Creating Safety in Your Body

“A calm body creates a calm mind” ~ Gayatri Devi

Did you know that it is impossible to have an anxiety attack in a relaxed body? Anxiety arises when your nervous system is on high alert, and your amygdala is sending danger signals to your body.

Feeling safe requires a relaxed body. Past trauma stored in the body creates chronic tension which leads to feeling continuously unsafe. To release chronic tension, it is necessary to do deeper emotional release work.

Trauma-Healing Institute founder and counsellor Gina Ross inspired and informed this trauma-release process.

Self-Assessment 

1. Assess Yourself: Rate your anxiety or upset from a low of 1 to a high of 10. If your anxiety is high, be sure to practice the following grounding steps.
Grounding
1. Butterfly Hug: Hug yourself and then alternately tap on your arms, from side to side, 25 times. Take a deep breath. Repeat this cycle until your stress level drops noticeably.
2. Ground: Send imaginary roots deep into the earth through your feet. Take a deep breath. Gaze about the room and notice objects or textures about the room, remaining connected to your “roots.”
3. Breathe: Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Just be with your breath, not trying to change it, noticing the rhythm.

Discharge

1. Presence: As you breathe, stay present to your body for sensations like shaking, sweating, shivering, yawning, goosebumps, a change in your breathing, or a gurgling in the stomach. Be curious about what comes up, and as best you can, stay with it. Move your body if you feel called to. Make spontaneous sounds. Trust the natural discharge.
2. Thought Review: Remember and note the troubling thoughts that lead up to and accompany the discharge. Observe the sensations that arise with each thought as you recall one thought at a time. Let go of any judgments. Just be present and continue to observe and experience the sensations discharging from your body.
3. Resource: When you feel sufficiently released, you will feel calmer. To increase your calm even more, think of a resource that feels safe. You might imagine the kind eyes of someone you love, for example. Take a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of safety in your body.
When your body is relaxed, anchor your self-regulation by affirming, “I am safe right now.”