Stop and Smell The Roses

When you literally stop and smell the roses, your heart lifts, and your brain and body give you feel-good signals that help shift the rest of your day. Where are the roses for you? Here's a photo of my neighbors' roses taken last spring! Right now as we are inside our homes, it's so important to take time to stop and hear a bird singing outside, to smell a favorite meal cooking, to savor the first mouthful, to hold a loved one's hand and look in their eyes, to feel moved by listening to a favorite song. Using the senses of the body—touch, taste, vision, scent, sound—help us ground in the moment. Better yet—go a step further and "take the elevator down" into your chest because when you stay for a moment or two with the appreciation of what you are sensing, your system swaps out stress hormones for feel-good hormones, your nervous system calms, and you ground.