Coping and Regulation Guide

-Notice and LABEL what thoughts, feelings, and sensations you are having and identify if you are in a:

- Doral Vagal/ Collapsed State (blue and purple zone)

-Sympathetic State (orange and red zone)

-Ventral Vagal/Regulated/Socially Engaged State (green and yellow zone)

-Notice if the nervous system state you’re in is brought up by wounds/experiences from the past.

-Don’t believe all the thoughts the nervous system state tells you [if it’s sympathetic or dorsal vagal] and realize your brain is being hijacked by a protective/defensive response to perceived danger (often danger that is from the past and not present)

-Recognize that the danger is not present or threatening

-Access safety in the present moment!

2) COLD:

-Run your hand under cold water for awhile

-Hold an ice cube

-Put an ice pack on your neck

-Take a cold shower

3) SENSORY:

-Hot shower or bath

-Give self-touch/pressure BELOW or ABOVE the area in your body that is most constricted and stay there for several breaths until the constriction eases

-Do a self-hug

-Move your body: shake your arms, breathe deeply, walk around.

- Look around to all 4 corners or 360 degrees around you and find what is safe/tells you, you are safe.

-Utilize relaxation teas/scents/bath salts etc.

5/4/3/2/1 SENSORY EXERCISE:

-Find 5 THINGS YOU CAN SEE [that are red/green/blue/white; circular, square, triangular]

-Find 4 THINGS YOU CAN HEAR

-Find 3 THINGS YOU CAN TOUCH

-Find 2 THINGS YOU CAN SMELL

-Find 1 THING YOU CAN TASTE

-Drink or eat something [swallowing helps activate the ventral vagal system, where the body tells the brain we are safe]

-Sing or hum [this activates the ventral vagal system, where the body tells the brain we are safe]

-Speak out loud to yourself in reassuring ways [like you would to a friend or child] [this activates the ventral vagal system, where the body tells the brain we are safe]

4) EXERCISE/MOVEMENT:

-Go for a run

-Go for a swim

-Dance/ intuitive movement

-Yoga

-Get heart rate up with jumping jacks, running in place, burpees, yoga etc.

5) BREATHING:

-Exhale longer than the inhale [breath in for 4 or 6, out for 6 or 8]

-Square Breathing: Breath in for 4, HOLD for 4, Breath out for 4, HOLD OUT for 4

6) VISUALIZE/MEDITATE:

-Listen to a Youtube Meditation/visualization [self compassion or nature]

-Envision all those people (or animals), past or present, who love and support you and take in their good care and reflections of you

-SELF-PARENT: Acknowledge that your inner child may be taking over with fear/worry/emotion that is strengthened by past experience. Let her know that “this too shall pass” and invite in your adult self or a supportive presence [real or imagined] to hold your inner child with care, reassurance, and acceptance.

7) DISTRACT/ATTENTION/EXPRESSION:

-Watch, read, or listen to something funny, hopeful, or uplifting

-Talk to a friend

-Do art or writing that expresses your feelings (and if you can, adds in a helpful/wise perspective)

-Change your location [walk into another room or outside or go somewhere], focus your attention outside of yourself on your surroundings

-Look at images/photos/objects that bring you a sense of love, joy, support, wellbeing, meaning

1) RECOGNIZE NERVOUS SYSTEM STATE/ LABEL WHERE YOU ARE NOW