Would you like 10 ways to soothe yourself?
Recently my daughter did some work experience at a local doctor’s clinic. She brought home a piece of paper that listed all the development stages of a child, from birth to adulthood.
I noticed that at 6 months the baby is meant to be able to soothe itself. That means if it wakes in the night, it should be able to comfort itself. It shouldn’t need help to go back to sleep.
This got me thinking. Most of the people I coach have some difficulty in soothing themselves. They may have suffered from depression or anxiety or have anger issues. I admit I haven’t actually conducted any scientific research on this. But I wouldn’t mind betting that people who are good at soothing themselves in a healthy way when something goes wrong are in the minority.
So many people turn to overeating, drinking, drugs, gambling or attachments to other other healthy people. A good proportion of them are in denial when it comes to admitting they have a problem. In the meantime, their stress is affecting everyone around them.
Here are my top 10 ways to soothe yourself
- Any kind of vigorous movement that you love such as dancing, running, or even manual labour. I used to love cutting down trees!
- Whether you spell it the British way or the US way, Journalling or Journaling is a wonderful way to process your emotions.
- I grew up hearing “Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.” As a result I avoided talking to myself. But now I know that far from being a sign of mental illness it is a very healthy way to self soothe. It actually helps people focus and sort out ideas and emotions.
- Positive self talk is known to be a powerful way of convincing the brain to have happy thoughts, and it definitely works.
- Choosing to focus on your achievements, good relationships, happy times, is a great way to stay positive.
- Listening to peaceful or uplifting music is the first go to for people of all generations. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.
- Self massage is incredibly soothing, and I think of it as self parenting for those who have been deprived of human touch.
- Yoga, or simply stretching are so popular for a good reason. They work!
- Becoming more mindful of the present moment and your surroundings are an effective way to stop ruminating on the past or worrying about the future.
- Probably the most important thing of all is slowing down your breathing so that you send your brain the message that all will be well.
If you enjoyed reading this, you may also be interested to read this short post on emotional mastery.
Want some help with learning to self soothe? You can book a free call with me here.
