I call this exercise doing a size up on yourself.
So as first responders,
You know how to do a size up.
When you arrive on scene,
You zoom out and get the big picture of what's going on.
Are there any hazards present?
Who needs care?
What is the escape route?
And by doing that and getting the lay of the land,
You then understand what problems are at hand that need to be solved.
Once you have that knowledge,
You can reach into your toolbox,
Grab what you need and start solving problems.
In this exercise,
We shift the perspective so that you're looking at yourself and doing a size up on yourself,
Empowering yourself to acknowledge where things might be out of balance so that you can tap into the tools in your toolbox that help you come back into balance.
Let's get started.
Take a moment to get comfortable.
You can do this exercise sitting or laying down.
Find yourself completely supported by the surface that you're sitting on so that your hands,
Arms and legs can be at rest.
Allow your eyes to close or soften your focus if you prefer to keep your eyes open.
Bring your awareness to your surroundings.
Notice what you can hear and take a moment to silently note in your mind's eye two or three things that you can hear.
Then notice external sensations that you can feel like the support of the surface you're sitting on,
The temperature of the air.
Notice if the air feels still or if you can sense movement in the air.
Is it warm or cool?
And then bring your attention inward,
Beginning to do this size up on yourself.
Notice internally any physical sensations that are present.
And as I call out different parts of your body,
Bring your awareness to those places,
Noting what sensations are present without judging them as good or bad.
Notice your feet,
Ankles,
Shins,
Knees,
Upper legs and hips.
Notice your pelvis,
Low back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
Your lower abdomen,
Torso and rib cage,
Chest and collarbones.
Bring your awareness to your hands,
Wrists,
Forearms,
Upper arms and shoulders.
Notice of the sensations in your neck,
Jaw,
Cheeks,
Forehead,
The top of your head.
Take a few deep breaths as you scan your awareness through your body,
Sizing up any physical sensations that are present and silently noting in your mind's eye what feels most apparent.
Then bring your awareness to your thoughts.
Notice what's on your mind.
Are you feeling present with this exercise or speculating on things that are happening right now?
Perhaps you're thinking about the past or planning ahead,
Thinking about the future.
Take a moment to check in with your thoughts and notice if there are any reoccurring or repetitive thoughts or patterns that you notice.
Silently note to yourself in your mind's eye two or three things that are on your mind,
Two or three thoughts that are present.
Then shift your focus to your emotions.
Are there any emotions associated with these thoughts or any emotions that are present with you today?
Happy,
Sad,
Anxious,
Stressed,
Joyful,
Hopeful,
Excited,
Calm.
Notice your emotions and your energetic state and note to yourself two or three things that describe how you feel energetically or emotionally today.
Let go of analyzing or judging as good or bad and just notice.
Then think back to this entire exercise,
The physical sensations,
The thoughts,
The emotions,
Your energy level.
Note to yourself the top two things that feel most apparent or that stood out to you during this practice today.
Take a couple more deep breaths,
Invite back some movements,
Wiggling your fingers and toes or stretching through your arms or your legs.
Then come back up to a seat if you've been laying down or open your eyes if they've been closed and get ready to move into the next part of your day.
Take this practice with you and now I invite you to take what you notice during this practice and to do something about it.
If you notice that your mind was busy,
Maybe you find another recording of some calming breathing practices to try to calm the mind.
If you noticed a tight or sore muscle,
Perhaps take a couple minutes now to stretch or foam roll or introduce movement into the area that feels tight to try to relieve some of that tension.
If you noticed a particular emotion or repetitive thought,
It might be a great time to sit down and journal and write about it or call a friend and talk about what's going on.
Once we can establish what's going on in our bodies,
We can then empower ourselves to do something about those things with our tools and our toolbox.
I hope that you can take something away from this practice and that it's something that you can come back to at any time,
Day or night to check in with yourself,
To notice what you can do to help bring your body back into a more balanced state.
Please reach out if you have any questions or curiosities around things and practices that might help regulate your nervous system and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care.
