Sarah Jarvis
CBT Therapist
Make Sense of Your Senses
A free, plain-English guide to how your sensory systems work, plus a printable sensory diary to help you notice what feels calming, comfortable or overwhelming.
What's Inside Your Free Download
Your sensory systems, explained
A friendly, plain-English guide to the systems that help you take in the world around you and inside you: sound, sight, touch, smell, balance, body position, movement, internal body signals and even your sense of time.
Gentle prompts to try
Each section includes an everyday example or reflection prompt, so you can start noticing what feels comfortable, challenging or soothing for you. They're invitations to get curious, not tests or diagnoses.
A printable sensory diary
A simple fill-in template for recording sensory experiences as they happen: the senses involved, what you were doing, how it felt in your body and the impact it had. Bring it along to therapy to spot patterns together.
Hey, I'm Sarah!
I'm a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist (CBT for short!) and I've worked in NHS community eating disorder services in Hertfordshire and Essex since 2010, alongside my private practice.
In my work I've seen how much sensory experiences can shape the way people feel day to day: the background noise that's impossible to tune out, the clothing label that feels unbearable, or the hunger and thirst signals that seem too loud or barely there at all. These experiences are real and worth talking about, but they can be hard to put into words.
I created this guide to give you a simple language for your senses and a practical way to track what you notice. Whether you're curious about yourself, supporting someone you love, or getting ready for therapy, I hope it helps you feel a little more understood.
Why understanding your senses helps
We all experience the world through our senses, but we don't all experience it in the same way. A sound that one person barely notices can feel overwhelming to someone else, and the signals from inside your body can sometimes be hard to read. Knowing a little more about how your sensory systems work can help you make sense of these moments, notice what helps you feel calm and settled, and explain your experiences more easily to the people around you, including your therapist. This free guide and diary are a gentle place to start.
