A SENSE-ble Look at Healthy Living: Tension

I’ve been feeling a little bit nervous and tense lately. I’m really not sure why, and then I realized that this sense-ble look at a healthier lifestyle with eighteen senses was concluding soon. How ironic that the sixteenth sense turns out to be the sense of tension.

Now, I’m sure the tension I feel on my belt after this holiday season is an important warning sign that I may have taken a wrong turn on the journey. Heck, not just during the holiday season but any time of year.

I’ve mentioned the sense of pressure and the stretch receptors I’ve felt when my skin pushes (bursts) on (through) my clothes.

However, the actions on my overall health caused by tension and frustrations are what really matters. Being tense or worrying about things changes my heart rate and affects my breathing. Being tense changes my mood, and I want to reach for more comfort food. Being tense simply throws my whole equilibrium off.

The sense of tension illustrates a path of how all our senses work either together or in opposition to each other. The journey of healthy living is complicated and can — that’s right — by itself cause more tension.

I’ve learned to cope better with this sense, and TOPS has played a big part. Falling back on my attempts at humor or whistling to relieve tension can only go so far. The available support you provide to me and others is again key to managing my tension levels.

I understand I will never be stress-free; however, I’m continuing to learn how to manage the tension and use the lessons learned. A vital lesson learned is when I log into my food journal. When I record the various foods consumed, I also jot down if it was a good day or a bad day. Tracking what’s happening in and around me helps give me a sense of control … and now that this refracted blog is finished, I feel less tense already.

This is part 16 of the multipart series, “A SENSE-ble Look at Healthy Living.” In my next blog, we’ll look to the sense of hunger.

Missed the beginning of our journey through the human senses? Check out the rest of A SENSE-ble Look at Healthy Living.