Using Your Senses to Cope with Anxiety (Jennifer)
Our senses are something we use everyday without really thinking about it. But did you know that you can actively use those senses as a way to cope with and calm anxiety?
In this blog post, I will highlight some ways that you can use your senses to help deal with anxiety.
Sight
Just sitting outside and looking at a beautiful lake has a real soothing effect for me. When you feel anxious try getting outside and looking at the nature around you. Take in the small and large details of the world around you. If you can, write or sketch about what you see. If you can't get outside, you can pull out these sketches and writings to help recall what you saw.
Sound
Do you have songs that soothe you every time you listen to them? Try making a playlist of these songs. Then, when you feel anxious put in your headphones and breathe deeply as you listen to the music. Don't feel like listening to a song? Try listening to these other soothing sounds.
You can find the following on spotify.
Whale sounds
Singing bowls
Rain
Ocean waves
Touch
When I was younger, I would run my hand through a bin of rice to help calm my anxiety.
Find something calming you can squeeze or run your hand through. You'll be amazed at how soothing it can be.
Smell
Lastly, we'll talk about smell. There are many scents that are calming for some people. Here are a few ways to use scents to calm anxiety.
Apply calming lotions
Use essential oils or incense
Lay some warm tea bags on your eyes and inhale the scent as you relax.
But There’s More
While there are many ways we can use our senses to cope with anxiety, sometimes they alone are not enough. You are not alone on your journey and it doesn’t hurt to reach for a trusting hand to grasp through rougher periods or borrow a shoulder or ear. Letters Against Depression can be that hand, ear, and shoulder in times of need.
Our handwritten letters can give you the tactile sense you are not alone. You can feel the support radiating from our pages. You can see the words written in so many colors and styles. Delight in the art which fills our envelopes. Hear the crackling of the paper as you surround yourself and your senses with calming and hopeful environments.
If you’re interested, Letters Against Depression will send you a free letter when you sign up at lettersagainst.org/request