Orient to your surroundings by using your senses. Do this ahead of time so it’s available when needed!
Identify favorite smell(s) and place with cotton ball in a ziploc baggie for reference
A strong mint to taste will bring you into the present.
Is there something you can hold around you? Describe the texture and it’s purpose.
Pick a color, identify as many things around you with that color.
Feel your feet on the ground. Wiggle your toes. Notice where you’re standing.
Open your eyes wide and look all around the room. Remind your body it is safe where you are, if it’s safe to do so.
Deep Breathing
4-4-4 (in 4, pause 4, exhale 4)
Box breathing, do 4-4-4 while make a box or rectangle. Pause at the corners.
4-6-8 (extended exhale, lots of great research supporting this)
Make a star or trace fingers similar to the box.
Repeat till calm.
Capacity
A great book for learning about and completing the stress cycle is Burnout by Emily Nagowski
Practice progressive muscle relaxation (YouTube has excellent options)
Look up Trauma Releasing Exercise videos, remembering you can pause at anytime.
Yoga, Tai Chi, or similar movements help build your window of capacity for feeling sensations in the body
Exercise, shaking, or dancing can help ‘empty’ your container a bit
Self-Compassion
Kristen Neff has some great workbooks and her site self-compassion.org has worksheets to work with
Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance is a good resource. She also has weekly meditations.
Learn to set gentle boundaries. Nedra Tawebb’s book Set Boundaries, Find Peace or her media have great references and how-to’s!
Grief
It’s Ok to Not Be Ok by Megan Devine (see book section in blog for more book options). Her website has great writing prompts too.
Glitter and Grief and Refuge in Grief are great insta sites.
What’s Your Grief is another helpful Fb page with a lot of resources
Check out your local hospice center, they often have support groups you could attend.
Overwhelm
Focus on doing one thing at a time. Too much for too long will shut you down.
Set an alarm for 30 seconds, 1 minute, or even 5 minutes. See how many dishes you can do or clothes you can put away in that time. When it goes off, check in with yourself. Do you have enough resources to keep going or pause? Both are ok.
Pause. Connect with a friend. Borrow their prefrontal cortex!
