Self-Soothing Strategies
Grounding Exercises
These are aimed at helping you use your senses to orient yourself to your current surroundings, which helps your nervous system learn that you are safe. Give these a try…
Room Scan: Sit or lay down comfortably. Turn your head slowly toward one side of the room you are in. Pick an object - describe its appearance, its texture, what it might feel like to touch it. As you slowly turn your head toward the other side of the room, see how many things you can find that are the same colour as that first object. Every time you find an object of the same colour, take a moment to describe its physical attributes in detail. Keep going until your gaze has reached the other side of the room. Do it again with a different colour if you like!
Breath work: There are so many great techniques for this. Consistent breathing is key - try starting with a pattern of inhaling through your nose for five seconds, then exhaling through your mouth for five seconds. Try experimenting with extending the length of the exhale.
Meditation: Mindfulness meditation can be a great way to calm the nervous system. Insight Timer has some great guided meditations, some as short as one minute. So does Tara Brach (hers are on the longer side) - her RAIN meditation can be a great resource for moving through troubling emotions. (Remember, as always, do what feels good! If meditation is feeling too intense at the moment, skip it and try something else.)
Click here to access a free resource from the University Health Network with other grounding options to try.
Sensory Delights
Take a moment to notice what would feel good for your body right now. Is it a soft blanket? A warm beverage? A snack? A cool shower? Try to offer yourself something that will make your body feel even just one percent more comfortable.
Sometimes, what our bodies will tell us they need is movement. If this is the case for you, practice movements you can do safely - walking, running, rolling around on the ground - doing jumping jacks - anything at all, so long as it’s safe and feels good to you.
Self-soothing, self-regulation, emotional regulation… by any name, the goal is the same: having tools to get you through the difficult moments when you might not have access to professional or personal support. What do you do in those times that aren’t about doing deep work, but rather calming your nervous system and giving yourself enough support to make it to a better, lighter moment?
Here are some strategies that can help you to feel safer in your body and more in control of your thoughts and feelings.
Note: You are the expert on what you need, and on what makes you feel better. If you try an exercise and find it’s making you feel worse, stop and try something else - it can take time to find the right one(s) for you.
Working With Your Emotions
An Important Note:
Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.