The holidays are challenging for many. The feeling of anxiety or even feeling a bit “off center” can produce issues ranging from distraction and irritability, to wanting to crawl out of our skin or just run away and hide. And, there’s nothing like this merry time of year to bring up extra stress.
If you’ve experienced these feelings, you know how challenging they can be and the bumpy road they can lead us down.
Essentially, when anxious thoughts have taken over, we have left our body and the present moment. We are spinning somewhere in the future or the past. In addition to *finding great stress relief with CBD, there are grounding exercises and meditations that can be of great help.
Here is a simple sensory technique called 5-4-3-2-1.
You can put this in your tool box and it will help you get you back in your body and release the grip of unhelpful thought patterns.
Whether it is the middle of the night and your head is racing or a stressful situation that seems all consuming, we can use our senses to find calm and stability.
I’ve used this technique a few times recently and I find it to be like an anchor that holds a boat within a tumultuous sea. I return to center and fall back to sleep.
SEE FIVE:
Sit down or lie down and have a three deep breaths.
Slowly look around and notice five things that you see.
Soften your eyes and have a deep breath with each thing that you see.
You don’t need to think about the thing, just see it, name it and have a deep breath.
TOUCH FOUR:
Have a deep breath and gently touch four things.
Let your fingers be soft as you notice how each thing feels on your skin.
Have a deep breath and feel each thing with some tenderness.
HEAR THREE:
Close your eyes and listen. Hear three sounds.
Have a deep breath with each one.
Notice the silence between and around each sound.
Let your body be soft.
SMELL TWO:
Breathe in through your nose and notice two things you can smell.
It might be the sweetness in the air. Or the smell of your hair or shirt.
Inhale deeply and name the thing that you smell.
Exhale and breathe out some tension.
TASTE ONE:
Observe one thing you can taste.
It may be a sip of water or your lips.
Have a deep breath and just notice how the taste feels on your tongue and in your mouth.
Exhale and soften your body a bit more.
Notice what parts of you are touching the earth.
You are centered.
You are grounded.
You are calm.
You can do this anywhere. Repeat this as many times as needed.
Breathe into what is and exhale more space to hold it all.
More space to let things shift and release.
When we are in the present moment, often anxiety will release its grip or we will gain clarity about the next action to take.
The holidays can be filled with more calm and peace, especially when we are taking care of our health and wellness.
From our Noetic family to you…
May you be well. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you be at ease.
Learn more Yoga & Meditation from our ambassador Michele at LoveLifeYoga.org
Always reach out to a professional if things feel unmanageable and your tools aren’t helping as much as you need.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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