Preserving your Peace

1-minute exercises to Reset your Mind

During the Winter, stress and anxiety levels can get higher — especially during weather-related crises, we can easily get emotionally dysregulated.

When experiencing an emotional or physical trigger, our pre-frontal cortex shuts down — making it hard to think clearly or function.

When our amygdala is hijacked, we can spiral quickly into an anxiety attack or disassociate from our surroundings.

As a survivor of sexual abuse and generational trauma, I have to navigate PTSD. Before I had the tools I needed to cope, I engaged in risky and self-sabotaging behavior when I was triggered.

I learned to thrive by shifting away from my self-destructive defense mechanisms and integrating coping skills. I now work to support others who are on their healing journey.

As a circle keeper and restorative educator, I curate spaces for healing for others who are processing generational trauma and racialized pain.

Learning strategies for emotional regulation has been critical to my healing. By sharing some of the tools that have been useful to me, my hope is to support others in need of an emotional reset when confronted with a triggering thought or experience. These techniques are easy to access for you and may be helpful for your loved ones of all ages.

Physical Strategies

1. 5 — 4 — 3 — 2 — 1: This technique helps to alleviate anxiety by engaging all of your senses and focusing on your surroundings. Find and name out loud or silently — 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. My son loves this one also.
2. Horse Breaths: Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth with your lips gently pressed together — you will make a sound much like a horse. I learned this technique when preparing to give birth to my son. It helped me get through contractions. When I feel frustrated, I often take a few horse breaths to reset.
3. Drink a glass of cold water or hot tea: Sometimes we need to hydrate or calm our nerves by drinking something relaxing, chamomile and peppermint tea are two of my favorites.
4. Breathing with Fingertip Touch: Slowly take a deep breath in while touching the tip of your thumb to your forefinger, exhale, and touch the tip of your thumb to your middle finger, continue breathing in and exhaling moving the tip of your thumb to touch each fingertip for a total of 4–6 breaths.
5. Breathe and Squeeze: On your inhale, squeeze your fist and hold for 5 seconds. Exhale and release your hand.

Tactile Strategies

1. Ground yourself in Nature: Go outside and if possible take off your shoes and stand in the grass. Connect with the Earth and feel the smoothness of a stone or the roughness of tree bark. Make Nature art.
2. Say a Prayer or Mantra that will bring you peace: I have a habit of praying throughout the day when I have a concern about someone or need to find peace. I light my altar daily and call on my ancestors to guide me. Whatever ritual brings you peace, try to make this into a daily practice to support your wellness.
3. Name 5 things you are grateful for: In your mind or write it down, this will reorient your mind to a positive place.
4. Find a song to soothe your soul: When I am feeling upset, it can help to find just the right song to match my mood or uplift me.
5. Create art: Use whatever materials you have available — make a sculpture from foil, draw a picture, take a photo, or make a collage. Art-making can be a cathartic process to let go of your emotions.

Skye Howell (she/her) is an Organizational Consultant with Full Humanity, Circle Keeper, Equity Advocate, Curriculum Designer, and Storyteller. If you enjoyed this article and want to read more, please consider becoming a Medium member. Your membership fee directly supports Skye Howell (she/her) and other writers you read. You’ll also get full access to every story on Medium.