How To Empower And Revitalize Your Five Senses

Science tells us that matter is not solid as we imagine, that space and time are a mental construction. That we see the blue sky does not mean that it is, in the same way that in silence there are sounds that a dog can hear or a radio transform into a frequency audible to the human ear.

But the senses, limited as they are at times, are what make the experience of life and the world possible. Without them, the outer universe would vanish: the brain would lose its emissaries and informants, perhaps we would not feel the body or we would cease to identify with it.

Would we then perceive what in the East they call the pure light of consciousness, whose entity cannot be demonstrated precisely because it escapes the observation of the senses?

The world, a tasty delicacy for the senses

Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch are, therefore, our link with the outside world, the tools that allow us to enjoy it and detect dangers or possibilities. The world is offered as a “tasty delicacy for the senses “, as Diane Ackerman states in her book A Natural History of the Senses . But, like any delicacy, taken without measure can become routine and worthless.

The senses are at the base of our instinct for protection by warning us of possible dangers. Thus, we distrust a food because of its appearance, the smell it gives off or because it does not taste good; And, if we touch something hot that could burn us, the sense of touch alerts us by generating pain.

When it comes to capturing information, the senses often complement each other. Thus, when our noses are covered, food does not taste the same. This happens because taste and smell are connected: much of what is perceived as taste is actually smell. Temperature, texture and presentation can also change the experience with a food.

This connectivity between the senses is basic in learning. In fact, they are the ones that allow the development of cognitive and affective capacities in the first years of life, as defended by the psychologist Jean Piaget. You just have to observe the babies: they explore with their eyes, touch everything, put objects in their mouths … Piaget’s theory links with a phrase pronounced by Aristotle centuries before: “There is nothing in the mind that has not been before in the senses “.

Recovering the innocent and curious attitude of the child within us, observing the environment with a desire to learn by experimenting, is a good starting point to revitalize the senses and be aware of the work they do.

1. Touch, the power of caresses

The warm touch of the sheets upon waking welcomes us to a new day. Afterwards, the shower water that falls on our skin activates and comforts us. These are some of the morning sensations that we usually experience daily thanks to touch, the sense in charge of sending the signals that we capture through the skin to the brain.

This organ, which can weigh up to 10 kg and measure 2 m2, is the largest in the body. In its second layer (the dermis) it hides the sensory receptors that open us to such comforting experiences as the caresses of the couple, the hug of a child or the kiss of a mother.

But we don’t just take pleasure in touching and being touched. Physical contact has great therapeutic power, palpable already in the first months of life. “Massaged babies gain weight 50% faster than non-massaged ones. They are more active, better grasp their surroundings, tolerate noise better, orient themselves earlier, and better control their emotions,” says Ackerman in his work on senses.

Physical contact has great therapeutic power

Not in vain, the Spanish Association of Infant Massage (Aemi) maintains that “the skin is the first language”. A language that connects us with affection and comfort and that we continue to seek as adults.

But touch is not just delicacy. It can also make us feel the intensity of the winter cold, the physical pain after a fall or the weight of a box when moving it, and allows us to feel our way around. It even makes us aware of ourselves because thanks to it we feel the body. All this makes it a fundamental sense, without which we could not live, unlike others such as sight or hearing.

Focusing attention on the sensations and emotions that touch certain objects arouses (a fruit, a flower, the moss …) contributes to cultivating this sense, giving space to its great evocative power and transmission of feelings.

2. Smell, linked to memory

I remember that, on one occasion, while walking down the street, the familiar perfume of a passing boy rescued from my mind, in a few seconds, the image of my first love. It is something that can happen with some ease, because the smell has a great evocative power.

The olfactory bulbs in the nose send the scent information to the limbic system, which is the part of the brain that processes emotions. This is precisely one of the bases of aromatherapy.

Thus, the smell of a book, the smell of a family recipe or a burning fireplace can awaken emotions linked to memories.

The great evocative power of smell

It is estimated that we can identify more than ten thousand different smells, although our current smell has little to do with that of humans who lived, in a more instinctive and not just rational way, in a world without pollution.

According to the European Environment Agency, 90% of the urban population of the European Union is exposed to pollutants that are harmful to health, and these compounds can also atrophy the olfactory capacity.

Taking advantage of the weekend to visit natural environments helps to refine this evocative sense: discovering the different fragrances of flowers, the salty smell of the sea breeze, the scent of trees …

Another option is to pay attention to comforting everyday scents : the skin of the loved one, our favorite fruit, an essential oil that relaxes us… Closing your eyes and focusing on the information transmitted by smell helps to discover the most subtle aromas.

3. Sight, the most appreciated sense

It is surely the most valued sense. In fact, 7 out of 10 of our sensory receptors are in the eyes. They are a window to the world and have the power to show others how we feel. The intense gaze of Sharbat Gula, the Afghan girl who with her deep green eyes starred on the cover of National Geographic in June 1984, is a good example of the power that a gaze can have.

The eyes capture light and transform it into nerve signals that reach the brain. But it is the brain that ends up creating the images. When dreaming or remembering the past, for example, we “see” without using our eyes.

The light that penetrates through them also increases the production of hormones that activate us, such as serotonin and dopamine. Instead, its absence causes melatonin, the sleep hormone, to be generated. The role of vision in metabolism is therefore very important.

But today’s lifestyle, with increasingly sedentary jobs, long hours in front of the computer and often in an office lit by artificial light, can overload the gaze. The eyes complain of this overexposure with symptoms such as dry eyes, irritation and eyestrain.

At work give your eyes a break

To give relief to the eyes, Dr. José Manuel Benítez, professor of Ophthalmology at the Complutense University of Madrid, advises:

• Rest every two hours for fifteen minutes and take advantage of those moments to look into infinity and blink.
• The position of the computer is important , the upper edge of the screen should be slightly below eye level.
• The lighting should be correct, not too bright or low in contrast.

Another aspect that we can enhance is our field of vision. We tend to pay attention only to what is in front of us, but if we look beyond we will enjoy the spectacular sky and clouds in a sunset, the subtle change in the tone of the leaves of the trees that announces the changes of season or of the constant coming and going of the waves that, with their swaying, caress the sand and rocks.

Observing nature with an awake and attentive gaze contributes to connecting more with the present and the constant changes in the cycle that occur.

4. Hearing, much more than sounds

We are so used to noise that one of the things that can most impress us is the silence that is experienced, for example, when diving or crowning a peak. A silence only interrupted by breathing or the heartbeat, sounds that comfort us and connect with ourselves.

It is not surprising because, already in the womb, we hear how our mother’s heart pumps and how her lungs take in and release air. Before being born we also hear sounds that come from outside, such as the voice of our parents, which we are later able to recognize. It is one of the senses that we develop earlier.

But the ear not only allows you to listen: thanks to it you learn to speak and regulate your balance ; therefore, conditions that affect the ear can cause dizziness and dizziness.

The ear connects you with the emotions

Sound also has a great power to connect with emotions. When listening to music we can feel tenderness, fear, sadness, hope … “When we sing, our pupils dilate and endorphin levels increase; music engages the whole body, as well as the brain, and has a therapeutic quality,” he writes. Ackerman.

Singing and listening to different styles of music can therefore be a good way to reinvigorate this sense. The repeated use of headphones, the noise of traffic, urban works or crowds can end up silencing small gifts for our ears, melodies such as the chirping of a bird, the fall of a withered leaf or the air combing the branches of the trees.

You can try to tune your ear to focus on those sounds, which are more pleasant and much less stressful.

5. Taste, a healthy pleasure

Such is the satisfaction that we can obtain thanks to this sense that just by imagining our favorite dishes, salivation and the feeling of hunger increase, as if we were preparing the body to taste them at that precise moment.

The sense of taste is, and has been, fundamental to the survival of our species, and has evolved over the centuries: few today could delight in many dishes that were once widely consumed.

However, current menus can also stunt this sense with their excess of sauces and condiments (salt, sugar, pepper, flavorings…), which can mask the flavors and detract from the authenticity of the dishes.

Recovering simplicity in the kitchen, betting on recipes cooked on the grill, steamed or in papillote, contributes to rediscovering the natural flavor of food. A flavor that will be more authentic and intense if you choose organic and seasonal products.