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An anxiety reducing exercise that engages all senses.
I picked up this exercise from my former therapist. When I’m
really anxious and shutting down, this helps me a lot. Apparently stress
and anxiety overwhelm your big part of your brain. The prefrontal
cortex. That’s where we strategize and plan.
When it shuts down, the “lizard brain”, the small brain takes over. It’s responsible for fight or flight or freeze. These days, thankfully for most of us it doesn’t mean fleeing from or punching a tiger. But it can make us prone to distractions and give into our basic instincts, which may not be helpful at any given moment.
This exercise is fast and easy to do. It can actually be fun, as your lizard brain goes back to rest, and your big brain gets to come back alive.