We often learn important lessons from our experiences. However, sometimes we learn things that help in the moment but are less helpful later on. In the case of difficult memories, there are sometimes parts of us that may feel stuck in what happened, rather than the present. So much so that these parts of our brain activate when thinking about those memories, making us feel like we are back there and it is happening again. We might even start to think, feel, and even sense the world around us as similar to when the memory happened.
One way to remind ourselves that we are in the present is to use your five senses. By noticing what you see, feel, hear, smell, and taste, we remind our bodies and mind that we aren’t there anymore. Things are different now.
Let’s practice this. Start by making sure you have something that smells pleasant and something that tastes nice. Now we will go through each sense for a couple seconds each to explore what it feels like to ground ourselves in the present.
Note: For those who may be blind, deaf, or not experience a particular sense, modify this by either skipping certain senses, focusing more on a different sense, or replacing irrelevant ones with noticing an alternate sensation, such as balance, motion, or light exposure.
Take a look around. What are some of the things you see? What shapes do they form? What color are they? What texture do they have?
What kinds of things are you feeling? Is there furniture with a certain texture? Is there a surface that’s a certain temperature? Is there motion or stillness in the air?
Notice what you hear, starting with the loudest to the quietest. Are they constant or brief? High or low pitched?
Remember the object we picked up earlier with the smell? Waft it towards you. Is it floral? Earthy? Sweet? Pungent? Soft?
Now get a taste of the object you grabbed earlier. Or notice what you taste without eating or drinking anything. Is the flavor sweet, tart, spicy, bitter, or salty? Is it strong or delicate?
Notice how you feel now compared to how you felt before doing this exercise. Hopefully you feel a little more in touch with the current moment. Which senses were most effective in doing that? If you ever find yourself in need of coming back to the present, start with those senses and use this grounding exercise.
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