Sense of Touch: Touch-Based Activities

Touch-based activities correspond with the Phlegmatic Temperament, Phlegm (Cold/Wet), Water Element, the Tarot Suit of Cups, Winter, the Soul Body, Tree of Life: World of Briah (Creation), Heart (Anahata) and Throat (Visuddha) Chakras, the Blue and Green Aura Color Personalities, the Emotion of Sadness, Touch and Sound, and VAM (part of God’s name).

• We cannot get enough hugs and affection in life. Most of us are seriously deficient. Hug someone today. Hug yourself. 

 

• Do you own a pet? Hug your pet. They love affection, and they love you unconditionally.

 

• If there's an area of your home or closet that's getting messy, clean it up. It will give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment and boost your self-esteem. It will also get you physically moving. 

 

• To be intimate means to be close and personal. It is a natural and healthy emotional component of a healthy relationship. You can be intimate with anyone. Intimacy does not imply anything sexual. Intimacy is not merely being close, but also having an understanding or a deep bond. You can be intimate with your best friend, parents, children, and even your dog. Sex, on the other hand, involves romanticism, love, passion, lust, and a physical expression of all of the above. Unless you have a good reason for being celibate or are under the age of 18, having a healthy sex life is an integral part of connecting with your significant other. It's the most intimate of intimacies. We need this to feel connected to our mates in a unique way. Make love. 

 

• Take time to wine and dine, romance, and love your partner. Write it into your schedule, and don't cancel your appointment. Show up physically. 

 

• Wrap yourself in a cozy robe or blanket and plunk yourself into the corner of your favorite chair or your bed. Grab a good book (or your pet) and enjoy the warmth and coziness. Be grateful for your robe, your blanket, your chair, your bed, your book, your eyes to read with, and your pet who desires only your loving touch. 

 

• Give yourself a makeover. Giving yourself a makeover can make such a difference in how you feel about yourself. You can do this yourself or visit a salon. Makeovers also apply to the sense of "Sight". 

 

• Visit a day spa. Even if you have to save up the money to do so, go somewhere for a couple of hours and just be pampered like a king or queen. You deserve it.

 

• Iron some clothes. Many of us no longer perform this activity. I think it is partly due to clothing being "wash and wear". Still, there must be some things that could use a touch-up. There's nothing like a freshly laundered, creaseless T-shirt pulled over your head and smoothed pillowcases that look straight out of a Home & Garden magazine.

 

• Rearrange a room or cupboard. Sometimes, things don't flow well in the home due to poor placements. Look around your home. What have you meant to change or rearrange? What always seems to be in the way or hard to find? Get up and do that now. Cross it off your list.

 

• Do some gardening. Not everyone has a yard, much less a garden, but you can still enjoy planting and watching things grow. Consider planting some houseplants or potting some herbs on your windowsill. Could you hang a window box, plant a tomato, or place a pot of flowers at your entryway? These things help us to reconnect with nature and our roots.

 

• Wash your face. There's nothing like a clean face to wake you up and give you a boost of energy. Don't hurry through this. Take your time and feel your face (which might sound ridiculous, but we often rush through touching our skin when we are cleansing). Clean your face with your favorite soap or face cream, rinse (and enjoy the water), gently pat dry, and then apply a bit of face cream or olive oil afterward. Enjoy a newfound perspective.

 

• Smooth some lotion into your skin. Slathering on lotions and creams is like giving yourself a mini-massage. You can also use olive, almond, or vegetable oil for this purpose. A bit of Crisco vegetable shortening is excellent for the feet, helping to heal dry, cracked skin. So are shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil.

 

• Shave (face, armpits, or legs). Even if you usually go all-natural, an occasional shave can be a real pick-me-up. Little changes can offer significant boosts of energy.

 

• Give yourself a body-scrub. In a 16-ounce jar or plastic container, mix 1 cup of dark brown sugar, ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Almond or Vegetable oil is acceptable to use), one teaspoon of vitamin E Oil (or open liquid gel caps), one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and one tablespoon of Honey (optional). Scrub the mixture into your skin (not too hard) and rinse. Save any leftover scrub by covering it with a lid. This recipe came from Paula Dean's son, Corrie.

 

• Give yourself a massage. Even if you live alone and have no significant other, you can still get a great massage with your own two hands. Take a shower or a bath to loosen up tight muscles, and then massage every part of your body you can reach easily with long or circular strokes in the direction of your heart. For those places that aren't easily reached, a percussion massager with heat adjustment is the best massage device to own. The pulsating part of a percussion massager doesn't go around and around. It goes up and down, giving your body little beats that wake up the blood vessels in sluggish muscles and increase oxygen flow, which relieves pain.

 

• Acupuncture serves to remove energy blockages in the body's electromagnetic energy field, reducing physical symptoms. Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in which tiny, painless needles are inserted into the skin at specific locations to open energy pathways. Treatments are often combined with the use of specific herbal combinations to promote overall health. Acupressure follows the same theory as acupuncture. However, instead of using needles, light pressure is applied to an exact location to open energy pathways and relieve tension and pain. Other senses of "Touch" therapies might include Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Reflexology, Craniosacral Therapy, Watsu, and chiropractic manipulations.

 

• Get some exercise. There are two forms of exercise you need. The first is aerobic (breathing and fat burning). Aerobic exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to every area of your body, which is just what you need to alleviate any pain. The second is resistance training (controlled movements to increase muscle tone). Besides swimming, Tai Chi and Qigong are among the most healing exercises you can learn to perform. Yoga and Pilates are excellent for creating toned, limber, and healthy muscles, but they can be too challenging for those who are out of shape. Save these for after you've gained a bit of muscle tone from walking, swimming, or lifting free weights. Whatever you decide to do for exercise, go for variety and fun. Anything less is absolute drudgery. Variety makes exercise more like play. 

 

• It's essential to play. Play with your kids, pets, significant other, and friends. Skip rocks on water, throw a ball, walk your dog, tickle your kids, or run in the rain with your partner. Run, dance, and laugh out loud. By the way, dancing is one of the easiest ways to allow your body to express its emotions. You don't have to understand choreography. Just put on some music and move however you want. No one has to see. Just go with the flow. If you feel like curling up in a ball and then reaching your arms wide only to swoop down and do it all over again, do so. It's your dance of life.