How To Cope-Grounding In The Body When The World Is Chaotic

Somatic Therapy San Francisco

Given all the recent troubling world events, you may have found your nervous system may feel dysregulated. Perhaps you have difficulty concentrating, a shortened attention span, or find yourself worrying more than normal. On the other hand, when current events happen that are challenging to process, some people find they feel disconnected from themselves or numb. It also might be tempting to find more methods of distraction—eating or drinking more, watching more Netflix, increased doom scrolling, and more time playing video games—are all popular choices.

If any of these ways of coping sound familiar, don’t despair! All of us find ways to cope during hard times and some of our coping mechanisms may not be the healthiest, especially when they are not used in moderation. However, we can start to find other strategies to cope that don’t cause us to disconnect from ourselves and emotions when the world is overwhelming. As a somatic therapist in San Francisco, I have helped clients find ways to regulate their nervous system that don’t rely on distraction only. Keep reading to find out some alternatives that you can incorporate to help ground yourself and help you to be present in your day-to-day.

Here are some tips to help calm your body and mind when life and the world is a bit too much.

1) Be thoughtful about the media you consume.

This may mean limiting the amount of time you spend reading the news or scrolling through social media. It may also mean considering the sources of media you consume. Is what you are reading true and accurate? How much media can you consume without feeling an increase of anxiety or feeling more down? These questions can help guide you if you are struggling to identify how media affects your mental health..

2) Take time to sit in quiet.

At this point in time, we are bombarded every day and every minute with so many images and so much information that we don’t even realize how overstimulated we are. By taking time to sit in quiet each day, we allow our nervous system to recalibrate and to listen to ourselves and what we need.

3) Spend time in nature.

Nature has a soothing effect on our bodies. Having our feet in the grass or toes in the sand allows us to let go of stress—to be truly present through physical sensations is very grounding. If you are outside, ask yourself what you see, what you feel, what you hear, what you smell, and even what you can taste? These questions can help us to take note of our surroundings and be engaged with the environment surrounding us.

4) When you feel overwhelmed, think of a person you feel safe being around.

Notice the physical sensations that arise when you think of that person. Can you breathe into those sensations? Do the feelings grow when you focus on them? Conjuring up a safe person strengthens our sense of secure attachment, again helping our parasympathetic nervous system to take effect and essentially telling our system we are safe from threat.

I hope these tips about how to ground yourself in tough times prove helpful. If you have a difficult time regulating your emotions and find you need extra support, feel free to reach out to me at lisa@lisamanca.com.