How “Orienting” Can Protect You from Chronic Stress

It’s as simple as looking out the window

I’ve worked in highly stressful jobs most of my adult life.

The accumulated stress in combination with traumatic events burned me out. It also activated a not uncommon genetic trait, called Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia, that caused my health to nosedive.

As a result, I wanted (and needed) to learn how to calm my overly activated nervous system. I became a student of stress and trauma. I’ve studied with different psychotherapists and nervous system experts like Irene Lyon, MSc., and Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, co-creator of the Community Resiliency Model.

I’d like to share with you a very simple method from somatic-based trauma work that can help you lower your stress levels, whether you have trauma or not. This simple practice has helped me tremendously.

It’s called “orienting,” which means orienting to the environment around you.

Orienting: The Biological Secret to Less Stress

There are two types of orienting: defensive and exploratory. Defensive orienting is an automatic response to a potentially dangerous trigger in the environment. Like when you hear a loud bang, you can’t help but turn in the direction it came from and give a look, right?

But today we’ll focus on exploratory orienting, which I’ll just call orienting for brevity’s sake.

Exploratory orienting means taking in the world around you through your senses. For example, enjoying the view from a mountain top, watching a sunrise or sunset, smelling the fragrance of flower blossoms, listening to the birds or feeling the warmth of the sun on your shoulders.

But orienting isn’t only an outdoor affair and you don’t have to go to a special place to do it. You can orient to any object indoors as well, even ordinary ones like feeling the warmth of a cup you’re holding in your hands or resting your gaze on a pen sitting on the coffee table in front of you.

Humans (and all mammals) are biologically wired to orient, both defensively to protect ourselves and in an exploratory way to experience pleasure and regulate the nervous system. This natural ability can be damaged however, in the case of trauma or chronic stress. Interestingly, Irene Lyon, MSc., classifies chronic stress as a form of trauma.

Fortunately, you can bring this precious skill back online through conscious practice.

Orienting counteracts stress and the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system by activating the ventral vagal portion of the nervous system. The ventral vagal part of the nervous system is known as the “rest and digest” function. It reduces nervous system activation in a gradual and healthy way.

When your nervous system is out of whack due to stress or trauma, it can send you up into tension, overwhelm, and anxiety. Or it can send you down into the dumps and make you feel disconnected or numbed out.

Orienting regulates the nervous system. It can calm you down if you’re bumped up out of your resilience zone or perk you up if you’re stuck in the low zone.

How to Practice Orienting

Orienting is extremely simple. Here are three ways you can get started.

1. Orient When You Walk Out the Front Door

Nervous system expert Irene Lyon, MSc., suggests taking a minute or two to orient to the external environment whenever you walk out your front door.

As you step out, pause and notice the environment with a sense of curiosity. Follow the five steps outlined below. I’ve included an example for each sense.

• What you see (a flower blossom)
• What you hear (heavy equipment)
• What your feel with your felt sense (wind on your arms)
• What you smell (damp after rain)
• What you taste (salt in the sea air)

Don’t rush through it; give it a good minute or two. Fully take in each experience. Spend more time if you wish!

Taste may not come into play in many situations, like standing at your front door. But it’s likely to be first on the list if you’re having a coffee or enjoying a sumptuous meal.

2. Orient at Each New Location

Do this same 5-step process whenever you arrive at a new location during your day.

Instead of tucking your head down lost in your own thoughts as you get out of your car or a train or bus, pause and experience what’s around you using the sequence above.

2. Orient Wherever You Are

Another way to orient is to take specific breaks for this purpose throughout the day.

If you’re inside, you can orient to whatever’s around you in the room. You don’t need to go outside.

Try out this simple protocol using the visual sense.

• Let your eyes go wherever they want to go, moving your head slowly.
• When it feels right, let your eyes rest on an object for a while.
• When you feel ready, gently move your eyes again and slowly look around.
• When it feels right, let your eyes rest on another object for a while.
• Continue for 1–5 minutes.

Some people feel more comfortable orienting to objects close to them: their hands, the hem of their dress, the coffee table. Others feel better looking at objects at a distance: a picture on the wall, a standing lamp, the doorway leading out of the room. I personally like to look out the window at the trees, clouds, and sky.

You could do any combination — looking close, looking far, looking in-between— or just one. Whatever suits you. Just be sure to move your eyes/head slowly, not rapidly and then pause and rest on an object for a few moments.

As you continue to practice orienting you might want to experiment with looking farther, looking closer, or looking mid-range and see how it feels.

Whatever approach you choose to use, practice it several times throughout the day, until you begin to orient naturally again.

If Orienting Doesn’t Feel Good

For most people, orienting feels relaxing and refreshing.

But, sometimes orienting can feel uncomfortable if you have stored survival stress from trauma.

When you begin to orient, you might feel an impulse to flee or a sense of panic. Alternatively, you might feel extremely bored and the need to distract yourself.

Neither reaction is wrong or bad. They represent a pattern your body has established to keep you safe as a result of trauma or emotional distress. Respect you body’s messages, while learning to work skillfully with your response so you can heal.

If you feel the desire to run away, take a break. Get up and walk around. Remind yourself that you’re here now in the present moment. If you can, be aware of any sensations you feel, like the ground beneath your feet or your breath moving in and out of your lungs. You can try orienting again when you feel ready or wait until another day.

If you feel the need to distract yourself, notice that. It can be a sign you don’t feel comfortable in your body. If you need to, take a conscious pause. Or even consciously engage in a distraction. Make the to do list that’s troubling you. Or consciously scan the internet on your phone for a minute. Or have a cup of tea.

The key is to engage in the distraction consciously. That will begin to break the pattern of automatically going into distraction. When you feel ready, try orienting again.

In either case, never push yourself if you feel uncomfortable. Never work outside your window of tolerance. Instead learn to titrate the practice of orienting, doing little bits at a time to help you build your tolerance, and ability to be present in your body.

If you find the practice of orienting too uncomfortable or disconcerting, don’t worry about. Try a different stress relief technique. And consider seeking help from a professional therapist.

The Healing Power of Orienting

Lastly, after you’ve been practicing orienting for a while, you might have a healing experience.

When you orient, you might feel a warmth, a pressure, sleepiness, or other sensation but they won’t feel unpleasant. Core emotions (anger, sadness, happiness, fear, disgust) or memories may arise, but they won’t feel distressing. You may feel an urge to move. You may want to wave your arms, shake your legs, or make a protective movement.

Stored survival energies are coming to the surface wanting to be released. Try to feel the emotions or sensations in your body or engage in the movement as long as it feels comfortable to do so. And remember, you can always take a break if discomfort sets in.

Want to learn more about orienting? In the following video, Irene Lyon, MSc., explains orienting in depth.

Final Thoughts

Orienting is a simple technique borrowed from trauma therapy that you can use to relieve stress or perk yourself up if you’re feeling blue or disconnected. It involves consciously pausing and gently taking in the environment through one or more senses.

I’ve suggested three ways of orienting:

• Whenever you step out your front door.
• Whenever you arrive at a new location.
• Take a break and engage in orienting wherever you are.

But there are many other ways you could incorporate orienting into your daily life. Be creative.

Orienting is free and easy. Why not give it a try?

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