When we’re dealing with more stress than usual, our bodies work overtime to balance out the cost. Everyone feels the impact differently. Feeling stressed out doesn’t always mean being “amped up”. Quite often, it can feel exhausting and heavy. Either way, stress overload makes it hard to and think clearly, and to communicate with others. These quick activities help your body and mind get back into synch so you can focus.
1. Think of one color. Give yourself 20 seconds to move your gaze around the room to find as many objects as possible in that color. Afterwards, notice how your visual focus has changed.
1. Take a moment to focus your attention on your hearing. Try to “catch” all the sounds you can hear around you with your ears. Is there any single sound that you can focus on? If you’d like to, you can also focus on the sound of your own breathing. Try this for five slow, deep breaths.
Choose a surface around you that is pleasant to touch. Run your fingers or hands over it and try to describe how it feels. Is it warm, cool, rough, smooth? Give your hands time to notice the surface carefully. Notice how shifting your focus to your hands gives your mind a break.
When we’re under a lot of stress, it’s hard to remember things that can help. By sharing these activities with the people around you, you can remind each other to use them when needed.