Seat & Feet
Here’s a tip I brought back from one of Eric Kolvig‘s talks at the Tucson retreat:
Periodically throughout the day, especially when things start to escalate, see if you can bring your attention to your “seat” (the sensations of your butt on the chair, if you’re sitting) and/or to your feet. This offers a chance to get out of the whirlwind of whatever’s going on for a second and helps to ground you in the present moment. It doesn’t change anything about what’s going on. Except that it interrupts the habitual reactions we often get hooked into…which, of course, does give us the chance to take a fresh look at the situation and maybe respond more skillfully this time.
Give it a try!
(image: from “A Whole World,” by Couprie and Louchard)