In my work with kids, one of the things that has stuck with me the most from my trainings and helped me relate and empathize with individuals of all ages has been an analogy around sensory capacities. Growing up, we are taught about our five senses: sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell. Picture a different sized cup for each of your senses representing how much it takes to “fill up” on that particular sense. Some of your cups might be really big, making you want more and more of something to engage that sense. Other cups might be really small, represented by a sensitivity to things that utilize that sense. Take my cups for example – I have a rather large touch cup, exhibited by the molten lava temperature I prefer for my showers. On the other hand, my smell cup is much smaller, making me queasy, distracted, and overwhelmed by a lot of perfumes, air fresheners, and smoke. Self-awareness surrounding your senses can help you create boundaries around what will keep you in a calmer state and take action on things that might be overwhelming you when you feel stressed.
We consistently use this idea of cups in my house to understand one another. I’ve learned that my husband has much smaller cups when it comes to touch, sound, and taste, helping me to be sensitive about how I interact with him and compromise in our day-to-day activities. For instance, when I play music around the house, I’m sure to put it at a lower volume in an effort to not overwhelm him. Try initiating this conversation with your family to figure out a way to live more harmoniously with one another. Small adjustments and accommodations can be made to create a more peaceful environment for everyone. For kids, help them explore their limits through sensory activities and utilize some aids such as headphones and deep breathing exercises for our more sensitive friends with smaller cups.
