18 Easy Ways to Self-Regulate

AKA How To Calm the F Down When Stressed or Triggered
 

• 4-7-8 Breathing
• Walking barefoot outside
• Shaking it out
• Receiving a hug (co-regulation)
• Take 10 deep breaths
• Naming 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you can taste
• Vagal Brake exercises
• Tapping / EFT
• Writing down your thoughts on paper

Also Ways to Self-Regulate 

• Eating sugar
• Watching Netflix
• Scrolling social media
• Punching or screaming into a pillow
• Exercising
• Drinking or smoking
• Having s*x
• Zoning out
• Working
• 'Numbing' 

There is NO MORAL hierarchy for the tools and processes we choose to self-regulate!

Self-regulation is the process of calming our inner world. Often this means helping ourselves to deal with uncomfortable feelings, triggers, or challenging events.

Eating sugar, smoking, and drinking can be self-regulating tools in the same way breathwork, meditation, and centering practices can be. 

Do some practices have greater side effects and addictive qualities? YES.

Does it mean you've failed in some way if you've chosen to eat an entire bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar chips instead of practicing yoga? NO.

Over time, we ideally learn tools and practices with fewer side effects that help us to feel the way we want to feel and are aligned with our values.

Want to learn more about what it means to recover from chronic stress and regulate your body back to a baseline of grounded calm?

Would you love to feel deeply connected to your own inner wisdom and power - to stop numbing and pushing through and actually honor your feelings and intuition?

Are you ready to put yourself first, even if it feels terrifying?