Sensory Pleasures
The trait of high sensitivity is scientifically called sensory processing sensitivity. We often talk about the challenges to high sensitivity but I think it’s also important to talk about the gifts! Highly sensitive people (HSPs) can enjoy sensory pleasures even more than the majority and we can also use these pleasures as a form of centering, and calming techniques such as grounding.
It isn’t just that we experience challenges more, we also experience pleasures more. Let’s fill up our positivity tank by naming them! Here are some of the ones I experience and I would love to hear yours in the comments too!
I love pouring warm water over my head in the bathtub. Ever since I was little I loved smelling my cat’s fur, it brings me a calming, peaceful feeling as she snuggles next to me. When I watch birds and animals, the trees, the sky, and my garden growing, I feel the beauty of it all deeply it can sometimes move me to tears. When I eat or drink something particularly good I love noticing all the flavors and textures and aromas, etc. When I feel my sheets they are so soft that it brings such a sensory pleasure. There are so many sensory pleasures I get to feel in an enhanced way as an HSP high up on the scale of sensitivity.
We have positioned an umbrella in such a way that the sun goes on my legs and not my face and every morning from about 9:30-12 is the most glorious time of my day. I take my sock off and my feet and lower legs exposed to the sun feels glorious. I'm looking at the blue sky, and the birds flying above, and the beautiful trees and leaves, the birds eating happily and drinking and showering in the water fountain, their song, my favorite sound. My dog next to me passed out happily in the sun. He loves this time of day with me too. It's moments like this that I fill up my positivity tank. I've noticed since I've consistently done this, that my mood and energy are good. When we pay attention to our needs we can feel so much better! I also like to write during this time...I feel creative when I'm soaking in sensory pleasures. Have you noticed that about yourself? I love soaking in sensory pleasures with consciousness. I love seeing you all doing it too! ❤️ It will be fun to read yours. ❤️
Here are some answers from a group of HSPs polled in my Sensitive Empowerment Community.
I love having my back scratched! So simple!
At times, when I'm the one controlling it, I LOVE loud music. Music is a huge sensory pleasure for me. I recently realized how much I actually like jazz (Miles Davis, Coltraine, Billy Holiday, the classics!) and listening to it through headphones - wow!
Grapefruit-Scented lotion or oils - that really wakes me up and can be helpful for cutting through some anxiety.
FOOD! I can appreciate the simplicity of a fresh apple to the complexity of a sweet-savory dessert, to the coziness of a soup or hot dish w/ roast veggies and warming spices.
Thanks for asking this question. I would say one of the hardest parts for me in being highly sensitive is how difficult the sensory experience can be for me (and how that can then affect others around me) so it's wonderful to talk about the pleasures!
I respond so much to scent! I love the scent of patchouli essential oil, fresh-cut grass, a special rice dish called pelau, and the co-mingling scents of my bathroom. An excellent head massage...*swoons*, the hot shower after a long physical day. Sigh...
I’m big on smells too. I’ve been known to go into a store with scented products like soaps, candles, or essential oils and smell every different scent. 😀.
I also love food. Trying different dishes with different flavour combinations is a big pleasure for me. I love food that is flavourful and spicy and has different textures. I love preparing the food and of course, tasting it.
I was drinking a cup of chai the other day and it was such a sensory experience. The warmth in my hands, the scent of the spices and then the taste. Feels like heaven. 😍I love warm to hot water running over me in the shower. I love the feeling of lathered soap all over me with the water rinsing it off & finishing the shower off with cool water.
I love having my back scratched so since I'm alone I find a bristle hair brush works just fine. ( better than a back scratcher)
I love scented oils with sticks or candles.I love a massage. I love my feet rubbed (massaged)
I really like putting earbuds in & listening to Chopin. Or this young girl Karolina Protsenko play the violin. My dad used to play the piano /violin. The sound of that music just fills my senses so much.
I love the sound of water. Like a stream or the ocean. There is a resident owl outside the window at night. I love the noise it makes.
I love the smell of fresh ground coffee or freshly mown grass.
I also love to float in water.I feel this passion deep in my soul when I listen to music that is filled with hope, love, strength, and struggle, as well as instrumental music. I smile and a peace washes over me every time I smell one of my scented candles, as well as my sheets/pillow cases. I love the feel of hot water spraying down on me in the shower. ❤
The patterns and colours of the sky throughout the day. Lying in soft grass and staring at clouds slowly floating.
Watching birds and animals and the sound of naturally running water. Being in nature, the smells, the sounds, discovering new things.
The smell of rain on a freshly plowed paddock or mown grass.
The coolness of the fresh early morning air and the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
The crackle and warmth of a wood fire in winter.
These are all so wonderful. I love listening to birds chirping, leaves crunching under my feet in fall, rain pattering on the roof, the sound of waves crashing. I also love being in the water, especially warm water. I used to occasionally go to a hot mineral pool and sit in the hot water with jets for hours. Miss that!
I have tingles reading all your posts. I love this topic Julie thanks for asking!!
I love nature -especially green trees and moss- I love how soft and soothing it is to my eyes and how moss is like a microcosm when you look closely and see the intricate pattern of the leaves and the tiny flowers.
I love the sound of rain, ocean waves and running water. I grew up near the beach and the ocean is like home to me.
I get a wave of love and amazement when I see the beautiful patterns in my son's or my husband’s eyes and watch their facial expressions when they are happy.
I love the smell of cats and dogs’ feet! Julie mentioned the smell of cat fur and I instantly thought of the popcorn like smell that their little pads have! Try it! haha. I also love watching them move and run and seeing how completely embodied they are and the absolute wonder of their existence.
I adore being in and especially under water. Warm (soothing) or cold (exhilarating). I could spend hours swimming underwater.
I love food and cooking too and especially love contrasts of Flavour and texture. I make a dish sometimes and relive how delicious it was!
I could go on and on ... :) I love this question!You inspired me to think about how much I love looking at the intricacies of a leaf on a plant and all the beautiful little tiny details most people miss. I feel such delight in those tiny details of nature ❤️
Thank you all for all reminders of all sensory plesaures! I love to look out over the sea, smell the saltwater and also to take a swim in the ocean! I also love the smell of the nature during the spring in Sweden.
I love the sound of wind chimes, the way the yellow leaves from my neighbor's tree dance through the air when they're hit by a gust. Standing in a forest and smelling the rich earth, hearing birds, watching sunlight slant through the canopy. Snuggling up in fresh sheets, especially with a heavy pillow pressed against my back. Holding a warm drink on a cold morning and breathing in its aroma. Feeling the sun warming my should on a cool day. Lathering up with a sweet-smelling soap-- I love rose and citrus scents. Too many pleasures to name! It's so good to be reminded of these. Thank you for starting this topic!
I am loving reading all of these so much! The way you describe things is how I experience it too and makes me feel like I’m experiencing it at the same time. How glorious ❤️
I absolutely love really really cold chia seed pudding made from coconut almond milk and drizzled with a finish of honey - the texture, taste and temperature are a sensory treasure :)
I love that you all are sharing the pleasures of our sensitivity ❤️
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to grow up on a farm, yet then live in a number of cities, so here goes:
Laying on our front lawn or on the hood of the car and being immersed by the milky way & stars, shooting stars on a warm summer’s night; biking through london at night after a fresh rain and past the soft glow of cozy pubs; fresh dew in the morning on a walk through the forest; nuzzling my nose into my daughter’s hair and inhaling deeply while she breastfeeds; feeling the release of my son when I hold him tight and he relaxes into the hug; the smell of autumn and autumn leaves; absolutely the smell of fresh coffee; a long shower after a workout; I adore open water swimming and being immersed in the energetic sea or a clear lake and feeling at one with all animals and creatures that are seen or unseen; a warm fire and smelling of smoke afterward; the comfort of a light down jacket in san francisco when the sun goes away; laying on the beach and digging my fingers and toes into the sand to either feel warmth or coolness.
So beautiful. I was transported to each exquisite moment 💗
I love the smell of mud in the Spring and decaying leaves underfoot in the Fall. I love when I'm in the woods and the sun is low and just hitting the leaves at the very top of the very top of the tallest trees and they look like sparkling lights.
Light frost or dew on the grass first thing in the morning looks like a field of gemstones, and I can stand there for 5 minutes just moving my head slightly from side to side to catch all the changing colors.
Washing my hair: I take WAY more time than is 'necessary' to wash my short hair 'cos I love, love, love giving myself that sudsy head massage.
Staring at the fire in the woodstove, particularly at night with all the lights off.
Light rain on a metal roof -- I'd be happy to fall asleep to that sound every night!
I love the smell of soil. I love the feel of cold wet grass on my feet. I love it when someone I love touches my hair. I so much love holding my children, my life is dedicated to them whatever I do.
I feel tingles in my hands and feet a lot and feel the need to place my feet on the ground and my hands on something as if healing someone.
The sea is a special place for me as it's the element I connect with the most, in fact water generally.
I love to feel trees and the texture of their bark, in fact, I love to do anything that connects me to plants.
I love the first sip of a smoky lapsang hot tea outside on a cold morning. The sweetness of a chocolate gelato right before climbing into a warmed bed at night. I could spend hours looking at the cactus here in California, which is new to me, and marveling at the smooth skins, needle-like spikes, the furry ones, the Jurassic looking ones. I love the smell of sea salt when I first get out of my car by the ocean, and adore watching the way the birds glide through the air over the cliffs. I love the feel of my daughter's bony hugs and the smell of her hair, the sounds of her car door slamming when I hear her coming home at night. I love the hills across from our house turning golden in the morning right before the sun pops up, and the way the air smells cold but without a hint of snow.
This pomegranate treat is giving me lots of sensory pleasures! So beautiful and delicious too. ❤️
It is so good to read about what brings pleasure to others, I almost can feel them with your descriptions. Probably because I felt a lot of them too.
I especially can relate to hair - I love when my hair is touched. And I also get a tingling feeling when I watch how someone's hair is being done or cut. Mesmerizing.
One pleasure that pops in my head right now is when my feet are cold I love the feeling when I get to bed under the blanket and press my feet against my spouse. He is like a heater and these first seconds of warmth is the best sensation in my world :)A big one for me is burning incense, and in general having a nice, subtle smell in the room.
The vibration of my cats purr ❤️
The sound of the wind playing with the trees outside my window
The silence when the fan is turned off and their is no other noise. I feel an immediate softening in silence.
The sensory relaxation under a weighted blanket.
Hearing: beautiful music, especially classical and uplifting or poignant movie/TV soundtracks. I feel immersed and changed by it - like it's filling me up, or going in and winding through me with light. Reminding me of who I am and what's out there that's beautiful, hopeful, and good. I also love the sound of my own instrument, cello, of course! Playing it myself or hearing skilled others - like Stjepan Hauser, who is amazing.
Taste: I love summer, and summer fruit is one of the reasons. Mango is such a sensory experience, but also nectarines. The juiciness, soft flesh, sweetness, colour...
Sight: There are palm trees outside the window where I work at home, and I like looking at them in the sunlight and breeze. The light glistens on the individual fronds/leaves, and they move constantly in any breeze, all a little separately, but in a choreographed way as well. It's quite beautiful.
Walking on grass or earth barefoot. Letting water run over my face in the shower. The smell of the sea.
Reading through everyone's posts, what beautiful descriptions! I can imagine and feel each of them as I read them! Reading through reminded of something that I love, the fractal patterns of large trees' branches. I feel like I can endlessly look at them, walking around the tree changing the angle, seeing new patterns. Nature really is incredible.
This afternoon, I just stood and watched the changing colours and tones in the sunset. It was just beautiful. Usually, I would run into the house to grab the camera but sometimes it's just good to stop and take it all in - certainly fills up the positivity tank :)
I love floating in the ocean and feeling the waves lift me up and down, it's like Mother Nature's inhale and exhale. I love the feel of smooth, well-worn, clean sheets, especially warmed up with an electric mattress pad on a cold night! I love lying under a blanket on the couch to read and the weight and warmth of my dog on my legs. I love holding babies, tucking them in the crook of my elbow and making them feel safe and secure. Watching the beauty of people creating art when they are blowing glass. It’s absolutely stunning to me and such visual pleasure.
We did a taste test of butters from around the world today on a baguette. Very interesting! They all were different from each other. Enjoying a tasting sensory experience ❤️
Biting into a piece of fruit the moment the juice bursts out is a sensory pleasure I love and know is often heighten for those of us high on the scale of Sensitivity.
I love the dappled sunlight through my kitchen windows late morning. I also love the sound of my grandson's voices when they call me Grandma.
A warm cup of tea on a cool morning. Bliss ❤️
The smell of the earth after rain
Sound for me. I love to listen to the wind in the trees and oddly enough the throat chanting of Buddhist monks or the Tuvans. And taste! Hot strong coffee!
The smell of freshly cut grass.
The amazing fragrance from the orange blossoms on our small tree balcony next to our bedroom smells amazing! I can smell it inside too as I crack the balcony door open and enjoy one of my favorite smells ever!
I get this massive grounding sensation when I listen to heavy drums. I love to put on my headphones and just close my eyes and feel the drums hammer through me. I have wondering why, I think it reminds me of ancient history, fire places and heart beats. Dirt, mud and grounding.
Sunsets, sun filtering thru tree leaves, the sound of cats purring and the soft feeling of their fur, savoring a delicious meal, bare feet on grass or sand, a hug from my partner, soft fabric, a warm cup of tea.
What I love is the one time when I was at home on a quiet morning and I could hear the rain coming down on the roof and spattering on the windows. I lit a meadow showers candle from Yankee candle (it is my favorite scent!!) and went beautiful with the rain outside. Then I got a new book and a lemon water and sat down to read my book. I opened the shades to the bay window nearby so I could also see the rain fall outside. The first paragraph of the book was describing a huge rainstorm that was going on and how it was pouring down from the sky from the characters perspective. I did not even know that was going to happen and that was a nice coincidence. I breathed in the meadow showers candle even more and I was just smiling taking in everything around me. This post just reminded me of that day and it was a beautiful one so thank you for that! 😊
Oh there are so many! The first one I thought of after seeing this post is the pleasure to touch different textures of fabrics and surfaces. When I'm in a clothes shop, second hand shop, walking through some bushes or some of my friends are wearing a blouse or a sweater that makes me curious how it feels like to touch... I always want to touch the fabric or the surface which sparks my curiosity! It brings instant pleasure and satisfies my curious prediction of how I imagine it to feel to my fingertips. :)
The sensory processing sensitivity can be such a joyride!
A sensory thing I’ve been enjoying this past week is laying down on the grass and enjoying its fragrance at close range. I don’t know if it is the chlorophyll or oxygen or both or the time of year but it is rather intoxicating. It kind of feels like there is a lot more going on than just laying down, like I’m part of something, some sort of exchange, if only for a little while. Our yard is nothing fancy, plenty of weeds as well as grass. It’s been fun seeing the little critters and tiny blooms at such close range as well.
This brought up a memory for me as a kid I used to lay in the grass all the time looking up at the sky. I also love walking barefoot in the grass and take my shoes off to walk in it often now.
It’s such a coincidence to see this post. Just this week, I found myself randomly listening to soundtracks that used to inspire me to soar when I was a child. And listening to those soundtracks gave me the same feeling even now. Movies and their soundtracks always had a way of inspiring me. Makes sense as I am also a musician.
In the opposite sense, an amazing pleasure that I truly enjoy is when it’s twilight and it’s quiet. That too is a beautiful feelingThis is so true. I never realized it. There's sooo many amazing sensations that I cannot seem to explain to others. I love the sensation of rubbing my feet against things. In bed, against my husbands legs or my own. I love the soft breeze on my skin in a way that lights me up. And the sight of dawn brings tears to my eyes, gratitude to my heart, and peace to my soul. The energy can feel me up for the whole week.
So much music! Old-school jazz (Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn...), meditative music (Discovered Wakes through Julie and I really love listening to them), Florence and the Machine w/ the volume turned up high, the weird beauty of Bon Iver and Kate Bush... I could go on and on. Music is a major pleasant sensory experience for me.
The smell of, well basically any lovely thing, but today a kaffir lime! Its scent is luscious, fresh and zingy. I used it to ground myself while in a workshop for several hours. Worked a treat. The smell reminds me of home (we grow them in our orchard) and they're tactile like a bobbly stress ball.
The feel of soft blankets and my hands in the dirt/garden, the sound of silence, laughter and my husband's deep voice when he comes up behind me and whispers in my ear, the first bite of a decadent cheesecake, Lindt chocolate (red balls) melting in my mouth, the smell of essential oils and air at the lake, the sound of the wind in the trees, the sight of my boys growing into men I am so very proud of, watching my garden grow, yellow finches at the feeder, abstract art.
I also squish silly putty around in my hands sometimes when I am relaxing in the evening. It's like a stress ball but softer!
This year I started a few stone paths in my garden just to hear the crunching sound as you walked. There are lots of visuals and scents in gardens but this small auditory addition makes me smile.
I also like when the air or water temp is the exact temp of your body and you can experience the opposite, sensory deprivation -the loss of your edges with the rest of the ethers when you close your eyes.
I always thought the way I am is just the way everyone else was- but when other people would do certain things I would be so shocked! Anyway, the ocean and still water brings me immense stillness. My brain overstimulated very often, especially at work and the water helps to stop my brain from trying to run itself over.
I love receiving massage, smelling flowers like roses, lilac, freesia, lily of the valley or Sanziene (as in the picture), feeling the water caressing my skin when taking a shower or when swimming, feeling soft textures of clothes, feeling the air when dancing, smiles of my loved ones or of children, smelling fresh air in the woods and listening to forrest birds songs, hearing the river flow, watching mountains and hills, trees or grass when moved by the wind...
I have been in a city this week that has exceptionally beautiful landscaping...the greens are so green and the colors of flowers so vibrant and attractive. The city planners were very intentional in planting different shades of green in one place. And the variety is exquisite. I also fully enjoy touch as in hot oil body massage. Violin music in certain songs, that haunting sound, often brings me to tears. And I love TASTE (of course), especially tasting something I really like for the first time after I haven't had it in ages. The taste is somehow magnified and pleasure unrepeatable.
Just ate the best little mini watermelon. It was sweet, cold, juicy, the texture was perfectly crisp, and the color was the most beautiful bright red! Definitely a full sensory pleasure! ❤️
Journaling! I enjoy ripping up pieces of scrap papers rather than only using cutting supplies. The sound is nice and the teared edges can look more organic on some spreads. Also, love the sound of pen on paper + the blotting of distress inks on different textured papers.
Did a lot of yard work and house projects this weekend and was so tired, physically and emotionally, and SO enjoyed a cool evening shower. One thing I love about my bathroom is that there's a small window in the shower itself and no one can see in from outside so if you're so inclined, you can shower with the window open and the night breeze blowing in - it's like halfway to an outdoor shower, which I also love as a sensory experience!
I'm not feeling up to a nature walk this morning and would have to drive to find solitude. So instead I'm admiring the lovely trees outside while I listen to the Forest- Sounds of Nature album on Spotify and breathe in pine and eucalyptus essential oils.
Wow, there are so many sensory pleasures! The feeling of freshness and enhanced scents in nature after rain. The beauty of sunrise and sunset. The beauty of the "fireworks" in nature in autumn. Feeling the wind playing with your hair in summer. Walking barefoot on the beach in summer, feeling the softness of the sand under your feet and the gentle waves washing over your feet. Listening to and enjoying quality silence during your alone-time. Feeling how your Soul is moved deeply while listening to classical music, or other kinds of high-caliber music. The list can go on forever... :)
One of the most amazing sensory experiences I have had was touching and being the red wood forest in Northern California. It was so calming and I felt so much love and wisdom there. I cried a lot while we were there because of the over whelming feeling of gratitude. The bark feels like fur and I felt like they were loving friends. Never had that feeling before with plants or since. It was pretty amazing.
I’m loving wearing soft fabrics like bamboo in comfy lounge clothing. Feels like a soft hug.
I love going into the garden and smelling the herbs! I either just smell or I rub the plants to get the oil on my fingers. Depending on what I need, determines what I smell. Holy Basil is my favorite! I also have Rosemary, Oregano, Lemon Thyme, Tarragon, Peppermint, Spearmint, Mint, Lemon Grass and all the flowers when they are in bloom! 👃❤️🥰
I love Yin Yoga and hemi-sync meditation to soothe my nervous system. I also enjoy bananas and sugar free dark chocolate. ❤️❤️❤️
Wow, and again wow!! I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone voice before now the intricacies and beauty that we as HSPs experience in our world. I've experienced almost all of these intense feelings at one time or another (I'm older, so I've had the time!), but never heard anyone else describe them this way, and it makes my heart flood with a poignant happiness - not just to think back on these amazing pleasures, and to remember that I can recreate almost all of them for myself at any time, but to understand that there's a whole world of you out there who share my same intense enjoyment of these things! So many of these things have brought me to tears, and still do, but I haven't been able to share that. I'm just remembering how classical music has always been such a big (and intense and beautiful) part of my life, and how I rarely listen to it any more, because it's not important to my husband. Those times where I've just let my whole being flood with one of the Bach double violin concertos.... or Rachmaninov, or Beethoven, or Chopin, or....... 😁. What a gift our sensitivity is, and how amazing it is to have that validated and shared! Thank you all! 🌻
Candles lit, Rose and Palo Santo room spray spritzed, one small lamp and a salt lamp (plus electric fireplace) for a warm glow, super soft blanked and soft velvet sofa. Soft fur rug and faux sheepskin on the chairs with abundant pillows ... so everything is soft ... visuals, tactile, scent, sound (no music - just silence).
Having a soft nest to fall in matters for me.
The other day, I walked to the car after paying for petrol and a eagle extraordinarily high in the sky (almost a dot) gave out it's classic 'cry/call' and I paused to look up. It occurred to me, I was the only one watching it spiral against the blue sky. And it filled me with a sense of gratitude. Enjoyed reading this gathering of HSP/sensory pleasures! Very inspiring!Spring is in the air here in Australia - The Jacarandas are beautiful, lilac clouds and you can almost feel the soft scent of the gardenias and star jasmine in the morning - it’s a magical time of year….soothing and restorative. Just soaking it all in and excited for the frangipani which will come fully alive next….
I just picked a Satsuma Mandarin from my little balcony tree and it’s both delicious and the smell is amazing. Definitely a sensory pleasure!
Laying in a large hammock under the trees in my back yard. Watching puffy clouds go by with the leaves swaying in breeze, while I listen to the birds sing. Sometimes the resident owl is near, and listing to him hoot can be very relaxing, depending on his mood of course!.
Pomegranates are definitely a sensory pleasure and worth the work it’s delicious and the color is so beautiful!
I’ve really been loving ginger lately. It’s so warming. It feels like a sensory pleasure to me.
I've been savoring the last of my favorite winter fruit - the cara cara orange, a variety with a beautiful pink flesh that's sweeter and less pulpy than a navel. I love the boost of uplifting aromatherapy when I peel it by hand! I also zest the peel and use it in granola recipes now and throughout the year (you can freeze the zest) and also mix the fruit in all sorts of savory salads, my favorite being mixed citrus, castelvetrano olives, pistachios, torn mint, feta.
Porridge/oats + adding some nut spread has been an appealing food shift. Almond butter + date mixtures have been 😝
This cacao + roasted ground almond butter and a little coconut sugar much better 👍🏻😋 🥄My favorite sensory pleasure is the feel of the warm sun on my skin and a cool breeze. I love napping outside for that reason on a nice day.
Hot showers, a warm mug in my hands, river water running over my toes
Please share your sensory pleasures below and share this article with other highly sensitive people and together we can remember some of the many gifts of sensitivity!
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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, Author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, host of The HSP Podcast, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Her books, blog, online courses, and free Classes have helped thousands of highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover their significant value to thrive to their fullest potential. Her HSPs in Heart-Centered Business Group connect and support HSP healers and practitioners. Julie loves connecting in her Sensitive Empowerment Community and warmly invites you to join this positive, safe, and welcoming space. JulieBjelland.com❤️🌈❤️ (she/her)