Unadulterated Senses

Sight. Sound. Smell. Touch. Taste.

These five words encapsulate the entirety of our external experience. Even more, these trusty inputs help us wind our way through the word by informing all our intuitive decisions.

Problem is, many of us have become disconnected from our senses. From bright lights to processed foods to blasting music, our senses are on constant overdrive. Despite the many gifts conferred by the manmade jungle of the 21st century, ceaseless stimulation of our senses may throw them off-kilter. How could our senses remain intact when they are being hijacked from normal equilibrium? In this entry, we will delve into each one of our senses and explore how we may restore them back to harmony.

Sight

While everyday tasks may demand extended screen time, we can mitigate potential damage to our eyes by taking breaks to peer away from the screen. When you have a five-minute work break, give your hard-working eyes a respite from the screen. And perhaps train your eyes in long-range vision after a long day staring at the screen by glancing out the widow and appreciating the texture of the trees across the street.

Though the sun sets hours before bedtime, we spend our evenings in well-lit abodes. Limiting light before bedtime may make for better sleep, as production of the “sleepy hormone,” melatonin, is suppressed by light. For this reason, switching to warm lighting and avoiding screens before bed may be a small hack to improve insomnia and sleep quality. Lastly, you would be surprised by how quickly your eyes adjust to darkness. For instance, it may seem pitch black when you first embark on a night time stroll. However, as your eyes adjust to darkness, you may be surprised to find that the gentle light of the moon and stars is sufficient to guide your way home.

Sound

Oh dear, where shall we begin with this one? Our sweet ears are constantly assaulted with loud music and podcast episodes via ear phones and air pods. While it is a gift to be able to absorb so much content in the privacy of our own ears, let us be mindful of our auditory health. In the long-term, adjusting to lower volumes may spare our future selves from ear maladies.

And more radically, perhaps taking intermittent breaks from tuning in to music, podcasts, and phone conversations would allow us to listen to the music of the wind, bugs, distant chatter, and dogs barking yonder.

Smell

Let’s talk about pheromones. Did you know that smell is one of the ways we choose mating partners? That’s right. I’m not advocating relinquishing notions of hygiene, but perhaps get curious and dabble in scents that enhance your natural aroma. For example, did you know that sandalwood is a natural aphrodisiac?

If you find that you are concerned by malodourous aroma, perhaps this is a signal that you should consider detoxing from harsh and anti-perspiring products. You see, the purpose of sweat is to expel toxins from the body, so when sweat is suppressed via anti-perspiring deodorant, toxins accumulate in the body. For this reason, people who cease using anti-perspiring deodorant may notice that their sweat is especially odorous as their body spews a buildup of toxins that may have been amassing for years. If you find yourself in this boat, you are not alone. Switch to natural products and ride the smelly wave out. Once your body is detoxed from harsh products, the smell of your sweat should be less potent. And if it’s still there? Well, embrace your uniquely scented signature.

Bottom line…you are human. As you explore new products, search for ones that are both pleasant smelling and good for you, such as natural perfumes and deodorants composed of essential oils, which boast appealing aromas and are known for their healing properties.

Touch

The modern world is full of luxuries. One of my personal favorites is a warm shower. Habituation to a warm shower has made it nearly impossible for me to wrap my mind around, much less execute, cold showers. Yet, our ancestors lived for centuries without warm water, and cold showers are wrought with health benefits.

I have not yet practiced what I preach in this regard, but perhaps we should teach our bodies to tolerate cold water to build our resilience, support immune function, and calm our nervous systems. The ritual of warm showers may make such an endeavor of a cold shower difficult, but incrementally changing the temperature on your nozzle and teaching your body to slowly withstand cold water may do the trick. Pasito pasito, we can ease our bodies into any new practice.

Another feature of modernity possibly wielding influence on our sense of touch is the accessibility of porn. Reader, this is not to impart any moral judgements on anyone who enjoys watching porn. It is only to invite a gentle inquiry of the subtle effect porn may have on our relationships. On a subconscious level, could it be that porn makes the real thing less pleasurable as viewers inevitably begin holding partners to unrealistic standards? And could porn condition people to higher and higher thresholds of new and exciting, rendering sex at home pale in comparison? Studies suggest that porn may indeed blur the lines between reality and fantasy. A 2010 study found that the more porn men watched, the less satisfied they were with their sex lives. It is important to keep things vital and exciting in the bedroom, but perhaps porn could be a detrimental way of doing so.

Taste

Processed foods are usually wrought with added sugars. A quick glance at the sugar content in popular condiments such as Ketchup or juices like Minute Maid should send you running in the opposite direction. The trouble with added sugars is the more your taste buds become saturated with high levels of them, the more difficult it may become to taste the natural sweetness in a blueberry, much less a carrot. How can you savor the smaller amounts of sugar in naturally occurring in foods, when your body is accustomed (and perhaps addicted) to much higher doses of sugar?

Detoxing from sugary household staples may send your body into withdrawals. Do not fret as you ride out the unpleasant symptoms. With determination, and yes, time, you will come to cherish pineapples as nature’s candy.

Final Musing

If nothing else, the most important takeaway is this: you are adaptable. Revel in the sensuality of your senses as you teach your body to appreciate the world around you as it is. Be kindled by the sweetness in an orange, the sound of the birds above, the touch of your partner’s hand on your skin, and the beautiful word unfolding before you.