Areas › Your body
Your body
You cannot think your way out of a body that is braced. This area starts there: the breath, the ground under you, moving, eating, resting, and the small physical things that change how the rest of the day lands.
What works for this
Working from the body first
A body that has not slept, eaten or moved has less left over for holding itself steady. Changing the state you are in is often faster than changing the thoughts you are having, and it is more reliable when you are already worn out.
One move, today
A long slow out breath, longer than the in breath, three times. The out breath is the part that does the work.
What matches
6 practicesWhen someone is distressed, moving too fast to settle them can land as a message that their distress is not welcome here. Let them set the speed.
Offering a breath, a blanket, a change of subject: all of it can help, and all of it can arrive as a shutting down if it comes before the person has…
Keeping your eyes open holds you in the room while you feel what is going on inside. One channel on where you actually are, one on yourself.
Closed eyes are the default in most classes and they are not always kind. When a lot is stirring, letting the eyes stay soft but open, so the light…
When you are already behind, rest feels like the one thing you cannot afford. That feeling is usually what keeps you behind.
Running from one near disaster to the next burns exactly the abilities you need in order to dig out: planning, holding a thought long enough to use…
Reaching for another person when you are wound up is not a distraction from coping. Contact can turn the alarm down at the source.
This is why a short call, a message to someone who knows you, or sitting in the same room as family is worth doing before you get as far as the…
When someone is frightened, your words may not reach them however sensible they are. Drop your voice, slow right down, and let the tone do the work.
In high alarm, hearing tips towards low rumbling sounds and away from the range the human voice sits in, so reassurance can genuinely fail to land.…
When someone cannot take in your reassurance while they are frightened, that is the receiver and not their willingness. Wait for the wave to pass and try again.
In high arousal, hearing shifts away from the band the human voice occupies, so kind words can genuinely arrive as noise. It is easy to read that as…