Create Yourself a Sensory Self Care Box

Our emotions and our senses are deeply entwined. We have five senses; touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight. Each of our senses feeds back important information about our environment to help our brain make sense of the world, but when we make memories we also encode our memories with some of the sensory input as well as the emotion you felt at that moment in time.

Sounds a bit fancy right? But simply put…have you ever smelt something or seen an old picture and a memory comes flooding back, it could even be coupled with a strong emotion. This is called “conceptual association” (Thomson et, al., 2010) where what we sense triggers a feeling.

So what does this mean for self care?

Essentially we dont want to avoid our feelings, we need to process and work through our emotions, but its not to say that we cannot actively target our senses to help us self soothe, take a break from a sense of overwhelm and ground ourselves in the present moment. We can actively try to elicit certain emotions/emotional states (happiness, calm, etc) by engaging our senses. Not only that, but when we engage our senses we focus on the present, which is a type of mindfulness, being aware of what is happening here in this moment, rather than getting caught up in the “what if” or other stressors that can occupy our minds.

I would encourage you to create yourselves a box full of sensory self care so that in moments of distress you have something to hand to start self caring and soothing yourself. You can decorate the box or bag and really personalise it, and then pop it somewhere safe but easy to access. The banner image is my self care box in case you were looking for some inspiration.

So what could you put in the box?

Sight - pop some items in the box like mindful or mandala colouring pages, photos of your favourite holiday destination or a childhood holiday spot, it could even be images of nature that you find soothing. You could also includes images of natural fractals, which is a pattern that nature repeats at different scales (see the image above of the inside of a shell). Many studies show that exposure to natural fractal patterns can reduce people’s stress levels by up to 60% (sign me up!!)

Sound - Set up your ipod, MP3, phone, heck even an old CD/Cassette player with different playlists to enhance or elicit different moods, maybe a few dance or pop/upbeat tracks to motivate you, maybe a bit of metal or thrash music to jump about and get some excess energy out, maybe you like a good whale song or beach soundtrack to soothe yourself. But consciously select music that is attuned to your feelings or that can help counterbalance your current state. You can also use an eye spy rice shaker like I have included in my box, this rice shaker could also serve as a visual self soothing tool as I have filled my bottle with rice and small objects so that when I shake and move the bottle I can spy little hidden objects, but the sound of the rice rattling and tapping is also soothing.

Touch - Fill your box with different objects that you can touch, including things like; playdough to squish (release some tension) or to roll into a ball (the movement is rhythmic and soothing), something soft like a square of silk or faux fur to touch or stroke, you could even have a smooth stone, figurine or coin to be used as a mindfulness talisman

• Hold the token in your hand, is it heavy? light?

• Run a finger around the perimeter, think about the shape? is it soft? firm? jagged? smooth?

• Squeeze it tight in your hand and feel the sensation against your fingers and your palm - is it pointy? smooth?

• Is the object warm or cool to touch?

Taste - you could include a little treat inside your sensory box or somethgin to provide a little boost of energy; a chocolate, protein bar, special tea or coffee, it could even be brushing your teeth or chewing some gum. You can also extend the sensory benefit and make yourself a mindful drink to enjoy:

• Turn on the kettle and hear the click as well as the sensation on your finger as you press the button

• Listen carefully to the sound of the water boiling

• As you pour the hot water over your tea/coffee/hot chocolate etc listen to the sound as it hits your cup

• As you stir the liquid (adding milk if you wish) think about the sensation of stiring and movements of your hands/fingers whilst listening to the tinkle/clink of the spoon as it connects with the cup

• Take a deep breath and inhale the warm and scented air. do 5 calm breaths slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth and enjoy the scent of your drink

• Finally take a small sip and feel the warmth in your mouth and the taste of your drink before you swallow

• HINT - you can do a similar mindfulness activity with chocolate or chewing gum. Breaking down each step mindfully and consciously before you take your first bite. It really helps engage the senses and enhances the enjoyment of the tast of your drink/food

Smell - Fill your sensory both with a variety of different scents that are attuned to your mood. Think about adding in essential oils (zesty citrus to uplift your mood or lavender for soothing and relaxing), your favourite perfume or a nostalgic scent to evoke positive memories and feelings, fresh/dried herbs and fruit, a scented hand cream (which can also meet sensory/touch needs if you give yourself a hand massage) or even a room or pillow spray.

Use your senses to ground and soothe yourself, by tuning into your senses you can relish in the present, delight in each moment and take a few moments to truly self care. Learning to harness your senses will give you a sense of control and mastery over your current state as you become more self aware and attuned to your emotional needs!

Take care! Rachel

References

Simion, M. R. (2016) Fractal Images – A New Way to Reduce Stress and To Improve Educational Workspaces. Global JOurnal of Psycholofy Research, New Trends and Issues, 6 (1).

Thomson, et al. (2010). Linking sensory characteristics to emotions: An example using dark chocolate. Food Quality and Preferences, 21. 1117-1125.