Most of us can link one or two traumas to our younger years. The unfortunate truth in the modern world still is that traumatic events do happen as they always have. You cannot stop trauma from occurring, but you can react better to it.
By learning grounding techniques, you can minimize your reaction to a trauma. By starting with breathing exercises, you can often avoid a panic attack from happening. Learn what trauma is and breathe through your reaction.
Find out how to heal from trauma by reading everything below.
Complete a Crossword Puzzle
Crossword puzzles are great tools for mental health healing, managing anxiety and trauma recovery. They promote mindfulness and focus. They also divert attention to something different and aid in grounding oneself in the present.
Grounding techniques, such as focusing on the letters, colors, and shapes in a crossword puzzle, can help someone to distance themselves from the flashbacks and memories of the trauma they are experiencing.
Crossword puzzles are great resources for trauma recovery. They can help to bring clarity to thoughts and feelings in a safe and productive way. Crosswords can be used to focus on the present. It helps gain insight into patterns of thought and practice problem-solving. It also provides a distraction from overwhelming or negative thoughts.
Count All the Pieces of Furniture Around You
This can be helpful for individuals healing from trauma. This exercise is designed to bring your attention to the present moment. It increases focus away from:
- traumatic memories
- dissociative thoughts
- other negative states
Taking a few minutes to observe your environment can be calming and help you reconnect with your body and mind. By counting the number of objects in the room, you can become mindful of your surroundings. This can also help block out memories that are intrusive and overwhelming.
This exercise gives your brain the opportunity to refocus. It dismisses the negative and past experiences, allowing for healing. Through such simple practices, it can be possible to become more present and less overwhelmed by the memories of the trauma.
Light a Scented Candle or Melt Scented Wax
Lighting a scented candle or melting scented wax can be an effective way to begin the healing process from trauma. The sense of smell has a powerful effect on our emotions, and the right scent can have a calming, soothing effect on our inner child.
By submerging yourself in a scent that you associate with safety and security, you can create a safe space. These scents include lavender or chamomile.
Sitting in this space and focusing on your breath can help to reduce anxiety and alleviate painful memories. Using scented candles or wax melts can also be an excellent way to make an environment more comfortable and inviting. This allows to slowly open up and start to trust and feel safe again.
Sniff Strong Peppermint
Grounding techniques can be an incredibly freeing experience when used consistently. The sniffing of strong peppermint can help ground an individual when going through a traumatic experience.
Not only does the scent of peppermint have a calming effect. But it can also help to refocus your energy, enabling an individual to access a more mindful state. The sharp smell helps to awaken the senses and return concentration to the present moment. This allows distraction from any flashbacks.
When needed, peppermint can also be implemented after a distressing event. This is to assist with the processing of these intense emotions. Harnessing the power of peppermint can be a powerful tool when healing from a traumatic experience.
Put on Some Nature Sounds
Trauma can be debilitating and have a powerful detrimental effect on one’s life. Fortunately, there are ways to control and work through emotional pain. The use of grounding techniques combined with nature sounds can be beneficial to healing.
Nature sounds to produce a sense of peace and relaxation, which reduces overwhelming emotions from past trauma. The soothing, repetitive sounds of crashing waves, chirping birds, or rustling leaves can help to erase any racing thoughts by providing a grounding force that helps to bring awareness back into the present moment.
This allows a person to manage their emotions and stay grounded. This type of relaxation helps to reduce stress-induced physical ailments and brings an overall sense of well-being and purpose back into life.
Turn up the Radio or Blast Your Favorite Song
Turning up the radio or blasting one of your favorite songs can be a great way to start healing from trauma. Music can be a great form of distraction; it can take one’s mind away from stressful thoughts during a traumatic episode.
Additionally, music can also offer a source of comfort. When one connects to the melody, lyrics, and rhythm of their favorite songs, they can feel a sense of security and camaraderie that can assist in building their inner strength.
This can be an effective grounding technique to bring one away from the feelings of stress, anxiety, or fear produced by their trauma. In turn, this can allow them to reconnect with their surroundings, their sense of reason, as well as their inner sense of self.
Bite Into a Lemon or Lime
Healing from trauma with grounding techniques like biting into a lemon or lime can be incredibly helpful in regulating emotions and managing distressing thoughts.
Biting into one of these fruits sends a powerful sensory message to the brain, resulting in a distracting and calming effect. The sharp, sour sensations can help bring a person back to the present moment, calming both the body and mind.
Additionally, controlling the reactions to a sour fruit helps remind a person that they can still control their emotions, and this empowering feeling can provide confidence in conquering trauma.
Finally, biting into a lemon or lime increases salivation, which helps decrease heart rate and cortisol levels, making it an easy and effective way to relieve stress and ease an anxious state. Aside from these techniques, you may also need anxiety disorder treatments from professionals.
Learn More About Grounding Techniques
Overall, grounding techniques are an effective way to reduce stress and increase well-being. Grounding techniques provide a simple yet meaningful way to become more mindful and connected to yourself.
Researching and exploring different grounding techniques can help you find what works best for you. Try different techniques and find what helps you stay present and reduce stress!
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