Panic

For when something inside is sounding the alarm. I count you through three slow breaths, holding for five and letting go with a long out-breath. Then we look around for one thing you can see, one you can touch and one you can hear, to show the body you’re safe enough right here. Along the way, a few words to say to yourself: ‘I’m here for me right now. I’ve got this.’

Emotion Overload

For when a feeling is so big there’s no room for anything else. You start with a hand on the place in your body where you feel it most, and slow breaths with a long exhale, while my voice gives your mind something to hold on to. Then some words to say to yourself, like ‘This is a lot’ and ‘This feeling is intense, and it too will pass.’ It finishes with the shoulders dropping, and a reminder to the body that right now, there’s no need for Protection Mode.

After a Trigger

For when something hits you harder than you expected. A trigger is the past touching the present. It doesn’t mean you’re going backwards. It means something old got stirred. With slow breaths, we find a few words of Validating Self-Talk: ‘I am here for me. I am not this activation.’ It ends by giving the body permission to let the leftover feelings be there, until they go in their own time. The shorter version skips the opening and the hand on the chest, and goes straight to the words.

Grounding in Public

For when you’re out in public and something starts to build. No one can see what’s going on, and you don’t need to hide it. You press your feet into the ground, drop your shoulders a touch and open your palms, things you can do without anyone noticing. Then slow breaths, finding one colour you can see and one sound you can hear. It ends with a reminder that you’re allowed to take up some space here, even while feeling a little anxious.