Treats, and Assaults to the Senses

We have five senses: smell, sight, taste, hearing, and touch. The world offers amazing stimuli to please these senses, but in our ignorance, we humans have created an Armageddon of assaults for them.

Let me talk what we mean, and how to avoid those. I will share my experiences regarding it.

Smell

Today, I stepped into my backyard to do some chores. The volatile oils from the pepper bark tree in the neighborhood tickled my nose. It was delightful.

However, soon, a waft of room freshener/ detergent odors from a neighbor’s house invaded the air, forcing me to retreat indoors. It was an assault on my sense of smell.

Sight

Later, I looked at the Wolf moon, almost full with a small dent. I felt lucky to still see the moon and stars from my suburban home.

People living in cities are denied this joy, their view of the night sky obscured by excessive artificial light —Light pollution is an assault on their eyes.

Taste

As I write this, I’m standing under a guava tree in my backyard. The fruit can be a blessing for my taste buds. I even had fenugreek, mint, spring onion, collard, arugula, and pea tendrils snacks in the garden, in the morning.

Yet, for evening snacks, my spouse prepared chicken sausage, which caused a tingling in my mouth and around lips. I recognized it immediately: the preservatives in processed food irritating me. For someone with a low tolerance for chemicals, it was an assault.

Hearing

This morning, I stood under an Australian willow tree, listening to the symphony of honeybees. The sound was soul-elevating, a true treat for my ears.

But now, as I walk in the backyard, I hear the hum of cars rushing by on the nearby road — a constant, jarring assault on my hearing.

Touch

The warmth of sunlight, the caress of a gentle breeze, or the loving touch of a dear one are blessings.

However, we’ve been misled by the grooming industry to slather chemical cocktails on our skin in the name of beauty. These products, loaded with harmful ingredients, are assaults.

Irritants

We are human, we make mistakes, but we don’t have to repeat them forever. Learn about irritants for your sustained well-being.

What are irritants? They can be of four types, in my view:

1. Biological

2. Mechanical

3. Chemical

4. Psychological

Biological: Pathogens like flu, COVID, and UTI bacteria.

Chemical: Grooming and cleaning products, pollutants, food preservatives, pesticides.

Mechanical/Weather: The wrong posture, blunt force trauma, harsh sunlight.

Psychological: Stress and negative emotions.

I just gave a few examples under each category.

I am aware of these, so my exposure is low, I hope.

There are blanket flowers in my garden. That flower is from the Asteraceae or daisy family. This family can cause itching on contact, and the blanket flower sure does. In summer, spittlebugs made foam on it. If you come in contact with that, it also acts as an immunogen, causing allergies. That’s a biological irritant.

After my experience with cockroach allergy, I’ve learned my lesson and stayed away from biological irritants as much as possible.

As we fold clothes, small fibers are released into the air and inhaled. I feel them tingling in my nasal mucosa after folding for some time. It’s a chemical irritant. So, for several years now, I’ve worn cloth masks while folding.

Anyway, the summer sun has always been strong. In India, people used umbrellas before cunning businesses made people wear sunscreen on their precious skin.

The processed foods look and taste good. But they have preservatives and even pesticide residues. They are chemical irritants. So, eat in moderation and wash properly before consumption.

The sun is strong on the hot summer days. The reflected heat from the asphalt burns my cheeks. That’s a mechanical irritant. I avoid going out in the sun during the harshest time of the day, at least not for long.

As I am writing at midnight, my neck, spine, wrist, and hip bones are strained. These are mechanical irritants. If not taken care of, they can cause spondylitis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. So, I take breaks in between.

Domestic disputes and frustration are psychological irritants that can flood the system with cortisol. So, we have to find ways to deal with those irritants too.

Final words:

I hope I’ve captured the contrast between the treats and assaults for our senses. I have shared examples of different irritants. This is a personal and honest perspective, and I hope it resonates with you.