A Simple Practice - Labelling Objects

When you're feeling numb & overwhelmed, it can feel as if your world has narrowed, feeling tight and focused. This is a classic sign of the protective, unhealthy parasympathetic state and is normal even if it doesn’t feel comfortable. This technique helps by encouraging you to use your peripheral vision to label objects in your environment, signalling to your nervous system that it's safe to relax its hyper-vigilance.

If you enjoyed this technique, you might also find these helpful:
A Simple Practice - Labelling Colours
A Simple Practice - I Am Noticing

Everyday Mindfulness - Less Stress, More You.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to another very simple technique called labeling objects.

So you can do this sitting,

Standing,

Lying down,

Whilst out on a walk,

And you will need your eyes open for this one.

So whatever you plan to do,

Make sure you're feeling comfortable.

Make sure you're feeling ready.

Take a couple of deep breaths just to ground yourself into your body.

And then very simply,

I want you to take in the space around you,

And I want you to label what you see,

From curtains,

To pens,

To laptops,

To water bottles,

To clouds,

Plants,

Particular colors.

Just look around.

Allow yourself to use all of your peripheral vision,

Moving your head and neck gently,

And just label the objects around you.

I know at times these techniques might feel a little silly,

Or pointless,

But this one relies on our peripheral vision,

Which is attached to our parasympathetic nervous system,

The branch of our nervous system that allows us to relax.

And so when we use our peripheral vision,

We're telling the body that we're safe.

And after all,

That's what the nervous system is looking for,

Either danger or safety signals.

So something as simple as looking around your space,

Using your peripheral vision,

And labeling those objects,

Can tell your nervous system that you are in a good place,

And it can start to settle down,

Giving you more clarity of mind,

And hopefully a more enjoyable day.

So label a few more objects.

Check in with your body if that feels nice,

And notice if you spot any changes.

Take one final deep breath,

Just to seal this practice.

Wonderful.

Thank you so very much for joining me today.

I hope to see you back for another technique soon.