Calming Corner

Push Against a Wall

• Push against a wall or lean your back into a wall.

• Focus your attention of the physical sensations you can feel:

  • The bottom of your feet on the ground

  • The pressure of your hands or back & shoulders against the wall

  • The muscles in your arms, shoulders and legs

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Take a Sip

• Get a glass of water, juice, coffee, tea, or other healthy beverage.

• Take a nice slow sip.

• Pay attention to the sensations of the liquid and how it feels:

  • In your mouth

  • In your throat

  • As it goes down to your stomach.

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Walk Around the Room or Outside

• Find a place to walk quietly (outside or inside)

• Bring your attention to the physical sensations of walking:

  • How do your feet feel on the ground?

  • Notice the pressure on your feet or legs as you walk

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Sing or Hum

• Notice the physical feelings when you sign or hum:

  • The sensations of your face & mouth

  • Your breathing

  • Any vibrations in your throat or chest

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Do Some Heavy Work

• Clean your room, do yard work, go for a rigorous walk or exercise. Choose an activity that involves pushing, pulling, lifting, digging or sweeping.

• Bring your attention:

  • to the heavy, weighty, or pressure sensations in your body

  • to the muscles in your arms, shoulders and legs.

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Orient

• Look around the room, or wherever you are. Pay attention to anything that catches your attention.

• What do you notice?

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Orient

• Name six colors you see inside or outside. Or, pick your favorite color and scan your environment paying attention to where you notice your favorite color.

• Look slowly around the entire space, including behind you.

• Where do you notice positive or neutral physical feelings?

• What do you notice about your breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension?

Highlight

• In the midst of challenges and difficult times we often focus on the negative - this is totally normal and we are wired to do this for our own safety. However, it can be helpful to pay special attention to something positive that exists right alongside the hard and difficult things.

• You can highlight for yourself by asking: "Who or what is getting me through right now?". Then, visualize that person, place or thing. Pay specific attention to sensory information that you can recall (sights, sounds, smells, textures, tastes).

• Sense in to positive and neutral sensations. Did you feel a shift from feeling stressed out to feeling more calm?

Resource

• Think of a positive memory or a person/place/thing/quality/animal that makes you feel good.

• Make a movie of the exact memory and pull in all the sensory information that you can recall - try to picture yourself in that moment again (sights, sounds, smells, textures, tastes).

• Sense in to the positive and neutral sensations that arise. Did you feel a shift from feeling stressed out to feeling more calm?

Please remember, we are here for you.

No question or problem is too small or too large.

Just let us know how we can help.

Be well.