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Grounded in the Present: Calming Anxiety through Sensory Awareness
Published 2 months, 3 weeks ago
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Hello, and welcome to Anxiety Relief Daily. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here. Whether you're starting your Tuesday morning, taking a midday pause, or winding down this evening, I want you to know that whatever anxiety might be sitting with you right now is completely valid. And more importantly, it's temporary. Today, we're going to work through something I call grounding through noticing, and it's one of my favorite ways to calm the nervous system when the mind feels like it's spinning in a hundred directions at once.
Before we begin, find yourself a comfortable seat. You don't need to sit cross-legged unless that feels good. A chair, a couch, the floor, wherever you are is exactly right. Let's just take a moment to arrive here together.
Now, take a slow breath in through your nose for a count of four. Hold it for a moment. And release through your mouth for a count of six. One more time. In through the nose, four counts. Out through the mouth, six counts. Beautiful. You're already shifting something in your nervous system just by slowing down that exhale.
Here's what we're going to do now. I want you to become a curious observer of your senses, not a judge. No fixing, no forcing. Just noticing. Start by finding five things you can see right now. Not anything fancy. The texture of fabric, a shadow, the way light hits something. Name them silently as you notice them. Take your time.
Now, four things you can physically feel. Maybe it's the weight of your body in your seat, your feet on the ground, the temperature of the air on your skin, the fabric against your legs. Really feel these sensations without trying to change them.
Three things you can hear. Perhaps there's ambient sound you usually tune out. The hum of something, a distant noise, maybe silence itself. Listen without needing it to be anything other than what it is.
Two things you can smell. Even if nothing obvious comes to mind, pause and see what's there.
And one thing you can taste. Maybe it's your own mouth, maybe lingering flavors. Whatever it is, it's perfect.
Take one more deep breath here. Notice how your mind feels different when it's focused on the tangible, the real, the here and now. Anxiety loves to live in what-ifs and maybes. But your senses? They live right now. And right now, you're safe.
As you move through your day, practice this grounding technique whenever you feel anxiety creeping in. Five, four, three, two, one. It only takes a few minutes, and it's always with you.
Thank you so much for joining me on Anxiety Relief Daily. I hope you felt even a small shift toward calm. Please subscribe so we can practice together again tomorrow. You've got this.
For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWT
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Before we begin, find yourself a comfortable seat. You don't need to sit cross-legged unless that feels good. A chair, a couch, the floor, wherever you are is exactly right. Let's just take a moment to arrive here together.
Now, take a slow breath in through your nose for a count of four. Hold it for a moment. And release through your mouth for a count of six. One more time. In through the nose, four counts. Out through the mouth, six counts. Beautiful. You're already shifting something in your nervous system just by slowing down that exhale.
Here's what we're going to do now. I want you to become a curious observer of your senses, not a judge. No fixing, no forcing. Just noticing. Start by finding five things you can see right now. Not anything fancy. The texture of fabric, a shadow, the way light hits something. Name them silently as you notice them. Take your time.
Now, four things you can physically feel. Maybe it's the weight of your body in your seat, your feet on the ground, the temperature of the air on your skin, the fabric against your legs. Really feel these sensations without trying to change them.
Three things you can hear. Perhaps there's ambient sound you usually tune out. The hum of something, a distant noise, maybe silence itself. Listen without needing it to be anything other than what it is.
Two things you can smell. Even if nothing obvious comes to mind, pause and see what's there.
And one thing you can taste. Maybe it's your own mouth, maybe lingering flavors. Whatever it is, it's perfect.
Take one more deep breath here. Notice how your mind feels different when it's focused on the tangible, the real, the here and now. Anxiety loves to live in what-ifs and maybes. But your senses? They live right now. And right now, you're safe.
As you move through your day, practice this grounding technique whenever you feel anxiety creeping in. Five, four, three, two, one. It only takes a few minutes, and it's always with you.
Thank you so much for joining me on Anxiety Relief Daily. I hope you felt even a small shift toward calm. Please subscribe so we can practice together again tomorrow. You've got this.
For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWT
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI