“You must learn to heed your senses. Humans use but a tiny percentage of theirs. They barely look, they rarely listen, they never smell, and they think that they can only experience feelings through their skin. But they talk, oh, do they talk.”

Michael Scott (Irish writer)

That’s right. Our minds never stop chattering, but we can disengage from the chatter by heeding to our senses. It is also an effective technique to reduce stress and anxiety instantly. If you ever feel the need to break from the thoughts that run through your mind, give this exercise a try!

The 5 Senses Countdown

– Pause for a moment.

Find yourself a calm comfortable space to fully participate with your 5 senses.

1. The SIGHT Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

In the first of the 5 senses, we are going to utilize our sight.
First, take a deep breath.

Next, look around and notice FIVE things that you can see.

The floor, table, curtains, trees, animals, anything you see is okay.

You can say them out loud or silently in your head. With each of the five sights, pause to take them in completely. 

2. The TOUCH Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

Take another deep breath.
Next in the 5 senses countdown, we will be using touch.

Notice FOUR things that you can feel in contact with your body.

For example; your watch against your wrist, your trousers against your legs, your feet on the ground, or your back against the chair.

Note them out loud or in your head, and rest your attention with each sensation for a few deep breaths.

3. The HEARING Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

The next step in the five senes countdown utilizes our hearing.
First, breathe deeply as you bring attention to your ears.

Then, listen carefully and notice THREE things that you can hear.

For instance: the sound of the wind, birds chirping outside, the hum of appliances, cars running, etc.

Listen and notice things in the background that you normally wouldn’t pay any attention to. As you listen to each sound, note the unique characteristics of the different tones and patterns.

4. The SMELL Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

As you take another deep breath, concentrate on the air going through your nostrils.
The next phase in the 5 senses countdown focuses on smell.

Notice TWO things you can smell.

Bring attention to scents that you usually filter out, either pleasant or unpleasant. Catch a whiff of the pine trees outside, food cooking in the kitchen, or the smell of your clothes. Note the different characteristics of these scents.

5. The TASTE Phase – 5 Senses Countdown

Take a final deep breath and bring your attention to the tongue.
The last step in the 5 senses countdown will focus on taste.

Notice ONE thing you can taste.

Take a sip of a drink, chew gum, or nibble on a piece of chocolate. If you don’t have anything in hand, notice the current taste in your mouth or taste the air against your tongue.

Concentrate and savor that one flavor.

Reduce Stress in a Way that Works for You

The goal is to use our 5 senses to focus on the present environment instead of our thoughts. Consequently, this activity helps to ground us and relieve anxiety. By the time most people reach the ‘taste phase’, their overwhelming emotions will fade away. This doesn’t mean the negative feelings are gone, but we do get a break from it taking over our minds. It’s human nature to worry and feel anxiety about the past and future. Therefore, bringing our attention to the present can relieve us from these thoughts and help reduce anxiety. Appreciating the ‘now’ and ‘present’ is a great way to enjoy life. Even more, what better way to celebrate our current existence than with our 5 senses!

However, there are still many different ways to instantly relieve stress. Perhaps you are looking for a more long-term solution in stress management, rather than an instant stress reliever. In that case, check out how you can better learn to control your emotions through “emotional differentiation“.

Looking to improve your mental wellbeing?

Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Reference:

Harris, R. (2013). Getting Unstuck in ACT: A Clinician’s Guide to Overcoming Common Obstacles in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (1st ed.). New Harbinger Publications.

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What is the relationship between mindfulness and music, and how does it help our overall mental wellbeing?

Music Therapy and Its Benefits

Music therapy effectively heals our mental state through music. Within this therapy, there are “active” and “passive” techniques.

• Active Music Therapy
  Balances the mental state through participation in singing, music composition, and instrument playing
• Passive Music Therapy
  Calms the mind through listening to music without any participation.

The active techniques seem to be the most popular among music therapists right now, as worldwide studies and research trends more towards the active method.

However, actively singing and playing an instrument requires a commitment to self-expression. Some people may feel stressed to do so in front of others. Therefore, active music therapy can be a tall order for people who don’t feel comfortable expressing themselves.

On the other hand, the passive method is much easier since all you have to do is listen. Good news if you’re shy. It’s actually the passive music technique that pairs well with mindfulness meditation.

Music Makes Mindfulness Meditation Easier

Mindfulness meditation is about concentrating on the subtle sensories of the body to distance ourselves from negative thinking and stabilize the mind. The 3 most common ideas in the practice are to, “recognize,” “accept as is,” and “not get caught up.”

The same ideas can be applied to music therapy when the participant acknowledges their inner self, accepts their state as is, and frees themselves from conforming thoughts. When we listen to music, we immerse ourselves into the world of it unless someone presses the stop button. We recognize that we have the power to decide how we experience the music, and accept the sounds as they flow in.

Music, in fact, enhances the experience of mindfulness meditation. It helps focus on the breath while blocking out unwanted thoughts. This makes it easier to concentrate on the meditation, relax and off-shoulder some of the stress so that we can.

Among the many kinds of music, the best music for meditation is slow in tempo, lyricless, and contains nature sounds in the background. Fast-paced music and lyrics overstimulate brain activity which can be distracting. Try and find a calm piece of music that works for you.

Recommended Sounds for Mindfulness

What kind of specific music is useful for mindfulness meditation? With what we’ve mentioned in mind, here are 4 elements we recommend it has:

• Calm sounds with no lyrics
• Music that makes you feel relaxed
• Contains refreshing nature sounds
• Sounds and melodies that represent hope

Music with these elements induces the alpha brain wave state, letting the body relax.

We especially recommend “healing” music that contains “pink noise,” as they contain the 4 elements listed above.

1. Healing Music

Calm and beautiful sounds of classical music and jazz are considered part of healing music.

Healing music is said to have a sedative effect. Some medical institutions use this music to decrease the amount of anesthesia and burden for their patients. Schools also report that their student’s concentration increases when they play healing music.

Sounds that are healing work directly towards the brain and reduces stress hormones. Besides medical institutions, yoga studios, spas, and salons all play this music to create a relaxing space for clients.

Any type of music that is healing will surely help calm the mind towards mindfulness.

2. Music That Contains Pink Noise

Pink noise (also known as the ¹⁄_f noise) is a signal with a frequency spectrum similar to the rhythm of our heart, beath, and body temperature. Nature sounds such as raindrops and sizzling fire pits hold the same characteristic. Essentially, our body feels pink noise as most comfortable because it syncs with our biological rhythm.

Research by Japanese physicists also shows natural pink noise to be effective for relaxation. Music containing pink noise can assist mindfulness because it syncs with the biological rhythm of the body, properly adjusts the autonomic nerves, stabilizes the mind, and increases vitality.

The ¹⁄_f fluctuation is also associated with the frequency of therapeutic touch.

Keep Your Mind Healthy With Music!

Music is with us wherever we go.

Whether you’re the type that listens to a lot of music or not, you can still benefit from it. It releases us from fear and anxiety while it helps us relax and feel happier.

Kick back, relax, and listen to some music for your own mental wellbeing.

Looking to improve your mental wellbeing? Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Reference：
Kuniyoshi, T., & Togawa, H. (2014). Passive Music Therapy and Its Significance: From A Mindfulness Perspective. Kobe College Graduate School Psychological Counseling Research, 15, 3–10. https://doi.org/10.18878/00005330

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Listen to Your Surroundings

Close your eyes and listen carefully to your surroundings. What do you hear?
Is it the buzzing of the refrigerator or the whirring of your computer? Perhaps you hear city sounds, with busy cars zooming past your street?

There are many different sounds in our daily lives, from the sounds we usually hear to the sounds we are hearing for the first time. Some are natural and some are artificial. What’s more, each sound has an impact on our emotions, even though that impact may be small. Take TV dramas, for example. The background music of each scene influences the viewer’s emotions, such as a happy pop song that plays during a happy scene.

It’s no exaggeration to say that sound is an inseparable part of our lives. It’s then no surprise that sounds seem to be deeply related to our mental health as well. How do different sounds affect our minds?

City Sounds and Noise Pollution

There are various cases where sounds do affect our health. One of the most negative is noise pollution. In terms of mental health, noisy urban city sounds have a huge impact on our sleep. For example, one survey in Japan across 3,600 adult women from different regions looked at the relationship between city sounds and sleep habits. Results showed that the risk of insomnia was proportional to the amount of traffic in areas within 20 meters of a major road. These results may be easily understood if you imagine living in a high-traffic area, as the city sounds are highly likely to disturb your sleep.

On the other hand, some studies have shown that noise pollution does not affect reading and other activities. Even if you are initially too distracted by the noise to concentrate, you gradually get used to it to a point where it doesn’t even bother you. In fact, some sounds can even increase our work efficiency.

Good Sounds, Good Vibes

Some sounds are negative, like urban city sounds, while others are positive. One of the most typical and successful applications of positive sound is background music in cafes. Successful background music hides and mitigates unnecessary noise, such as the chattering of the neighboring tables. If the background music is to your liking, you will be more satisfied with the environment. Likewise, it’s common to use music and nature sounds in the workplace as a method of stress management for the workers. Naturally, such positive sounds are mentally beneficial to our well-being.

City Sounds Aren’t All Bad

The world is filled with all sorts of sounds and everybody has different preferences for sound. A sound that has significance for you may just be meaningless noise to someone else. This seems to be true not only for individuals but also for different locations. Cicadas, for example, are common insect sounds heard in certain areas during the summer. While some regions may consider this sound a nuisance, other locations may consider it to be a pleasant indicator that summer is in the air. Some cultures consider sound as a form of environmental awareness, actively paying attention to these sounds of nature. In a sense, it’s a method of environmental education. If you think about it this way, listening to urban city sounds could also be a form of spatial and environmental awareness. Moreover, there are some interesting aspects of this from a mental health perspective.

Be Playful with Sound

Close your eyes and really pay attention to the sounds you hear, from those far away to those that are closer by. Do you hear city sounds, nature sounds, or maybe household sounds? When we create a picture purely through the sounds that we hear, it may be different from the actual visual scenery that unfolds in front of us Thus, this may help us to better understand the breadth of your consciousness.

Listening to the sounds of nature – such as the wind and trees – and noticing their changes can lead to new discoveries within. Other exercises are worth trying as well, such as physically moving our posture to notice how the vibrations in our voice change through movements. This particular activity is considered bodywork that incorporates the element of sound. When we start re-focusing our attention to the sounds normally dismissed, it gives us an opportunity to think about our relationship between self and sound. These activities that allow us to pay attention to sounds have a profound effect on our mental health.

Sounds That Resonate With Each Individual

It’s easy to understand from above that there’s a deep connection between sound and mental health. We live in a world that is littered with all sorts of sounds – from nature sounds, to urban city sounds, to household sounds… So, re-focusing our attention on the sounds that we tend to miss in our daily lives is sure to be a plus.

Now, once again, close your eyes and listen carefully to the sounds around you. The sound of rain hitting against the roof, a refrigerator buzzing, a voice over the phone, sounds that cheer us up, sounds that soothe us, sounds that resonate with our sadness. The benign sounds around us could be fueling our energy without us even realizing it. If you’re feeling up to it, I recommend that you try to find a unique favorite sound that resonates with you personally.

Looking to improve your mental wellbeing? Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Reference:
Kageyama, T. (1998). Sound Environment and Mental Health. The Japanese Journal of Mental Health, 13(1) P34-39.

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