you have so carefully and lovingly received? What can you do to protect and care for your sense of sound? 

Aromatherapy

The use of essential oils is trendy, but this plant medicine is not new. Ancient civilizations used essential oils for ritual, medicine, and perfume. Though the scientific community hasn’t shown strong evidence of health benefits of aromatherapy, you can use essential oils to simply give your sense of smell a little love.

Choose an oil based on how it makes you feel. The properties of the plant and the memories or instincts you associate with it can guide you to choose an oil. For example:  

• Uplifting/Invigorating: Citrus, Peppermint
• Grounding: Cedarwood, Frankincense
• Calming: Lavender, Rose

There are many ways to use essential oils. One way is to add a few drops of a calming or grounding oil to a carrier oil (like almond oil) and rub it into your feet before bedtime. Make sure you really notice the scent of the oil and how it activates your feelings or memories.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

 

Rest Your Eyes

What a miracle it is to have the sense of sight. They are open and “on” almost all of our waking hours. Americans spend as many as 12 hours each day looking at screens – not including work time! When the eyes don’t get much variety in their use (e.g. only looking at objects close up), your eyesight suffers, and can degenerate rapidly (called myopia, or nearsightedness).  

Give your eyes a rest with these tips for soothing tired eyes. They are all simple and easy. My favorite soothing eye treatment is a lavender-filled pillow placed over my eyes at bedtime. The coolness and weight of the pillow on my brow is refreshing and comforting, and the lavender makes this a two-fer eye-and-nose treat! 

Love the Skin You’re In

Your skin protects the body, regulates temperature, excretes waste through sweat, and alerts you to changes in your environment through touch, pressure, temperature, and pain. Giving loving attention to your skin keeps this amazing organ in good health.

The Ayurvedic way to care for the skin self-massage called Abhyanga, which is the practice of rubbing warm oil into the skin. The list of health benefits of self-massage is impressive (calming the nerves, lubricating joints, improving sleep, and more). You can start with a bedtime foot massage using a bit of Jojoba or almond oil. This time of year (cooler, dryer, and busy with holidays) is the perfect time for regularly caring for your skin with a whole body self-massage. 

Taste the Rainbow

Your taste buds allow you to take pleasure in the food you eat. The sense of taste also serves as a protector, helping you select nutritious foods and to avoid toxic ones.

What you eat has an enormous impact on how your health. But for today, let’s just celebrate the sense of taste by using it to the fullest. Whatever you choose to eat today, go for variety and eat with attention. Fill your plate with several colors of food. Try a new food. When you take a bite, notice the flavor, texture, temperature. Mindfully eating can bring you a whole new awareness and appreciation for what you take in to your body.

 Photo by OLA Mishchenko on Unsplash

The Ultimate Delight for the Senses

Your amazing senses are always at work – protecting, entertaining, and nourishing you. Honoring the senses with your gratitude is the ultimate practice and treat.

Do this today: Place your hands over each of your sense organs, and give thanks. You can do this in two minutes. Cultivate gratitude and reverence for your senses, and they will return your love with the vibrant sensory experiences that allow you to live your life fully.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

About the Author

Kirstin Pinit teaches the art of self-care through creative, engaging, and practical habit-change programs. She is a certified coach and yoga teacher and consults with cities, communities, companies, and groups on behavior-change programs and strategies. Learn more about her work at www.kirstinpinit.com.

Since January, The Self-Care Series has been offering you simple suggestions for living a healthier, more vibrant life. Habits such as eating dinner early and light, going to bed early, starting the day right, and taking time to sit in silence are simple habits. But even simple habits can fall away quickly if you don’t have strategies in place to make your self-care habits stick.

One of the most important strategies for successfully changing your habits is to enlist the support of others. Here are three truths about the power of social connections that will help you create new habits and meet your self-care goals.

TRUTH #1. Your potential to change is limited when you go it alone. Being part of a group that supports your growth will help you meet your goals. Old patterns and outdated beliefs go unchecked when you have no one to help you see them. You WILL see them when you share your challenges with others and when you see your peers work through their own challenges and setbacks. The transformation of others will inspire you to do your own work more faithfully so you too can experience deep transformation. The excitement and encouragement you will receive when you share your wins boosts your confidence and commitment.

TRUTH #2. Without accountability, most people will let themselves off the hook. When you are part of a group you will be held accountable. You will be more likely to follow through with your commitment to change, knowing your group members are expecting you to do so. Behavioral scientists explain that making a public commitment (i.e. telling your friends about your goals) counteracts your tendency to let yourself off the hook, because you naturally want to save face with your peers. The power of accountability in a dynamic group will help you make your habit change stick.

TRUTH #3. Group support – not willpower – will help you meet your goals. Willpower is not enough to change your habits. According to Benjamin Hardy, author of Willpower Doesn’t Work, “…willpower is like a muscle. It’s a finite resource that depletes with use. As a result, by the end of your strenuous days, your willpower muscles are exhausted.” To compensate, we need something else to kick in when the willpower runs out. Being part of a group is proven to help you stick to your commitments and reach your goals (read this, this, and this for details on the studies that back this up).

Tapping Into Peer Power

The power of group support is available to anyone. Start looking for ways to enlist the support of others, and you can find co-workers, friends, coaches, and teachers who will help you reach your goals.

This could look like:

• Starting up a “lunch club” at work to motivate you to take a real break each day to eat lunch and take a rest from work tasks.
• Meeting with a coach or counselor provided by the employee assistance program (EAP) sponsored by your employer.
• Committing to meet your friend at the gym or yoga class every week.
• Joining a basketball or kickball team that has regular practices and games.
• Setting goals with your spouse or other family members and holding each other accountable to your outcomes.

Each of these examples have important elements of accountability – a clear commitment to regular meetings/practices that move you toward a specific goal. Your partners and peers will expect you to show up and fulfill on your commitment. That’s positive peer pressure working in your favor.

I’ve met weekly with an accountability partner for the past two years. We keep each other on track with our self-care, career, and other life goals. This has been (and continues to be) a life-changing experience that proves how powerful peer support can be.

What group or person can you enlist to help you meet your goals?

 

About the Author

Kirstin Pinit teaches the art of self-care through creative, engaging, and practical habit-change programs. She is a certified coach and yoga teacher and consults with cities, communities, companies, and groups on behavior-change programs and strategies. Learn more about her work at www.kirstinpinit.com.

So far this year, the Self-Care Series has focused on the foundational habits that enable you to be present and energized every day. These are simple habits –  eating dinner early and light, going to bed early, and starting the day right – and they are powerful. Committing to these three habits put you in the driver’s seat of your day.

As you build these habits in your life, you’ll start to notice that you do have more energy and stamina. These habits will also build your resilience, which is a key skill for mediators (and everyone living in this topsy turvy world).

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from life’s difficulties. Resilience enables you to have a clear mind and calm response, even to difficult, stressful, or tragic events. A resilient person approaches life with hopefulness and develops deep and fulfilling relationships. With resilience, you can do work that is fun and meaningful, and makes a contribution to the world.

Another habit that will increase your resilience is sitting in silence. Notice I did not say meditation. If you already have a meditation practice, great! Keep doing that. For many people, meditation sounds too hard, too technical, or too time consuming. If that’s you, I say, “Don’t meditate!” You can sit in silence instead.

Photo by Natalia Figueredo on Unsplash

One Minute of Silence

If you are sitting or standing comfortably right now, you can practice sitting in silence. Here’s what to do: 

• Close your eyes, or look down and let them relax and get a little fuzzy. 
• Breathe as you normally would, and start to notice the breath coming in and out of your body. Count your inhalations until you get to 20. If you lose count, just start again. 
• Once you get to 20 (or if you’ve counted and lost track a couple of times), you’ve completed about a minute of sitting in silence. (It’s normal to breathe 12 to 20 times per minute, so counting 20 breaths or so will equal about a minute, without having to set a timer and check a clock)
• Continue if you wish, or you can stop, open or refocus your eyes, stretch your arms or roll your shoulders, or do any other movement that feels good. 
• Before you move on or return to what you were doing, take a moment to notice how it feels to take one minute of stillness. 

How do you feel? Maybe you feel rested, calm, more present, and better able to concentrate. Maybe that one minute gave you enough of a break to return to what you were doing with a renewed energy and focus.

It’s also possible that you felt annoyed or frustrated. At first it may be difficult to sit still, especially if you are very busy or if your mind is very active. This is normal! We live in a busy world! You have things to do! But really, who doesn’t have a minute here or there to give it a try?

If you want to balance the chaos of life with some moments of calm, keep trying the habit of Sitting in Silence.

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

Why Sitting in Silence Works

You may be skeptical that sitting still for a minute could make a difference for you. Here are a few reasons why sitting in silence works: 

1. Taking a moment of stillness helps bring balance to your life. A basic premise of Ayurveda (the ancient science of health and healing from India) is finding balance though opposites. If you are constantly busy, feeling frazzled, and can’t seem to settle down, taking moments of silence will help balance your busyness and bring more stability to your life. 
2. No special equipment or technique is needed. It takes almost no time. You can sit in silence anywhere (at your desk, waiting for a client to show up, waiting for the coffee to brew, …). This is a practical and doable way to begin taking some time out of the fast pace of life. 
3. You can experience effects that are similar to the benefits of meditation including stress reduction and improved concentration. A minute of stillness, repeated over and over, adds up. Perhaps one minute a day will turn into several one-minute breaks a day. You may eventually increase your sitting time to a few minutes or more. 

Sitting in Silence In Real Life

My personal practice includes both sitting in silence and meditation. There are times when taking one minute to close my eyes and breathe is just what I need to rest and reset so I can continue on with the task at hand. I also take time every day to sit a little longer – anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.

Even after years of this practice, I still experience moments of frustration and a wandering mind. What I have learned for myself is that the goal of my practice is not to clear my mind completely, or to achieve some state of bliss or transcendence. It is enough for me to use my time in stillness to counteract the sometimes frantic feelings I have when I am busy at work or tending to my family and household.

Taking time for silence, whether a minute or longer, has become a keystone of my daily routine. When I start my day with some stillness, and give myself little breaks throughout the day, I am more calm, centered, and focused. I am more resilient when a project deadline arises, a client throws me a curveball, or a family emergency happens.

If you want to experience more balance and resilience in your life, practice sitting in silence. Choose a time to try it today! 

 

About the Author

Kirstin Pinit teaches the art of self-care through creative, engaging, and practical habit-change programs. She is a certified coach and yoga teacher and consults with cities, communities, companies, and groups on behavior-change programs and strategies. Learn more about her work at www.kirstinpinit.com.

The Spring OMA Navigator is here!

Thanks to all who contributed, and a big thanks to our tireless volunteer, Billy, who made it possible.

Read the latest edition online here.