Find Your Lifeline

Heal Your Nervous System

The feeling of safety is the treatment.

Stephen porges
  • Use your five senses – what can you see, hear, smell, taste and feel?
  • Use a fidget toy, crystal, charm, fabric, or any object as a distraction or a way to focus here and now.
  • Put one hand in cool water. Pull it out. Notice how your palms differ in feeling.
  • Get a small object in one hand – describe the curves, texture, weight. Notice the feeling. Squeeze it and put the object down. Hold up your other palm. Do your palms feel different? Can you feel traces of the object you were holding even though it’s gone?
  • Blast your favorite song and sing along while reading the lyrics.
  • Try some potent movement to release emotions: jump, shadow box, kick, push, lift, bounce or shake vigorously. Or dance it out.
  • Name it: Identify that you’re activated, distressed or dysregulated. Name the emotion and try not to judge it.
  • Consciously hum – feel the vibrations on your vocal cords.
  • Smile – if you can’t smile, another approach is to use your fingers to push up the sides of your mouth to form one.
  • Express yourself creatively – draw, color, paint, sew, knit, build. Use your creativity to express yourself through art.
  • Yoga (these are best for anxiety).
  • Look at pictures of positive memories.
  • Describe your emotions in your body with a shape, color, size, sensation, temperature, movement, and weight.
  • Squish a stress ball, putty, kinetic sand, or squeeze toy.
  • Touch 3 surfaces and “feel into” them. Notice beyond the first experience. Describe how they are different from one another. Notice the structure, finish, temperature, and texture.
  • Try using essential oils (lavender & chamomile is calming, sandalwood & ylang ylang is grounding, anything citrus is uplifting).
  • Stomp on the grass outside. Pull it, feel it, smell it. Notice it between your fingertips.
  • Try doing acupressure on yourself – PC6 and HT7 are the most helpful in relieving anxiety and lessening stress.
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