A Day at the Zoo: Using Sensory Awareness and Attention to Ease Anxiety
At a recent trip to the zoo, I found myself stuck in the middle of a large crowd—slower-moving groups in front and beside me. The familiar signs of fight/flight activation started to creep in: flushed face, tight chest, thoughts speeding up. It was a perfect storm for two of my biggest triggers—feeling closed in and stuck.
This used to be the kind of situation that could completely overwhelm me. These moments still aren’t my favorite, but over time—with support and practice—I’ve developed tools that help me stay grounded and move through the discomfort with more confidence.
From Activation to Awareness
On this particular day, as I started to notice those signs of stress building, my awareness started to gently shift. I started to hear the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees. I noticed the sensation of the breeze as it touched my skin. I looked up and noticed the way the leaves swayed. After a few moments of allowing myself to get caught up in this sensory experience, I noticed that the sense of dread was being replaced by curiosity. The tightness in my chest being replaced with spaciousness.
As I continued walking and deconstructing the experience (the therapy nerd part of me is never too far away), I noticed and was grateful for a couple of tools in particular – the ability to re-orient my attention and sensory awareness.
Why Our Attention Gets Hijacked
Our attention has a remarkable ability to shift rapidly, before we are even consciously aware of what is happening, to potential threats in the environment. This ability to quickly zero in on possible threats is a powerful survival mechanism. Sometimes, though, it becomes a little overly sensitive to certain stimuli, especially those that might be connected to painful experiences in our past. When this happens, what might be mundane to someone else, becomes a source of stress and worry.
This is where getting creative with our attention comes in. In therapy, one of the things that we can work on is experimenting with our attention/orienting response to notice our responses when we shift attention. This exploration can start to make way for a range of possible grounding, centering, and supportive observations that can be tools to take anywhere. Here are a couple of simple practices that you can try:
Practice 1: A Mindful Walk
Go for a walk with the intention of being curious and gently aware of the sights and sounds around you. During parts of the walk, focus on the sounds you hear – birds chirping, wind blowing, cars driving by. At other points, tune more closely into the sights around you – shapes, colors, textures.
Pause occasionally to check-in:
· Are there any shifts in your body?
· Do you gravitate towards certain sounds or sights?
· Do you feel more resistant towards other aspects of the environment?
Practice 2: Scent Exploration
For this exercise, gather a few safe-to-smell items from your house. This might include lotions, spices, teas, essential oils, candles, etc. Slowly smell each one and allow yourself to notice:
· Do you notice any shifts internally?
· Are there certain scents that feel more calming or grounding?
· Do any of the scents evoke a calming image, thought, or emotion?
Make note of the ones that resonate. These can become part of your self-care or grounding toolkit.
Bonus – you can repeat this exercise with your other senses – touch, sight, sound and taste – to build up and even more robust set of resources to come back to.
Moving Gently with These Practices
These tools are meant to be gentle. You don’t need to force anything or push into overwhelm. As I often tell my clients: some techniques will click more than others. That’s normal. Trust what works for you.
Want Support Navigating Anxiety or Trauma?
These kinds of practices are just a few ways we can begin to rewire our relationship with anxiety, stress, and the body’s natural survival responses. If you’re curious about how therapy can support your journey, I’d love to connect.