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Mindfulness weekly idea September 24-30

September 24th, 2019

Dear lovely 35plus community

Happy Tuesday! How are you all doing?

Sorry for being a bit late at posting this.

Today I want to share with you three grounding techniques suggested by therapist Kati Morton. Grounding skills can be extremely helpful in managing overwhelming feelings or intense anxiety. They can also help us to stay in the present when we are drawn to dissociating, spacing out, shutting down, and when we have urges of self-harm.

While trying these techniques out, remember to take slow and deep breaths, observing how the breathing moves through your body. Try to keep your eyes closed or at least softly gaze somewhere.

1. Clap your hands. Feel the sensation of that clap as it moves through your fingertips into your fingers, hands, arms, down your back etc. Notice the tingling sensation this creates, pay attention to how long it lasts. Make sure you wait until the sensation has left before you open your eyes.

2. Stomp your feet. Feel that sensation through your toes, feet, legs, back, etc. Certain areas in our body can be easier to focus on, so picking one thats not so emotionally charged or even attached to your self-injury, if you struggle with that, is best. Make sure you wait until the sensation has left to notice where that feeling travelled in your body and only then you open your eyes.

3. Rub your hands together. Feel the warmth that that builds up. Feel the heath that moves from your hands and maybe goes up your arms. As your hands all are warmed up you can also place them on your legs or your arms and feel that heat sensation move through you. Wait until the sensation has completely gone to regain your focus by opening your eyes

As always, I would love to read your feedback!

Cheers from France

Valeria

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User Profile: Rebekahwriter13
Rebekahwriter13 September 25th, 2019

@admaiorasemper I was also told by my therapist that if you are in anxiety or panic to have someone hug you really tight so that you can feel them. The human touch can also help ground you and make you feel secure.

2 replies
September 25th, 2019

@Rebekahwriter13

That's so true, thanks for reminding us.

You also made me think of a technique called Butterfly Hug or Hug of Self Love :) It is another self soothing approach which originated within the EMDR method. If anyone is interested, here are the steps to follow:

Cross your arms over your chest, so that the tip of the middle finger from each hand is placed below the collarbone. Hand and fingers should be as vertical as possible, so that the fingers point towards the neck and not towards the arms. Your eyes can be closed, or partially closed.

You alternate the movement of your hands, like the flapping wings of a butterfly; let your hands move freely.

Aim to breathe slowly and deeply (abdominal breathing) while you observe what is going on through your mind and body such as thoughts, images, sounds, smells, feelings without changing, pushing your thoughts away or judging. You can pretend as though what you are observing is like clouds passing by.

If you want, you could also create/install a safe place; a place where you feel safe or calm and think about what images, colours, sounds you see in the safe place.

Stop when you feel in your body that it has had enough and lower your hands to your thighs.

1 reply
User Profile: Rebekahwriter13
Rebekahwriter13 September 27th, 2019

@admaiorasemper I should try some of those.

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