Take better care of your sense organs. We wash our eyes, apply oil on our skin, clean our ears and brush our teeth. Isn’t that all there is to it?

Nope, there’s much more. We use our sense organs to perceive the world. Each of them is unique in how it takes in stimuli from our external environment. Our ears have an auditory function, our skin responds to touch, our eyes give shape, form and color to an object, our mouth distinguishes the tastes we savor, and our nose facilitates smelling. The objects we perceive through our sense organs are sent to our brain for processing. In essence, the brain helps digest and assimilate the stimuli from the objects our sense organs perceive.

Stimuli as food

We get the point about eating healthy foods and finally, more articles are starting to surface about not only ingesting healthy foods but also the need to efficiently digest them. Without proper digestion, we are unable to absorb the goodness from our meals and convert it into sustainable energy.

The same concept applies to every object and experience we perceive through our sense organs. Since our mind processes the stimulus it receives, the quality and quantity of the input will affect the quality and quantity of the output of our mind.

Our sense organs (and hence our brain) are called to work extra hard for us every day due to our excess use of technology and multi-tasking galore. This sensory overwork is not sustainable and over time, it opens the door to disease. At some point, continued ringing in the ears, skin rashes, blurry vision and exhaustion migraines become just a few examples of how the abuse of our sense organs may manifest in the sense organs themselves. However, due to the relationship among our sense organs, mind and body, symptoms may appear in other ways, too—for example, in the form of anxiety and digestive problems.

Two ways we abuse our sense organs

According to ayurveda, an ancient form of healing, sense organ abuse is one of the 3 main disease-causing factors. These organs are also the “birthplace” of stress since we perceive all stimuli through them as they make their way to our brain.

Sense organ abuse is a lifestyle error, which we create by misusing or overusing these organs. Misuse means observing or participating in improper and unwholesome experiences, such as derogatory speech and events. Overuse, on the other hand, stems from overexposure to any sensory stimuli, for example, the overuse of electronics, excessive talking or multi-tasking.

The good news is that since this is a lifestyle error, the remedy is within our control. But we need willpower to change our habits.

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Our sense organs are our gateways to the external world. What we allow in through them will become a part of us. Sure, it’s naïve to assume that we can avoid all bad experiences, and that’s not our goal. Our goal should be the responsible use and nourishment of these organs, which in turn will help our brain and body function better, too. This is a deliberate choice we must make each day in search of a healthier, happier and more productive life.

Image by Antoni Shkraba, Pexels