Tool Box
Tool box blog posts offer some of the coping skills I use in sessions with my clients. These posts are great opportunities for people to brush up on skills they already use, or learn new ones to add to their own personal tool box.
Earth, Wind, Fire Water
Earth
Plant your feet. Physical grounding helps promote mindfulness and creates a sense of stability, security, and control.
Wind
Take deep breaths. Slowing and deepening the breath activates the relaxation response in the body, leading to decreased muscle tension, lower blood pressure, and a feeling of calmness.
Fire
Find three things around you that remind you of fire. Taking a moment to do this reminds our body that you are safe at this moment. If you didn’t see a true life threatening fire (not just a candle flame or your fireplace), or hungry lions, tigers and bears, you are probably safe and do not need any survival instincts to sit with this moment.
Water
Create salivation. Imagine eating a lemon, or some sour patch kids. Drink some water. Take an actual bite of sour candy. Salivation is the first step in digestion and by crating salivation you are reminding your body that you are safe by helping activate the parasympathetic nervous system “rest and digest”, which counteracts the body’s sympathetic nervous system "fight-or-flight" response.
Expanding Your Peripheral Vision
Sit or stand comfortably in a relaxed position.
Focus your attention on a single point in front of you, and then gradually begin to expand your awareness outward to include things in your peripheral vision.
Take slow, deep breaths, noticing the things around you without focusing on any one object.
Allow your gaze to soften, avoiding focusing on any particular detail. Instead, notice the general shapes, colors, or movements within your field of vision.
White gazing forward, you can wiggle your fingers on both sides of your head until you can no longer see them in your peripheral vision if you want something extra to focus on.
Notice how this shift makes you feel—you may begin to feel less overwhelmed and more at ease.
Expanding your peripheral vision helps shift your focus away from the immediate threat or anxiety-producing thoughts, activating a sense of calm and safety. It encourages a mindful, grounded state that interrupts the cycle of anxiety and can support emotional regulation and relaxation. When you're feeling anxious, your body tends to go into "fight-or-flight" mode, which triggers the sympathetic nervous system. Expanding your peripheral vision, by consciously widening your focus to take in more of your surroundings, can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the "rest and digest" response. This shift encourages relaxation and reduces the body’s fight-or-flight reaction, calming the nervous system.
Fun fact: This is a technique used with pilots and has been known to significantly improve pilot performance in a variety of stressful situations.
Splashing Cold Water On The Face
When cold water hits your face, especially around the eyes and forehead, it activates the mammalian “dive reflex”. This reflex is a natural physiological reaction that occurs when the face is submerged in cold water. This can be an effective way to help manage anxiety or other overhwleming emotions by triggering a physiological response that promotes relaxation and reduces stress. This reflex triggers a series of responses:
Slowing of the heart rate (bradycardia): This helps to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heart or rapid breathing.
Constriction of blood vessels: This helps to focus the blood flow on vital organs, such as the heart and brain, which promotes a sense of calm.
Shifting blood flow to the core: This helps the body focus on preserving energy and stability, rather than reacting to stress.
This reflex essentially signals the body to "calm down" in response to the cold, helping to counter the fight-or-flight reaction associated with anxiety and other big emotions.
