1. Cultivate Sensory Receptivity
Intentionally shift attention to sensory input (sight, sound, touch, etc.) to draw resources away from the default mode network and prioritize change and growth over stability.
2. Toggle Between Mental Modes
Develop the skill to consciously switch between the brain’s automatic, habit-driven mode and a receptive, sensation-focused mode to foster growth and adaptability.
3. Embrace Beneficent Chaos
Allow the world to change you by opening up to sensory input, which acts as a chaotic counterbalance to the certainty and habitual judgments of the default mode network, leading to new perspectives.
4. Practice Intentional Sense Foraging
Pay attention on purpose to something sensory you would ordinarily ignore, with the intention of finding something interesting, surprising, or unusual, which helps break automatic thought patterns.
5. Use Radical Acceptance for Sensation
Approach sensory experiences, even difficult ones, with radical acceptance by letting go of expectations and being willing to explore situations without needing an immediate answer or solution.
6. Recognize Sensation as Emotional Release
Understand that being cut off from your body and senses prevents a release valve for negative thoughts, making you more vulnerable to rumination and depression, so engage senses to counter this.
7. Leverage Ubiquitous Sensory Access
Practice sense foraging anywhere, anytime, by noticing available sensory details in mundane environments (e.g., colors, textures, sounds) to easily shift attention and quiet the mind.
8. Choose Sensation, Don’t Force It
Commit to choosing to shift your perspective by taking in other information, rather than forcing a change, allowing new insights to emerge without a transactional expectation for immediate results.
9. Most Need More Life Chaos
For most people, who are steeped in self-concept and certainty, intentionally introducing more “chaos” through sensory engagement can provide a beneficial balance to order and habit.