Drop An Anchor
You might have heard of “grounding exercises” before (or maybe you haven’t)!
Grounding exercises can be extremely helpful skills to learn when you’re experiencing a difficult moment, whether it’s from high anxiety, feeling stressed, or just distracted. Grounding exercises are also extremely beneficial for anyone experiencing PTSD or trauma related symptoms. Think of it as an intentional moment with the present. Just for a moment, allowing yourself to let go of the past, the future, all the stories or beliefs you have, your stresses and worries and coming fully to the here and now.
Sometimes giving yourself permission to pause can also allow the self critical voice to silence. The voice that says “this isn’t productive” “is this over yet??” “Can I just get back to figuring this problem out?!”
Don’t worry. That voice will come back and say all that it needs to say. You won’t forget your to do list, everything will be waiting for you right where you left it.
Once you can start making this or other grounding exercises more of a practice, your ability to cope and handle stress can posssssibly start to increase.
The whole point is being able to expand what your nervous system can handle. And grounding is one way to help resource that calm energy. (More on this later).
But for now you can follow A.C.E.
Acknowledge your inner experience: notice your thought (remembering you are not your thoughts), your emotions (you are also not your emotions), any memories, physical sensations, and urges all with openness and curiosity.
Connect back into your body: focus on what you have control over (your physical actions), try pushing your feet into the floor, wiggling your toes, taking a deep belly breath with a longer exhale, stretch your arms, do some shoulder rolls or neck rolls, press your hands together.
Engage with your environment: time to expand your awareness and notice your surroundings. What can you see? Can you name 3 red things? 3 purple things? What do you hear? What can you touch? Is it soft? Spikey? Sticky? Do you smell anything? Fresh laundry? A candle? The rain? What about taste? We’re just eating something? Drinking a beverage?
Learning to savor moments comes with learning to be present in our day to day lives. Try this one time everyday and then increase as needed. Remember that you always have access to anchor yourself in the chaos of life!
