Just Breathe

4/13/2020

- Cate Cofer

Just Breathe

By Cate Cofer, School Counselor

I don’t know about you but I am still feeling the anxiety wave from the storms and the heightened since of worry that we have all been carrying. I am really having to take some time to check in with myself and how I’m feeling emotionally. Typically, I feel very disconnected from my body when I am feeling worried. When I am feeling disconnected, it is very important for me to be “re-grounded.” I wanted to offer each of you some techniques to reground yourself and hopefully help reduce some of your feelings of worry.

Square breathing

You want to make sure your breathing in with your diaphragm. Your abdomen should rise and your chest should stay still. You can always put one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest and breathe to practice this diaphragmatic breathing.

Breathe in for four seconds
Hold breath for four seconds
Breath out for 4 seconds
Hold for four seconds

*Repeat as many times as you feel necessary. This should really get oxygen to your brain to help your flight or flight response to calm.

For small children you can have them lay on the ground with a stuffed animal on their tummy and they can breathe in for 4 seconds and have the stuffed animal rise on their tummy.

A five senses check in (step by step)

Take a deep breath
Identifying 5 things you can see,
Four thing you can touch
Three thing you can hear
Two thing you can smell
One thing you can taste

Re-grounding outside

Walk outside and find a good grassy spot
Take off your shoes
Stand with your feet in the grass
Take a deep breath
Take 2 minutes to feel the grass in between your toes, on the balls of your feet, how the grass hits your heels, how the grass pokes the arches of your feet. Really focus on how strong the ground feels below your feet and imagine the strength from the ground embracing your feet and legs. Feel the strength that your feet and legs have.

Muscle Tension Relaxation

Sit in a char with your feet flat on the ground
You can close your eyes if you would like; if not, glance at one spot
Take a deep breath
Clinch your toes for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your ankles for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your calves for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your thighs for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your hips and bottom for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your stomach and abs for 10 second and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your chest for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your hands for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your arms for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your shoulders for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your neck for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch your jaw and mouth for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Clinch you eyes for 10 seconds and release (give yourself 20 seconds to feel the release)
Allow yourself to feel the relaxation that your body is experiencing by the small bursts of energy in each part of your body.

* you can always modify the time to fit your body.

These are small things that you can do daily to really allow yourself to focus on your body and emotional connection. These are also things that anyone can do, small or big! Stay safe good people!

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