Anxiety and the Calming Sense of Touch

As of late, I’ve been looking for small, everyday things I can do for myself in an effort to keep my anxiety under control. From that, I’ve been focusing a lot on the sense of touch and realizing how deeply a simple thing like touch can impact my anxiety. 

Anxiety and Touching Things that Feel Soft 

What got me thinking about touch in the first place was my cat. One of the reasons why I got my cat was, of course, so he could keep me company when I’m feeling upset. During those times, I will often spend prolonged periods of time just petting him. The feel of his fur always helps calm me down.

Then I realized that I have a number of other things that feel similar and fulfill a similar function. I carry around a little black scarf that feels similar to how my cat’s fur feels, and I will, at times, pull it out and touch it when I feel it's necessary.

I also have a number of comfy blankets that I will often wrap myself in, even if it’s during the warmer parts of the year. The objective isn’t to warm myself up – it’s to surround myself in a comfortable feeling.

Why Soft Things Matter

So what’s the greater point of me writing this post? Well, I think a few things can be taken away from this.

First, I would bet money that these kinds of soft things are soothing for more than just me. If you have the opportunity to test it out for yourself, do so – I think you’ll be surprised at the results.

Second, and this is the big one, all of this made me realize how close at hand anxiety relief may be. Touch is perhaps the easiest of the five senses to stimulate – you pretty much can never be free of touching at least something. So when you find a particular touch that feels soothing to you, it isn’t hard to surround yourself with those kinds of things. If you like soft things, as I do, you don’t even have to get a cat – as I said, I have blankets and scarves that fulfill basically the same purpose. Those kinds of things are readily available, and you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get them.

Touch is something that most of us don’t think about because, as I said in the last paragraph, it’s always around us. I didn’t really think too much about it until I wrote this, but now that I have, it all seems so obvious. So I encourage everyone to think about what sorts of things feel good to you, and see how you can get more of those things in your life.

See Also

• "Stuffed Animals Help with Anxiety"
• "6 Ways to Distract Yourself from Anxiety"