Finding Calm Through Your Senses
Your body is always communicating with you, even when you’re not actively listening. The sensations you experience—warmth, tension, tingling, or ease—are all part of your nervous system’s natural way of responding to the world. In moments of stress, your body might feel tight and constricted, while in moments of relaxation, you may notice a sense of lightness or warmth.
Learning how to tune into these subtle messages can help you regulate your emotions, feel more grounded, and reduce feelings of overwhelm. One of the most effective ways to do this is through felt sense awareness, a practice of noticing what’s happening inside your body without trying to change it.
The beauty of this practice is its simplicity. You don’t need any special tools, just a willingness to pause, observe, and acknowledge what’s happening within. Over time, this builds resilience and strengthens your ability to stay present, even when life feels chaotic.
The Power of Noticing
Have you ever been so caught up in your thoughts that you forgot to check in with how you were feeling physically? Maybe you spent hours working, only to realize your shoulders were tense and your jaw was clenched. Or maybe stress built up throughout the day, but you didn’t notice until your stomach started feeling tight or your head started pounding.
This happens because many of us are conditioned to ignore our body’s cues, especially in a fast-paced world that prioritizes productivity over presence. The good news? You can retrain yourself to listen.
When we bring awareness to the sensations in our body, we activate the felt sense—a deep, intuitive knowing that arises from within. This practice helps us stay in tune with ourselves and navigate emotions in a healthier, more balanced way.
A Simple Noticing Practice
One of the easiest ways to reconnect with yourself is by practicing a short, sensory check-in. This takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere.
Try this now:
✔ Close your eyes (if it feels safe) and take a deep breath in. Feel the air filling your lungs, then slowly exhale.
✔ Notice one sensation in your body. Is there warmth in your hands? A lightness in your chest? Maybe your shoulders feel heavy?
✔ Stay with the sensation for a moment. Does it shift? Does it stay the same?
✔ If you don’t notice anything, that’s okay too. See if you can feel the air on your skin, listen to the sounds around you, or simply acknowledge that your body is here, in this moment.
The key is to observe without judgment. If you notice tension, you don’t need to fix it. If you feel discomfort, you don’t need to push it away. Just notice what is present.
By doing this practice regularly, you train your nervous system to recognize safety in the present moment, rather than getting stuck in automatic stress responses.
Why This Matters
When we learn to notice our body’s signals, we create space to respond with awareness rather than react out of habit. Instead of being pulled into stress, frustration, or overwhelm, we develop the ability to pause, check in with ourselves, and shift our response.
For example:
If you notice your shoulders tensing, you might take a deep breath and roll them out instead of staying tense all day.
If you recognize a fluttering sensation in your chest, you might take a moment to slow down rather than pushing through discomfort.
If you feel restless or disconnected, you might use grounding techniques like feeling your feet on the floor or placing a hand on your heart.
These small shifts build resilience, helping you navigate challenges with a greater sense of balance.
Understanding the Nervous System’s Role
Your nervous system is always working behind the scenes, scanning for safety or threats. When it perceives stress, it shifts into a fight-or-flight state, causing physical changes like:
🔹 Increased heart rate
🔹 Shallow breathing
🔹 Muscle tension
🔹 Heightened alertness
On the other hand, when your nervous system senses safety, it moves into a regulated state, allowing you to feel more relaxed, clear-headed, and present.
Practices like felt sense awareness help train your nervous system to return to regulation more quickly, preventing stress from becoming a long-term state.
Expanding Your Awareness with Sensory Grounding
If you struggle to notice internal sensations at first, don’t worry—this is completely normal. One way to build this skill is by engaging your external senses through sensory grounding.
Try these techniques:
👐 Touch – Hold a soft blanket, run your fingers over textured fabric, or press your hands against a solid surface.
👀 Sight – Look around the room and name 5 things you see. Notice colors, shapes, and patterns.
👂 Sound – Close your eyes and listen. Can you hear birds, distant traffic, or the hum of a fan?
👃 Smell – Breathe in a familiar scent like coffee, essential oils, or fresh air.
👅 Taste – Slowly savor a sip of tea or a piece of fruit, paying attention to the texture and flavor.
These simple practices help bring you back to the present moment, especially when your mind feels scattered.
Bringing This Into Daily Life
Like any habit, felt sense awareness becomes more natural with practice. The more you check in with your body, the more attuned you’ll become to your internal state.
Here are a few ways to incorporate this into your day:
🌅 Morning Check-In: Before you get out of bed, take a moment to notice how your body feels. Is it heavy? Light? Warm?
🚶 Midday Movement: If you’ve been sitting for a while, pause to stretch and observe how your body responds.
🌙 Evening Wind-Down: Before sleep, scan your body for tension and allow it to soften with gentle breathing.
These micro-moments of awareness may seem small, but they create lasting shifts in how you experience stress, presence, and connection.
Final Thoughts: Trust Your Body’s Wisdom
Your body is not just a vehicle for your mind—it is a wise and intelligent system that holds deep knowledge about what you need. When you practice noticing your felt sense, you strengthen your relationship with yourself and cultivate a sense of inner trust.
You don’t have to do it perfectly. Simply start where you are, even if it’s just taking one mindful breath today. Over time, these small moments of awareness will transform into a powerful practice of self-connection and calm.
