SENSORY
self-care
Tips & Ideas
1.
Focus on your breathing and observe how it moves throughout your body.
2.
Bask in the sunshine and feel its warmth on your skin.
3.
Cuddle with a pet.
4.
Breathe in fresh air and notice how it feels.
5.
Light a candle or sit by a fire pit. Watch the flames dance and notice the scents.
6.
Take a hot shower or bubble bath and feel the water on your skin.
7.
Wrap yourself in a cozy blanket.
8.
Get a massage.
9.
Eat something you love and focus on the tastes and textures as you indulge.
10.
Take stock of the sounds around you. Listen to birds chirping, background chatter, or music.
11.
Go outside, feel the grass beneath bare feet, and stare up and watch the clouds.
Focus on physical sensations
Sensory self-care can help us when it's all too much and we'd like to return calm to our minds. Borrowing mindfulness tools like grounding, sensory self-care means engaging in activities that focus on the sensations we can experience - sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch. Bringing our attention to these senses helps us stay in the present moment, allowing space and distance to come between us and the other thoughts and feelings swirling around our brains. Many people find they have preferences for certain types of sensory experiences - being open to experimenting can help us discover what works best.
