Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a stress reduction practice that helps you to slow down by using your breath, focusing on the present, and engaging in curiosity and kindness. Engaging in a daily mindfulness practice can help you deal more effectively with triggers and traumatic events, foster relaxation, and decrease anxiety.
Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques help you to reconnect to your surroundings when you are feeling triggered and flooded with emotion, overwhelmed with negative thoughts, or experiencing a panic attack.
Tuning In is a grounding technique that engages your five senses to help you connect back to the environment. Simply identify:
- 5 objects you can see
- 4 things you can touch/feel
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
What do you notice after completing this exercise?
Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques (or breathwork) is the act of intentionally controlling your breath to slow down your heart rate and your thinking, helping to better regulate emotion. When you are feeling stressed, anxious, or are having a panic attack, breathing techniques can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system—which is responsible for relaxation—and help you feel more in control. Breathing techniques are also useful when you are trying to sleep, but your thoughts are keeping you awake.
Here are a few breathing exercises that can try:
4-7-8 Breathing (Great for sleep issues):
- Breath in through your nose for a count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 7
- Exhale through your month for a count 8
- Repeat at least 5 times.
Box Breathing:
- Breath in for a count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 4
- Exhale through your mouth for a count of 4
- Hold for a count of 4
- Repeat 5 times or more
Slow Breathing:
- Breath in through your nose for a count of 3
- Exhale through an imaginary straw in your mouth for a count of 7
- Repeat 5 times or more