5 simple ways to take care of your mental health

When we work at a computer, our awareness is not in reality, not in the body, but somewhere else in other worlds and spaces. Returning your focus to the “here and now” state is a handy skill that helps you to return to the whole experience of reality. Training this skill will keep your mental health stable.

Grounding activities are techniques that bring you back to reality. All grounding techniques aim to shift attention away from thought processes toward analyzing the flow of sensations from our senses which include sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. To put it another way, the aim is to stop thinking and start feeling. With a bit of practice and understanding of the principle, you can develop other similar grounding rituals for yourself, but start with a few classics.

1. “Deep breathing” еntails closing your eyes and taking a deep calm breath and a slow exhale. Repeat three times, focusing on the sensation in your nose. Take three more breaths and exhale, listening to the sound of your breathing. Feel your feet on the ground. Move your toes a little, feeling this movement. Feel how you are sitting and leaning on a chair. Do you feel at ease? Do you want to move about and stretch? Open your eyes. If you wish to move, do it. Walk around the room and do simple squats, bends, and stretching exercises. This is great for reducing anxiety and excitement.

2. “Footwork” is an excellent way of ground yourself if you have the option to take off your shoes and walk barefoot. Pay close attention to your feet. How do they feel about the world? Walk on the neighboring surfaces to sense the change in temperature, hardness, and softness. You may roll and feel various things on the floor, such as a piece of paper, pencils, a little massage ball, or a soft toy. Five minutes of barefoot warm-up will fully bring you back into contact with your body, which makes it easier to enjoy life.

3. “Listening, looking, feeling”. Shut your eyes and listen to surrounding sounds. What do you hear? Count 3–5 sounds and add your own, such as the sound of your hands, lips, or breathing. Open your eyes and take in your surroundings. What shades, what surfaces and how many distinct colors and textures are there? Touch the surface of the table, the fabric of your clothes, your own hands and face. Focusing all your attention on sensations and their distinction.

4. “Contact with a plant, an animal, an object”. Take a look around the room. What would you like to touch now? Approach the chosen object with attention, examining its colors, shape, and tiny details. Now touch, stroke, feel the contact. What has changed? How does heat move? Does it feel good?

5. “Self-massage”. Focus on your feelings, touch your face with your hands, run your hands through your hair to your neck and gently stretch your ears. Stroke your forearms as if hugging yourself with crossed arms. Then, using your hand, stroke and lightly pat the right and left arm, chest, belly and legs. Get up and leap up several times, shaking your body as though getting rid of everything heavy, superfluous or unpleasant. Hug yourself by the forearms, and stand for a while, feeling the warmth of these touches.

Choose one or more ways to relax, to return to a conscious state of living reality.

It’s time to take care of yourself in such a difficult time.