Techniques for Centering Yourself in Times of Temptation

One way to help ground yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed with temptation is to focus on sensory experiences. Sometimes called “mindfulness,” sensory experiences may seem complicated but are actually fairly simple. You don’t need to know any guided meditations and you won’t need to chant a repetitive word to practice mindfulness and ground yourself with sensory experiences. Instead, you just need to focus on the five senses during simple activities.

For example:

• Try washing your hands and focusing on the senses you feel. Does the water feel cool or warm? Do the soap bubbles tickle your skin? Do you smell the soap? What does it smell like? How does the rest of your body feel from your wrists to your elbows to your shoulders, etc.?
• Take a short walk and focus on the five senses. Do you smell anything, perhaps a neighbor barbecuing or the scent of flowers or trees? How do your feet feel inside of your shoes? Do you feel any gravel or the hard surface of the sidewalk? Does the air have a particular taste? Are there sounds of birds? Do you see anything vivid or bright?
• Sit down and close your eyes. Check in with your body. From your toes to the top of your head, slowly think about each body part and how it is feeling. Do your toes itch? Do your fingers feel anything touching them? Do you smell something different? Notice your thoughts and let them come and go without diving in too deeply into any particular thought.

By focusing your mind on sensory experiences, you’ll be able to live more in the moment and change the direction of your attention off of the temptation, even temporarily, to help you regain control.