“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
When increased stress and anxietyit can be especially difficult to draw on our inner resources to practice self-soothing. In difficult situations that tend to increase anxiety levels, it is especially important to a self-care toolkit already prepared to meet the present moment more skillfully. Consider how you usually practice self-care and maintain a sense of balance. Pay attention to what already works for you while also noticing areas for growth.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) offers many skills for practicing mindfulness, regulates emotionsincreases interpersonal effectiveness and tolerates anxiety more effectively. Self-soothing skills allow you to calm down during difficult times intense anxiety and bring yourself back to a more centered and grounded place. By integration vigilance and the five senses of emotion regulation skills can effectively calm yourself down in difficult moments.
Vision
- Sit outside and watch nature with a keen, observant eye
- Take a walk in the nearby park or go on a pleasant hike
- Go outside at night and look up at the stars in the sky
Hearing
- Depending on your mood, listen to soothing or uplifting music
- Play or learn to play an instrument
- Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you
Smell
- Place essential oils on your wrists and breathe deeply
- Burn incense or light a scented candle
- Open the windows and breathe in the fresh air
Taste
- Eat one thing consciouslyreally savoring the flavors and textures
- Treat yourself to a favorite dessert and slow down to enjoy it
- Try something tart like lemon or orange and pay attention
Touch
- Snuggle up under a particularly soft, comfortable blanket
- Drink a cup of warm tea or coffee and warm your hand on the mug
- Take a long hot bath or shower and enjoy the experience
Hhow do you intend to use your five senses to practice self-soothing? Notice if there are things you already practice self care that you can continue. Consider how an open, curious, and nonjudgmental mindful attitude in stressful situations can effectively increase cope with anxiety. The more you practice self-soothing skills in the present, the better prepared you will be for effective self-soothing in the future.
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Linehan, MM (2015). DBT Skills Training handouts and worksheets. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Featured Image: Girl sitting on the swing by Marco Verch / CC BY 2.0
