Episode 13: A Practice For Noticing Sensory Care and Sensory Overwhelm
QUOTE OF THE EPISODE
Your sensory systems can offer streams
of support or streams of overwhelm based on how active they are in your life or business.
Welcome to episode thirteen of the podcast where I gently guide you in a practice for noticing sensory care and sensory overwhelm.
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Read the Transcript:
Welcome to episode 13 of the Gentle Business Sessions, a podcast hosted by me, Ashley Beaudin and powered by Marvelous and WillowSpace.
In today's episode, I'm going to take you through a simple guided practice. For when you are needing a little bit of sensory care. Sensory care is such an integral and important piece of supporting ourselves, but is often not something that is intentionally reflected on. And so that's what this practice is meant to do so you can take out a journal. You could close your eyes. You could open the notes app on your computer, whatever would feel best for you in interacting with this guided practice.
Whatever you do choose. I would love to invite you to take a couple of deep breaths with me. And inhale and exhale as. Deep or shallow as feels supportive to you. Allowing yourself to feel settled into the space for curiosity and self-inquiry.
And the first question that I would love to prompt for us today is number one.
What sensory systems bring me the most support? What sensory systems bring me the most support? Do I get the most sensory support through touch. Through sound. Through visuals. Through taste.
To make it simple, we will focus on the five senses that are most popular versus the additional senses that are not as popular. So we will focus on sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. What sensory system gives me the most support?
As you said with that question a little bit notice how alive or active is that sensory system in your life? Or business to meet you with care and support. So, for example, if the sensory system that brings you a lot of support its touch. Is there a sense of touch alive and active in your life in your business?
Make note of that. Notice it.
And if it's not, imagine what it could look like for it to be more alive and active in meeting you with support and care. In your life. And in your business.
Maybe make note of one or two ways that that could be. That that could be more alive. And more active.
Secondly, I want to prompt us to ask - what sensory system ismost likely to overwhelm me. What sensory system is most likely to overwhelm me?
Do I get the most easily overwhelmed by sound. By touch. By stimulating visuals. By spicy foods. By smell.
What sensory system is the most likely to bring you overwhelm?
Again, noticing is this sensory system really alive and activated in your life and business? Maybe even noticing - is this more active than the first one?
There could be some interesting information in there. And if it is alive and activated and brings you sort of this active sense of overwhelmed.
What could it look like to you unplug that sense a little bit? What could it look like to allow it to be maybe a little less alive?
What could it even look like to come into the awareness that it's for you bringing overwhelm?
Here's a good example.
If I am sitting with this exercise and I'm noticing that sensory system that brings me lots of support is touch. But I don't actually do a lot of touch in my business. I'm missing a key area of support. Or a key access of support.
If I notice that a sensory system that is most likely to overwhelm me is sound.
And I am always working in places with a lot of sound like cafes or my house is really loud. Then I'm going to be really overwhelmed in my business. That's going to bleed into that. Whereas, if I'm able to notice and acknowledge that and say, I need quiet spaces to work. And I find a way to carve that out, that's going to bring a lot of support and care simply by looking at sensory systems.
Thirdly, I’d love to prompt us to reflect on.
Are there sensory systems that when they are layered upon each other or partner together they bring me immense support?
Or on the flip side, are there sensory systems that when they are layered on top of each other or partner together, that bring me extraordinary overwhelm?
Am I able to notice or identify either of those? And with that information, what do I want to do with that?
For example. Maybe someone finds immense support when they layer or partner touch with sound.
Like the idea of being swaddled up and listening to calm music at the same time. It's like the most luscious sensory care.
On the flip side, someone might notice that when visuals and smell are layered on top of each other or partner together, It creates an overwhelming situation. A good example of that would be, a lot of fast food chains.
There can be intense smells happening and also really stimulating visuals. And that can create overwhelmed. How this can play in with an entrepreneur. Specifically someone who works at home is let's say you're, you're like, I'm going to take 15 minutes. Go for lunch. It's going to be nice.
And then that's the place you pick? Then you're immediately coming back into your business overwhelmed. So even on the outside, it seems like, oh, you did such a beautiful job taking care of yourself.
Like way to go, but there's a sensation of overwhelm still happening within the body because of the way that you met yourself in a sensory way.
So as you look back at what you wrote. Reflect. Does anything feel important here? Is there anything you want to change? And do differently?
Do these pieces of awareness or knowledge give you compassion?
I encourage you to think of one main takeaway from this exercise that you either want to implement or reflect upon as you move forward.
I hope that this practice met you here today. I hope that it brings you a deeper awareness of how amazing you are. And that you are so worthy of care.
Let me know if you do it. I want to hear from you. Send me a DM on Instagram at gentlebusinesscoach. And I will chat with soon.