Boy, are we all stressed out. Packed schedules, with work, family, friends, housework, yard work, homework have everyone from my co-workers to my closest friends feeling the pressure of having it all. We have all heard the rules for prioritizing, for setting parameters, but it seems like a tidal wave is coming, and we are paddling frantically to stay afloat.
In times like these, I am ever thankful for the presence of Shabbat in my life; it forces me to disconnect with those stressors and reconnect to the love and positive energy of my family. But on a daily basis, I have a trick that gets me out of the “Judge” frame of mind, where I find my thoughts whirling, to the clear, present mind of the Scout.
This trick involves using your five senses to create an immediate connection to the moment you are in, not trying to predict the future or change the past. These are the same senses we use when hunting in the fields, the same way we pick up clues and can target and track our goals, whether it’s a trophy buck, a tasty Morel mushroom or just a peaceful spot to reconnect with nature.
Sight: Name one thing in your line of vision. Notice five details about what you see. If you find yourself placing judgment, let it go. Simple observation is what you are after here.
Sound: What do you hear? (Right now, it’s Maroon 5) Can you identify different elements of what you hear? (Guitar, drums, Adam Levine)
Smell: Take a deep breath through your nose. What do you smell? Again, do not pass judgment, just let those olfactory signals reach your brain.
Taste: Take a drink of water, a sip of coffee, a mint. Savor the flavor, note how the taste transforms as it passes over your tongue.
Touch: As a kinesthetic person, this is the most grounding sense for me. Notice how your clothes feel against your skin, how the ground feels beneath your feet.
Our conscious mind can be on only one thing at a time. If we are centered on one sense at a time, our attention isn’t sucked into circling worries or concerns. With practice, those worries and ego constructs begin to lose a bit of their strength. When we stop paying attention to our anxiety, it ceases to exist.
There was a time when all we had were our senses to keep us alive. And while the world has evolved to a place where that is not necessary, deep down, they are still a mechanism we can rely on when the time comes to take down a target, especially when stress is blocking your bulls-eye.
