Resources

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Grounding yourself can be as simple as noticing how you are in the moment and offering yourself some compassion. Here is a list of grounding exercises:

• Focus on your feet
• Balance on one foot, then the other
• Imagine roots connecting you to the earth
• Disconnect from electronic devices
• Sit or lie quietly for a short time (the choice is yours) ensuring all parts of your body are comfortably supported

A very powerful ground exercise involves the senses: Take a deep belly breath to begin. 

5 - LOOK: Look around for 5 things that you can see, and say them out loud.

4 - FEEL: Pay attention to your body and think of 4 things that you can feel, and say them out loud.

3 - LISTEN: Listen for 3 things you can hear. Say the three things out loud.

2 - SMELL: Name 2 things you can smell. If you can’t smell anything at the moment or you can’t move, then name your 2 favourite smells.

1 - TASTE: Name 1 thing you can taste. If you can’t taste anything, then say your favourite thing to taste.

If you have trouble doing this on your own, I encourage you to have someone you trust to help you through the exercise. You are welcome to download the exercise here. 

Mindfulness is a way of dropping out of our busy lives, is a deeper level of grounding and is a practice that requires little effort. The very act of paying attention to a task at hand (washing dishes comes to mind) is practicing mindfulness. If your mind wanders, as it is likely to do, gently (without judgement or negative-self talk) redirect your attention back to the task. Practicing with the breath is another way to be mindful and can help with managing uncomfortable (anxiety-provoking) situations or experiences. Here are a few examples:

• Notice you're in and out-breath, without trying to change the depth or rate, for a few moments.
• Notice the rise and fall of your chest wall and see if you can breathe into your belly.
• Place a hand on your chest, near your heart and notice the breath.
• More intensive practice is a form of pranyama ( which is the yogic practice of focusing on the breath. In Sanskrit, prana means "vital life force", and yama means to gain control) and it is called Anulom Vilom. Here is a YouTube video to guide you through the practice.

Meditation, to me, is the deepest level of mindfulness practice. Meditation is not trying to stop your mind from thinking, it is a way to practice and cultivate a sense of presence and being with oneself, in a different way. I am certainly not an expert and rely on teachers in my practice. Here are some links to meditation practices:

• Sarovara Yoga (Ally Boothroyd)
• Tara Brach
• Jack Kornfield 

Peter Levine:

• Waking the Tiger
• In an Unspoken Voice
• Trauma and Memory

Aline Lapierre (co-authored with Laurence Heller):

•  Healing Developmental Trauma 

Gabor Mate:

• When the Body Says No

Brené  Brown:

• The Gifts of Imperfection
• I Thought it was Just Me (but it wasn't)
• Daring Greatly
• Rising Strong
• Braving the Wilderness 
• Unlocking Us (Podcast)

For First Responders:

Cheryl Regehr and Ted Bober:

• In the Line of Fire

Natalie Harris:

• Save-My-Life-School: A First Responder's Mental Health Journey
• Daily Lessons from Save-My-Life-School