How to Find your Calm

Did you know that you’ve had five skills to help tolerate distress your whole entire life? These are skills that everyone has at their fingertips, yet many people don’t know about them! All you have to do is integrate your five senses. Through self soothing, you utilize your five senses in order to cope with stressful moments. Instead of looking for comfort externally, it is important to practice and learn how to comfort yourself. This skill can be used in any situation. Whether you’re in an argument with a friend or becoming frustrated with your partner, use vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch to lower your distress level.

Here are some ways to incorporate self soothing with the five senses into your daily schedule…

Vision: Look at photos of friends and family, draw or sketch, or go for a walk outdoors. Focusing your visual attention on something other than the situation in front of you is a powerful way to distract yourself.

Hearing. Listen to your favorite music, call a friend, or listen to sounds in nature. Close your eyes and truly take in your surroundings through this sensory experience.

Smell: Light a scented candle, bake cookies, utilize aromatherapy. Certain scents, like lavender and chamomile or the scent of your favorite cookie baking in the oven, can be particularly calming.

Taste: Drink tea, eat a piece of chocolate, or chew a piece of gum. Stimulate your taste buds by tasting something pleasurable or yummy.

Touch: Wrap yourself in a soft blanket, take a bubble bath, or use your favorite lotion. Find ways to comfort yourself and relax so that your emotions are soothed with you.

The self-soothe skill can be an effective way to comfort and nurture yourself, particularly if you are in a moment of distress. Other people will not always be available when you need them, and learning to self-soothe can help you take care of yourself, no matter who is around. Find your calm by integrating the five senses and self care practices into your life.