My passion is helping medical students overcome stress and depression so they can maximize their full potential. As a doctor I enjoy seeing medical students thrive and many become my colleagues. I want to share a few ways that I used sensory experiences to help me when I was a medical student and had to take time off because of depression. By learning to engage the senses in addition to medically supervised protocols to treat depression, you can find healthy ways to recover.
Smell
The sense of smell is powerful and can invoke memories to elevate your mood. For me the smell of cherry chapstick can make me feel like a kid again. Find something similar that gives you a quick pick me up or keeps you from sliding further into depression or anxiety.
Sight
Sight is very important to your visual field. I keep pictures of my family around me at all times because they make me feel good and remind me of the love in my life.
Sound
When someone is going through depression those negative thoughts can get really loud. That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with positive people and thoughts that can drown out those negative voices. Positive, uplifting music can be key for elevating your spirits.
Taste
It can be easy to let your emotions take you down a road you don’t want to go down when it comes to food. Emotional eating can be difficult to manage, which is why it’s important to control your environment. Remove processed and sugary foods from temptation and make sure to take time to eat high-quality, nutritious food.
