Coping with COVID-19: Grounding yourself
There are times when your usual coping skills become overwhelmed. The COVID-19 pandemic is clearly an example of a situation that can overwhelm your coping skills.
The Ohio State University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health’s Stress Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program is sharing a series of tips to aid in building coping skills and daily distractions (video links) to lighten your mood. We hope you’ll share these with others!
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding exercise
GROUNDING is a technique that helps us reorient to the here and now, bringing us into the present.
This is a very easy-to-use sensory awareness technique if you-re feeling overwhelmed, intensely anxious or distanced from your environment.
Process:
- Describe five (5) things you see that are familiar to you in the room.
- Name four (4) things that you can feel (“My feet on the floor” or “The cool air on my face”).
- Name three (3) things you can hear right now (people around you, or the traffic outside).
- Name two (2) things you can smell right now (focus on smells you like).
- Name one (1) good thing about yourself.
You should feel calmer and more at ease by the end of the exercise. Repeat the steps more than once if needed. Take a moment to take care of yourself. Try out this technique in different situations.
For your de-stressing moment, click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPV1g05NMfE
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