Our five senses – sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch – shape the way we perceive the world around us, but they can also be used to maintain a healthy inner balance to keep us fit and able to interact with our environment in better ways. Strengthening your body and mind is possible by utilizing your senses to the best advantage, imbibing the positive and blocking the negative, so as to achieve optimal well-being.
1. Protect your eyesight – simply by resisting the overload of stimuli. Reading, watching television, spending long hours staring at a computer screen – all tax your eyesight. Your eyes deserve a break from time to time, so find a semi dark place to sit back and relax for a few minutes, or sit on a park bench during a break, surrounded by the soothing colours of nature for a change.
2. Fend off invasive sounds. Loud music, busy-traffic commutes, office noise, all contribute to creating stress, which in turn can lead to health complications. Wear tiny earplugs in places where the noise makes you uncomfortable. Listening to soothing music while you work or relax helps you perform better and rest better.
3. Treat your tastebuds to variety. Your tastebuds are programmed for variation in your diet, so make sure sweet and salty, sour and tangy flavours are all incorporated in your everyday menu so as to give you a healthy assortment of nutrients.
4. Aromatherapy is actually therapeutic. Your sense of smell is perhaps the most effective in altering your mood. There’s a wide variety of essential oils available in the market, which promise to relieve stress, fatigue, anxiety and sleep disorders. Find the ones that work for you; it may take some experimenting but it’s totally worth it.
5. Touch has healing power. The skin is covered with nerve-endings that make it possible for you to perceive the world through touch. A massage is a wonderful way to improve circulation and banish fatigue. A gentle neck massage when you’re feeling low works wonders. Go to a salon once a month and treat yourself to a professional massage to unwind. You deserve it.