Refocussing techniques

By Daisy Edwards, Student Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner 

From time to time, everyone will experience the feelings such as stress, anxiety and worry. It can feel very overwhelming and can even take over our lives. Not only does this affect us emotionally, but also our thoughts, bodily symptoms and the way we behave. Therefore, we need to acknowledge when we have these emotions and take control! 

Our thoughts are the most powerful, just from having unhelpful thoughts; it can affect our bodily symptoms, emotions and our behaviour. This is when refocussing and grounding techniques can help. These techniques help refocus our thoughts, help us to relax and to be in the moment. Some examples are below.

5,4,3,2,1

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can hear
• 3 things you can touch
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste.

Counting
Walking down the street/ looking out of the window- how many bikes can you see? What about buses? Red cars?
 
Breathing triangle
If you are someone, who struggles with their breathing when you feel anxious or stressed, doing something like the breathing triangle below may help you. This technique can help slow down and control your breathing. This is also a good technique to use if you experience panic attacks.

Mindfulness
Mindfulness is one of my favourite techniques to use when I am feeling anxious. An example I like to use in particular is explained below.  

​There are many more examples online that you could find. Allow time for yourselves to practise these techniques to find the one that best suits you.