A Sensory Diet

I came across these post-event notes for attendees of a keynote talk I gave in 2017  so I thought I’d share them here.

Thank your for inviting me to talk on Optimising Occupational Performance at your conference. I hope it gave you the opportunity to consider your own occupational performance and to think about any barriers or potential barriers that may stand in the way of you reaching and sustaining optimum success.

For more efficient, effective ways of working and how to achieve them, here are some top-level notes around Using a Sensory Diet. Using a sensory diet:

  • Everybody’s level of awake-ness / alertness changes throughout the day. We go from feeling sleepy, to awake and sometimes excited or perhaps angry.

  • Our senses have a huge impact on the way we feel.

  • Some people rely on their senses to change how awake/alert they feel. They use sensory strategies to manage themselves. For example, they may go for a run before work or need to constantly move around when working.

  • A sensory diet is a prescribed system of sensory input that helps someone to manage their level of alertness throughout the day. Sensory stimulation is needed little and often to help stay calm and alert all day.

Have you read our blog on the link between a poor diet and mental health?

I’ll be covering more about a sensory diet in future blogs and articles.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact us:

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