Self Help
Sometimes we need reminders or suggestions about what we can do ourselves to improve our wellbeing and enhance our lives.
Mindfullness –
Mindfulness entails being aware of one’s current inner emotions and surroundings. By cultivating the ability to notice their emotions, thoughts, and experiences in the present moment, mindfulness can assist individuals in steering clear of harmful or reflexive behaviors and reactions.
Grounding Exercise 5 Senses
- Relax: Sit in a comfortable upright position with your feet planted flat on the ground. Rest your hands on your thighs or on your desk.
- Breathe: Just breathe. Refreshing, comfortable, and even breaths. Don’t worry about technique; just allow relaxing breaths to enter deeply and exhale fully.
- Engage: It’s time to engage each of your five senses, one at a time, for at least one minute each. You can keep a clock handy or just estimate. The point here is to focus on the present moment and how each sense is being activated in that moment. You might start like this:
Hearing: Begin to relax by just noticing all of the sounds around you. Give yourself permission to suspend your judgment of the sounds. They are not good or bad, they just are. Are you now hearing more than you were before you started? Subtle sounds may have previously gone unnoticed. Can you hear them now? Remember your steady breaths while you are listening.
Smell: Now shift your concentration to noticing the smells of your environment. Is somebody cooking lunch in your building? Can you detect the electronic smell of your computer or fresh air coming in through your window? Try closing your eyes so you can focus on the subtlest of scents.
Sight: If you closed your eyes a moment ago, open them to notice the colors, shapes, and textures of your surroundings. If you really look, just about everything has color variation and texture that may have gone unnoticed. How many shades of blue or red? Any color missing?
Taste: You can do this one regardless of whether or not you have food to put in your mouth. If you have a snack go ahead and take a small bite, noticing all of the flavors and textures that arise. If you don’t have food, just notice your tongue in your mouth, your saliva, and your breath as you exhale. Most of us have tastes in our mouth at all times. Run your tongue over your teeth and cheeks- what do you notice? Keep breathing, one more minute.
Touch: Last one. Where did you place your hands when you first started this exercise? Notice the sensation of where your hands meet something solid like the fabric of your clothes or the surface of your desk. Notice the pressure between your feet and the floor. Try feeling the textures that you noticed by sight a moment ago. To fully ground yourself in the room and bring the exercise to a close, feel several objects on your desk and perhaps even stand up from your chair to bring energy and sensation to all parts of your body.
Time is up. Even when there are distractions during this five-minute exercise, you can gently bring yourself back to your senses. No need to get frustrated when that happens, because a distraction is just another engagement of a particular sense. Incorporate it into the exercise.
Panic Attack
What is it and How to Cope with Them
What is it?
Panic attacks strike suddenly, flooding you with intense fear or terror that can escalate within minutes. The most overwhelming sensations typically last around 5 to 10 minutes, creating a whirlwind of distress.
These episodes trigger severe physical reactions, often without any real danger or clear cause, or in response to a specific situation or object that you might fear.
Tips to cope with them or stop a panic attack:
- Recognize that what you’re experiencing is a panic attack. Acknowledging this can help diminish the overwhelming fear and catastrophic thoughts, making it easier to manage your symptoms.
Remember, this feeling won’t last forever; it is temporary and will pass.
- Close your eyes. Lower the distractions around you by closing your eyes and paying attention to your breathing.
- Take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing is an effective natural technique that promotes relaxation. By managing your breath, you can lessen the chances of hyperventilating, which can also alleviate other related symptoms.
- Challenge negative thoughts. When negative thoughts creep in during an attack, take a moment to confront them. This can help ease your symptoms. For instance, if you start thinking that something terrible is about to happen, remind yourself that panic attacks are not life-threatening and that you’ve faced this before and come out okay.
- Coping statements. Using coping statements is a great way to engage in comforting self-talk when a panic attack strikes. Focus on the wording and how it feels, which can help divert your attention from what you’re experiencing. Here are some examples of coping statements you might find helpful:
- This feeling is uncomfortable but not dangerous
- This will pass.
- I can get through this.
- I’m not having a heart attack.
- Use a focus object. Find one object to concentrate on when you feel under attack. Take the time to observe it closely, noting its different features and qualities. Pour all your energy into this focus.
- Create and repeat an internal mantra. Having a mantra gives you a point of concentration and a way to channel your energy. Recite it in a loop for yourself.
- Engage in mindfulness. This practice centers you in the present moment. Engaging in mindfulness exercises can help anchor you when panic attacks make you feel disconnected from reality. Tune into your physical sensations—notice the texture of your clothes, the contact of your feet with the floor, or how your arms wrap around your body.
- Try progressive muscle relaxation. Focus on one muscle group at a time, starting with your fingers or toes, and gradually move through your body. Practice this throughout your day so you’ll be better equipped to use it during challenging moments.
- Grab something cold. Hold an ice cube, sip a glass of very cold water, or place a wet washcloth on your neck. You can also splash cold water on your face or run your hands under cold water to help ground yourself.
- Change your scene. If possible, step outside and take in the sights, like the grass, trees, or passing cars. Listen to the birds, feel the wind, or tune into a nearby conversation. If you can’t leave, shift your focus to your surroundings. Notice what’s in the room—a desk, a curtain over there, or your backpack beside you. This awareness can help redirect your focus away from panic symptoms and back to the present moment.
- Smell or Taste Something Strong. If you experience panic attacks, it can be really helpful to carry something with a strong or soothing scent in your bag, like essential oils, a car freshener, or even Chapstick. When you feel the onset of a panic attack, just take it out and inhale the aroma. Alternatively, you might try popping a sour candy or a mint in your mouth to focus on that sensation. The key is to engage your senses of smell or taste to help calm your mind and counteract the panic.
It’s Time To Take Care Of Yourself
The holidays are over. Are you feeling worn out and stretched to the limit? Well, it’s time to make sure you are looking at your own needs before others’. Taking care of yourself (self-care) will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes your way.
Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, you can be well, you can do your job, you can help and care for others, and you can do all the things you need to and want to accomplish in a day.
Self-care includes everything related to staying healthy—including hygiene, nutrition, and seeking medical care when needed. It’s all the steps an individual can take to manage stressors in his or her life and take care of his or her own health and well-being.
There are different categories of self-care. There is Emotional Self-Care, such as self-talk, weekly bubble baths, saying “no” to things that cause unnecessary stress, giving yourself permission to take a pause, or setting up a weekly coffee date with a friend. There is Physical Self-Care, such as prioritizing sleep, adopting an exercise routine you can stick with, or choosing healthy and nourishing foods over highly processed ones. And there is Spiritual Self-Care, such as attending a religious service, spending time in nature, meditating, incorporating regular acts of kindness into your day, or keeping a gratitude journal.
Following are some things to get you started with a self-care routine: 1) Determine which activities bring you joy, replenish your energy, and restore your balance. 2) Start small by choosing one behavior you’d like to incorporate into your routine in the next week. 3) Build up to practicing that behavior every day for one week. 4) Reflect on how you feel. 5) Add more practices when ready. 6) Get support through sharing practices with loved ones, a coach, a licensed professional (like a therapist or dietitian), or through your healthcare plan, community, or workplace. TIP: Make self-care a habit. Self-care doesn’t have to be a big event. You don’t need a whole evening with scented candles and relaxing music to practice self-care. It can be as simple as asking yourself if there is anything you need to do to look after yourself or your mental health. If you’re struggling to check in with yourself or find that you don’t have the time, try setting a calendar reminder on your phone. This can help you make time in your day to practice self-care.
Having an effective self-care routine has been shown to have a number of important health benefits. Some of these include: -Reducing anxiety and depression, -Reducing stress and improving resilience, – Improving happiness, -Increasing energy, -Reducing burnout, and -Stronger interpersonal relationships.
An effective self-care plan should be tailored to your life and your needs. It needs to be something created by you, for you. Customizing your own self-care plan can act as a preventive measure to ensure that you don’t get overwhelmed, over-stressed, and burned out.
Assess which areas of your life need more attention and self-care, and reassess your life often. As your situation changes, your self-care needs are likely to shift too.
