Sensory Self-care is Your Right Now Key to Sanity

theomzone • December 18, 2020

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I had a routine-ish doctor's appointment on Saturday. Before agreeing to this appointment, I quizzed the doctor longer than what was probably appropriate about their COVID protocols. She told me she's not seeing patients in her office who are sick, and they have installed a hospital-grade air purifying system. She assured me all of her staff are tested weekly and everyone entering the building has to go through "at the door safety protocols," including temp checks, foot bath, hand sanitizing, and a mask inspection. Anyone wearing a mask that is not fitted correctly or not providing sufficient coverage would not come in.

We roll up to the office. I suit myself up for virus warfare like a hazmat pro. You know, better than N95 rated mask, face shield, gloves, the works. I get through the safety station at the door, check myself in, and take a seat. It takes about thirty seconds for me to realize I'm gasping for air.

As I'm trying to center myself by counting my labored breaths, the next properly-masked patient who checks in sits as close to me as the not quite six feet apart chairs will allow. I close my eyes in a further attempt to calm myself as I count my breaths. All of my senses go on overdrive. I can smell the lidocaine in the dentist's office next door. It makes me nauseous.

Then it happened. I hear it. "Yum...". As I open my eyes to look around, I see a staff member behind the desk who'd pulled down her mask to take a sip of tea. She seems very satisfied. The room starts to spin.

I bolt to the door. I can't get out because the staff locks the doors to ensure no one can skate by safety protocols. I'm stuck for a total of maybe fifteen seconds. I'm pretty sure everyone in the room knows by that point it's mission-critical to get me out.

When I make it back to the car, my rational husband tries to convince me to go back in. I refuse. As tears start to leak, he walks me through some deep breathing before we pull away to be consoled by Starbucks.

To be clear, I never had an anxiety attack before COVID. This happened once before when I had to get my Mexican Visa renewed at the border. Not so coincidentally, that was also the only time I wore a face shield. Maybe face shields are not my jam.

This is Mexico. Things roll a little differently here. By the time I had a mocha in hand, the Dr. had texted me, assuring me that if I came back, she would personally escort me directly to the patient room. She did just that. Doc met me at the door to walk me to a room impromptu set up with aromatherapy. I took off the face shield and realized I could breathe through my mask. The Doctor extra disinfected me with some kind of special spay and handed me homeopathic anxiety pills on my way out the door.

Good times...

Some people live with anxiety attacks lurking in the background every day. I don't. What happened in that office was one part face shield and one part nervous system blow out.

Sermons on self-care are everywhere right now. I've given more than a few in the last few days alone myself. However, sometimes even self-care as we've known it before feels like too much, just another to do, often one more thing we feel like we're failing.

Traditional self-care is so 2019.

Nervous system care is where it's at now.

Nervous system self-care could characterize as sensory self-care.

Your nervous system will usually settle into a smooth and predictable rhythm if you curate experiences with care and attention to your sensory experiences.

Sensory self-care also changes your brain chemistry in a red hot second. Sensory self-care is all about pleasure in small bite-sized chunks. Pleasure lights up the same reward centers in the brain the happiness does. Pleasure tricks the brain into producing happy, feel-good chemicals. Sensory self-care changes both your neurochemistry and your biochemistry.

I can change myself and my experience in any moment by tinkering with how my senses are perceiving my environment.

Where can I focus my sense of touch on something that soothes?

How can I surround myself with pleasant and relaxing scents?

How can I distract myself with tastes that delight?

Can I make it look more beautiful?

Can I train my attention to sounds that soothe me?

There are a thousand ways to cushion your senses in every experience. The trick is you've got to start working the sensory systems.

What if I'd meditated for a few minutes before we even left to calm my system?

Imagine if I'd put a few drops of some delicious essential oil under my nose before I put on that mask.

Maybe I could have worn a lovely smooth silk scarf instead of a face shield.

I could have worn headphones, listening to some classical music.

I might have chewed a piece of cinnamon gum.

I should have texted some of my sunset beach photos who's asked if she can paint them.

We have more moment to moment influence over our environment than most of us want to leverage. It takes planning and effort, but it's worth it. We tend to think the big picture determines satisfaction or dissatisfaction. We focus on what's happening in broad strokes. We're taught to live that way.

However, the power is in the details. Organizing your time, experiences, and spaces around sensory care, will revolutionize your quality of life, especially when your nervous system is strained - and for many of us, that's almost all the time.

Sensory care is more way of life than something you "have to do". It becomes a way or orienting your focus and effortlessly reorganizes your priorities. If you start planning your moments through the lens of the senses, you will have more control over the dial on your nervous system than you've ever had before.

Toolbox:

Music

Nature sounds

Incense

Candles

Essential oils

Flowers

Art

Gum

Tea

Chocolate

Lollipops :)

Cooling mints

Mala beads

Soft scarves

Smooth fabrics

Hoodie sweatshirts

Headphones

Sunglasses

Weighted blankets

Meditation

Bathes

Nature

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Lisa Hayes, The Love Whisperer, is an LOA Relationship Coach. She helps clients leverage Law of Attraction to get the relationships they dream about and build the lives they want. Lisa is the author of the hit books, Score Your Soulmate and How to Escape from Relationship Hell and The Passion Plan. Lisa also trains the worlds best coaches at www.thecoachingguild.com.

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