By Sarah Paton, ND
Dr. Sarah Paton, NDWhen everything starts to feel like too much, gently bring your attention back to your body. Press your feet into the floor, let your shoulders soften, and take three slow, steady breaths—especially on the exhales.
Don’t force anything—just let your body settle a little.
From there, orient yourself to your surroundings. Notice one thing you can see, one thing you can hear, and one thing you can feel.
This simple practice helps shift your nervous system out of a stress response and back into the present moment. It doesn’t change what’s happening around you, but it changes how you’re able to meet it.
They say that the body doesn’t differentiate between what we are imagining and what’s actually happening in real life. Use that to your advantage by interrupting the mental chatter with sensory input from your environment.
You’ll see your stress dissipate as you give yourself permission just to deal with what’s in front of you. You deserve that.
Dr. Sarah Paton, a licensed naturopathic physician, specializes in natural, integrative medicine at drsarahpaton.com.
Disclaimer: Self Care posts are shared for information purposes only, and are never intended as individual medical advice nor as a substitute for healthcare services.