Our systems are designed to experience the world through a multi-sensory experience. But, in our current crazy world, our ancient minds don’t actually know how to understand what is happening. My favorite example of this is that if you are wearing a VR headset and a lion comes at you and roars, your nervous system is going to react as if that lion is actually there, raising our cortisol levels and activating our flight/fight/freeze systems. So, even though you are not actually smelling the smells of the lion den or feeling the warmth of the Sub-Saharan African breeze, our sense of sight overrides all the other senses and we believe the threat is real.
So, as we move into summer, I am really focussing for myself and with my kids on experiencing the world in its full sensory experience–not on screens, not inside–but, instead with smells and textures and sounds and taste. How can every day be an explosion of senses? Here are some questions that you can explore with your family:
- Sight: What does the sun look like at 6am, 12pm and 8pm?
- Smell:How does the air smell near the ocean? In the forest? In the middle of the city?
- Taste: What does a fresh picked piece of fruit taste like? How long does the taste of chocolate last on your tongue if you let it melt?
- Texture: Can you find something prickly? What about soft as a baby bunny? What does it feel like when you touch ice and then something warm?
- Hearing: How many different bird calls can you hear first thing in the morning? What is the sound of the washing machine in the spin cycle? Can you hear the variations between the barks of different dogs in your neighborhood?
See if these prompts inspire you and your family to lift eyes out of screens and reset your nervous system to real life.
