We all have those moments when we feel emotionally overwhelmed and out of control. We become dysregulated, described as ‘an abnormality or impairment in the regulation of a metabolic, physiological, or psychological process’.
I didn’t understand this until a few years ago when I was diagnosed with PTSD. Normally a person with great self-control, I would sometimes find myself irrationally angry, anxious, frustrated, or zoning out without understanding where it came from or what to do about it.
To my horror, my episodes seemed to replicate those of children I had cared for in our foster home. That’s when I realized that dysregulation can happen to all of us. I knew I had to learn ‘adult-sized’ self-soothing techniques.
Grounding with the Senses
When we are dysregulated, we are not grounded. Having a toolbox of potential coping techniques is imperative. Some of these techniques will work better than others, depending on what your leading sense is.
For example, just before I sat down to write this article, I baked some cranberry orange scones with walnuts and made a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea. Baking always calms me down, as does tea. This tea in particular has magical calming qualities for me. (It was a hard day)
Some Techniques:
Touch: walking, marching in place, stamping your feet on the floor, running cold water over your wrists, or washing your face, stepping outside, drinking a glass of water.
Smell: a good cup of coffee or a favorite tea, a whiff of lavender (or your favorite aromatherapy oil), or fresh scones
Sight: looking at a favorite picture or painting, taking a moment to doodle or color, temporarily taking yourself to another room with different visuals
Think about how you perceive the world, and make a list of possible grounding techniques. Save them for when you need them.