Life in Five Senses

Life in Five Senses is a personal but science-driven exploration of what it takes to truly activate our powers of perception and fully witness life in all its depth and color, offering clever insights and simple practices to help us connect more with the world, ourselves, and others.

As a writer, my odds of enjoying work into old age are decent. Arthritis? We’ve now got great dictation technology. But what if I go blind? That’d be a real wrench in the system. My eyes being my most important sense, I rest them whenever I can. I also try to appreciate my gift of sight whenever I look at a beautiful view.

Here are 5 ideas to help you do the same:

Visual homework. Challenge yourself to spot five animals or count all circular-shaped objects on a walk around your neighborhood. Spotting new details in familiar sights. How has your husband’s face changed in the last few years? Does your living room carpet look differently than it used to? Paying attention to colors. Which colors do you like and why? State your opinion about colors more often for more self-awareness. Looking at the same thing more than once. Revisit pleasant sights regularly. Look out your office window or walk to a monument nearby. How does it change over time? Changing your phone to grayscale. I wrote about this years ago, and it is still powerful in its intended effect: If your phone is all gray instead of bursting with colors, it’ll be easier to put it down and look at the real world.

There’s a difference between looking and truly seeing. Practicing these habits will make it easier to remember it.

If you’ve ever eaten a spoon of chocolate pudding while pinching your nose, you’ll know: Without smell, there can be no taste. We eat 3 times a day, yet, even with our noses un-pinched, many of us are bad at smelling. I struggle to identify fruit notes in wine, for example. A mastered sense of smell keeps us anchored in the present, Rubin says. Odors are fleeting. Anything visual, we can save in our pocket computers. Smells? Not so much. Except if you buy Elon Musk’s Burnt Hair essence, perhaps. Here are 3 simple exercises to smell more out of life: Linger on smells to educate your nose. Take a deep breath over your coffee mug in the morning. Savor the black gold. What you smell regularly, you can identify and appreciate anywhere. Actively shape the smell of your home. Visual decor is on everyone’s map, but what about how our houses smell? Whether it’s a diffuser, flowers, or scented candles, try some aromas, and see smell what sticks. Pick…