Book excerpt: Touch, taste, smell, hear, and see your way to better self-care and mental well-being. Let's face it: We all feel stress. Deep breathing, meditation, and yoga only go so far, and not being able to sit still and be alone with our thoughts isn't that unusual. The mind is designed to engage with the world around us, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to finding what calms us because we are so unique in our circumstances, our lifestyles, our finances, and our interests. 50 Ways to More Calm, Less Stress explores different ways each of our five senses can help bring more calm and less stress into our lives. Whether through touch, sight, taste, smell, or sound, each activity includes research or science-backed studies that support why it offers health and wellness benefits as well as ways you can incorporate them into your own life. The best part—most of the activities are either low or no cost and can be done inside your own home or right outside your door. Activities include: The magic of gardening Losing yourself while doodling Culinary therapy The nostalgic power of perfume Nature therapy Bathing in sound Capturing a memory Slow reading If your brain constantly feels like an internet browser with thirty-five tabs open, or if you want to quiet the noise in your head long enough to think about what matters most in your life, this book is for you.