Welcome to this grounding practice for overwhelm and anxiety.
When your mind races ahead to everything that could go wrong.
Or gets pulled back into the past.
This practice helps you come back to the present moment.
We begin by settling the breath.
Then use a simple anchor image in your senses to ground yourself in the here and now.
It's ideal for moments of overwhelmed,
Anxious thinking.
Or the mental load of midlife.
It's time to take a moment for you.
Think of the instruction we hear when we first settle into our seat on an aeroplane.
If the oxygen masks drop down,
Put your own mask on first before helping others.
That is what this time is.
A few minutes to put your own mask on first.
For many of us at midlife,
Putting ourselves first doesn't come naturally.
We're caring for others,
Planning,
Organizing,
Remembering everyone's appointments.
And somewhere along the way,
Our own needs slip to the bottom of the list.
So taking this time is not selfish.
Being kind to yourself makes it so much easier to get through the day and to be kind to others too.
Today we're going to practice dropping your anchor.
It's a way to steady yourself when you feel unsettled and overwhelmed.
Maybe the future feels scary,
Or the past keeps getting in the way of your day-to-day living.
Let's start.
Find a comfortable position,
Sitting upright.
Let your hands rest wherever they feel easy.
You might like to close your eyes or simply rest your gaze softly on a spot in front of you.
When you feel settled,
Take a slow breath in.
Notice the air as it enters through your nose and fills your lungs.
As you breathe out,
Notice the air as it leaves your body.
Again,
Breathe in,
Feeling the air pass through your nose and into your lungs.
And gently out.
Again.
Breathing in.
Feeling the air pass through your nose.
And into your lungs.
And gently out.
Now just breathe at your own pace.
There is no right way to do this.
Simply stay with your breath.
As it comes in.
And as it goes out.
Now relax your forehead.
Soften your cheeks.
Let your mouth and your jaw loosen.
Notice any tension leaving your face as you soften and breathe into a feeling of calm.
Remind yourself that it is okay to take these few minutes.
You're allowed to stop and breathe.
Now I'd like you to imagine a ship out on the sea.
A storm is brewing.
The waves are getting bigger and choppier and the ship needs to find a safe place to put down its anchor.
That's you.
As you picture that anchor dropping down through the water.
Wriggle your toes.
Feel them inside your shoes or your socks or against the floor.
Feel the ground beneath you.
This is your anchor.
This is you,
Here,
In this space,
Right now.
You are connected to the ground.
Keep that connection with the ground and now notice three things that you can feel.
It might be the fabric of the chair beneath you.
It might be the material of your clothes where your hands rest on your legs.
The air on your skin.
Take your time.
And find three things that you can feel.
Now notice three things you can hear.
Perhaps it's the hum of distant traffic,
A clock ticking,
Birds outside or the sound of someone nearby.
Just notice them without needing to do anything about them.
In a moment.
I'll invite you to open your eyes.
When you're ready.
Gently open them.
And notice three things you can see.
Really look at them.
Notice their color.
Their shape.
Their texture.
And finally,
See if you can notice any smells around you.
Perhaps coffee,
Fresh air.
Washing powder on your clothes or perhaps nothing at all and that is fine too.
By focusing on what you can feel.
See and smell right now.
You are bringing yourself into the present moment.
Not the future.
Not the past.
Just this moment.
You can let your eyes close again if you'd like or keep your gaze soft.
The beauty of this exercise is you can do it anywhere.
No one even needs to know that you're doing it.
I will often do it on a walk.
Just to ground myself,
To bring myself back to the present moment.
You'd be surprised how many birds you can hear.
The hum of traffic.
Maybe some laughter,
Some music.
And the colours,
The colours of flowers,
Of trees.
When we really take that in.
We know.
That we will be okay.
It's so easy to get caught up in thoughts of the future.
What might happen?
What if I do this or don't do that?
What if something happens to someone I love?
That's human.
And in midlife when our hormones are shifting and our sleep is often broken.
Those thoughts can feel louder than ever.
Especially at 3am when the mind races ahead to everything that could go wrong.
Add to that the mental load we carry every day.
Caring for others,
Planning,
Organizing,
Predicting,
Worrying.
And all the things we should do.
And should say.
So whenever you notice yourself being pulled into the future or back into the past,
You can come back to this.
Wriggle your toes.
Feel the ground.
Drop your anchor.
Remind yourself,
I'm here right now.
And this moment is the one I can actually work with.
Take one more slow breath in.
And out.
Feel your feet on the floor and your body supported by the chairs.
Wriggle your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
And come back to your day.
Remember,
You can drop your anchor anytime,
Anywhere.
No one even needs to know you're doing it.
Remember to choose kindness,
Especially towards yourself.
And if you're struggling with your emotions or your mental health,
Please reach out to your doctor or a mental health professional you trust.
Take care.
And bye for now.
