Fill Up My Senses

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. – Psalm 34:8a (MSG) 

As someone with an intimate relationship with anxiety, I’ve learned to notice the signs that appear before a flood of overwhelm washes over me. My pulse quickens, my mind races, and everything that felt manageable moments before suddenly feels like an emergency. In those moments, I have a toolbox of techniques to keep the floodwaters at bay. My favorite is a simple five-senses mindfulness exercise. To practice it you pause, take in your environment, and notice: 

5 things you can see.
4 things you can touch.
3 things you can hear.
2 things you can smell.
1 thing you can taste.

Usually by the time I get to one, whatever was bothering me feels more like the annoyance of stepping in a puddle rather than the fear of getting knocked over by a wave.  

When it’s not anxiety, but rather grief or feeling alone in the world, I find that God is the one in which I long to ground myself. In those moments of despair, sometimes accessing the All Mighty, Sacred Mystery, Alpha and Omega, Creator of the Whole Universe feels too far out of reach. Tuning into my senses with a prayerful twist helps bring God back down to earth and reorients me back toward holy hope: 

5 God things I can see. 
4 God things I can touch. 
3 God things I can hear. 
2 God things I can smell. 
1 God thing I can taste.

Prayer
A window. Yellow leaves. Crows. A flag waving. Blue sky. 
A wooden chair. My feet. The ground. My cat. 
Purring. A loving voice. A knife chopping. 
Garlic. Shallots. 
Goodness.

About the Author
Liz Miller serves as the Designated Pastor of Granby Congregational Church, UCC and is the author of Only Work Sundays: A Laidback Guide to Doing Less while Helping Your Church Thrive.