Grounding And Centering (I-CAN)

This skill-building exercise, which can be done sitting, standing or lying down, is designed to help us ground and center ourselves when feeling stressed, overwhelmed, panicked, or when we simply desire to be more present. We will be employing a skill set that can be remembered by the acronym, I-CAN, where the “I” represents “I-here-now”, a way of framing our experience that can consciously orient us to the present moment. The “C” is for connecting with our body. The “A” is for acknowledging and allowing our thoughts and feelings to come and go. And the “N” is for noticing our surroundings through our five senses to recognize that there’s more to our experience than what’s going on inside of us. The phrase, “I-CAN”, is meant to empower us with a sense of agency in any given situation.