This blog comes from an Instagram post from NPR. As I read each slide, I realized the validity of these suggestions.

Some I discovered on my own out of pure necessity and others I learned from my therapist. Since these tips work so well for me, I decided to repost with examples from my own life.

I came upon this during the height of COVID. Rewatching episodes of the Good Witch immediately after I got home from work helped me transition from the overwhelming consumption of death and dying to feeling safe and grounded, ready to participate in the rest of life. I think I watched all seasons on repeat at least three times straight. (I have since watched it a few more times.)

I wrote a post about it: https://traperspective.com/2022/11/13/whats-with-the-good-witch/.

Although not as obsessive, I still watch it when I need to feel centered – which can be quite often for a woman who spends her days working as a hospital chaplain and who comes home to an empty house.

Good Witch is not my only “safe” show.

As a matter of fact, I start most days watching an episode or two of M.A.S.H. while I drink my coffee. At the end of the day, depending on my emotional need, I unwind with an episode or two of Frasier and end my day with an episode of the Good Witch or reruns of C.S.I. (original) or Becker.

The warmth of that cup of coffee and the familiarity of a beloved television show helps me start and end my day well.

I remember returning to the hospital after the death of my cousin. Walking through the emergency room could send me into a near-panic (which is a terrible thing to happen to a chaplain, especially when I was the only one on duty.) The sounds and smells could transport me back to that day seeing my cousin in the ER, knowing but unable to tell my family that he would never walk out of there.

There were moments when I quite literally could not see anything in front of me. All I saw was his face – all the sights and sounds of the room where he lay dying.

In those moments, I stopped where I stood, took a deep breath, and forced myself to focus on the present moment.

First, I reminded myself that I was here – not there. Then, I focused on my other senses – starting with touch.

By the time I got to sight, the haze had lifted, and I could clearly see the reality in front of me, and I could continue walking forward.

A less extreme example is what happens to me every time I smell saline flushes. The smell makes me feel nauseated and lightheaded and transports me back to my own cancer journey.

You would think that ten years post-cancer (four or which I have spent working in a hospital where this smell is common) would cure me of such a feeling. It has not.

Recovering from this takes much less effort than recovering from the example about my cousin. In this case, I hold my breath as I walk out of the “contaminated” area. As I walk away, I repeat to myself that I am okay. When I get out of the “contaminated” area, I inhale fresh air.

If I am unable to walk away, I focus on my breathing, remind myself that I am healthy, and focus on why I am in that “contaminated” area in the first place.

I carry tension in my neck and shoulders. Sometimes, I can get really terrible headaches in the back or top of my head – tension headaches.

My therapist taught me a tapping technique. Basically, I sit with my eyes closed, focus on my breathing, and tap my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I pay attention to the part of my body that I am tapping.

When I come to a part of my body that feels pain, I stop and pay attention to that part of my body, take deep breaths and practice relaxation techniques. As I do this, I consider what is going on in my life at the moment. What is causing the tension? What is my body trying to tell me?

Honestly, this is a practice that I have never mastered. It requires too much effort, and I am not that good with this kind of mind-body exercise. I prefer to work it out physically. I prefer my 9Round workouts. Hitting and punching inanimate objects really helps relieve my tension.

However, the tapping technique did help during COVID when my anxiety got out of control. It helped me to recognize where I carry my tension and . . . I laugh thinking about it . . . helped eliminate the added anxiety of worrying that the tension headaches were brain tumors. ;)’

So, this type of exercise did have its benefits. Although I do not practice this one very often, knowing where I carry tension helps me to recognize it a lot sooner so that I can participate in alleviation techniques that work for me.