Focus by Iryna S. Palamarchuk

Tap Into Your Five Senses

Our senses help us interact with the world: we receive information as we see, hear, touch, smell, or taste things. Intentionally or not, this interaction occurs every single moment in our daily life. Yet, memory is granted to a selected bit of overflowing signals, as we pay attention. The success of attention (and, hence, memory) depends on how other co-occurring signals, distractions, have been minimized. Sometimes it's easier to limit the external noises that interfere with memorizing rather than to deal with the internal turmoil. The trick is that calming the mind is not about taming the thoughts but tuning in to the five senses. Simple shift to external stimuli reorients from internal stimuli. This is called grounding, which is the base of mindfulness. Here are some grounding strategies to help brain fitness with boosting concentration:

Examples of the visual grounding techniques:

1. Look around to observe the colours.
2. Chose a colour, such as yellow.
3. Find and count as many yellow things as you can.
4. Next, select another colour and repeat the steps above.
5. Alternatively, name five items that you can see of any or specific shape, size, category etc.
6. Create your own visual game!

Interesting facts:

Poor attention, as well as former experience/memory, can alter visual perception and interpretation. In contrast, the findings suggest that active scanning with horizontal eye movements (saccades) can help memory (aka SIRE effect) although there are data conflicts.

Examples of the tactile grounding techniques:

1. Notice the sensation of the sun on your skin or your feet on the ground, 
2. Take any item and feel its texture, shape or temperature.
3. Alternatively, chose a texture such as smooth, soft, fluffy etc. Then find and count as many things with that texture as you can.
4. Create your own tactile game!

Interesting facts:

Our skin has variety of receptors that help us interact with the world. Via touch, we can sense texture, pressure, vibration, temperature, pain, and position of our body. Touch relates to well-being and can have calming effects, as skin can convey emotions and feelings including love, compassion and fear.

Examples of the auditory grounding techniques:

1. Listen to music and focus on the instruments and melody/notes.
2. Alternatively, notice how many sounds surround you, like traffic, wind, rain, or birds.
3. Further, go for a walk and listen carefully to any changes in the sound.
4. Create your own auditory game!

Interesting facts:

Hearing is linked to cognition. The evidence is that moderate loss can triple risk of dementia, while severe hearing impairment can increases the risk five times. At the same time, music intervention is shown to improve cognitive functions in patients with dementia.

Examples of the olfactory grounding techniques:

1. Notice smells around you, such as from food, coffee, flowers, perfume or deodorant.
2. Alternatively, in a new environment, search for smells that are familiar and pleasant.
3. Create your own olfactory game!

Interesting facts:

Poor sense of smell is associated with cognitive decline and dementia. In fact, loss of olfactory function is an early symptom of neurodegenerative process such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The reason is that the brain area related to memory also processes smell.

Examples of the gustatory grounding techniques:

1. Notice the taste of your food or drink.
2. Try your favourite savoury meal and notice the sensations which, perhaps, you did not pay attention to before.
3. Indulge in gelato for its cold sweetness and more!

Interesting facts:

Both olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions may be among the early symptoms of dementia. At the same time, patients with dementia tend to relatively easily recognize sweet taste, and have their preference for sweets.

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