The goal is to be able to personalize your menu of options for each of the six categories below, increasing your ability to do something from each category every single day. The intention is to set minimums, meaning something you can achieve on your gloomiest of days. Perhaps on a good day your mental goal is to read a chapter, but on your hardest of days, you still open the book and read one sentence. Perhaps on a good day your physical goal is to run a mile, but on your hardest of days, you walk to the mailbox, exposing yourself to the outdoor elements for a few minutes. Begin to notice what you can do in each category that is calming, and, what is energizing or rejuvenating. You may decide to have two lists for each category: up-regulating options for when you’re feeling depressed or overwhelmed, and, down-regulating options for when you’re feeling anxious or hyperalert and irritable.
The below are possible menu items. Please take what is relevant and add your own interests to customize your six categories to fit your life.
Spiritual
- Meditation Group
- Individual mediation or prayer practice
- Church, Synagogue, Temple, Mosque
- Applicable 12-step program
- Reading from a spirituality or religious teacher you respect
- Adventure in nature
Mental
- Coursera
- Udemy
- Skillshare
- Avaiya
- Reading
- Listening to a podcast
- Journaling (ex. Brene Brown’s Stormy First Draft)
- Puzzles
Emotional
- Naming the emotion(s) you are experiencing
- Spending a certain number of minutes attuning or tending to your emotion(s)
- Using befriending language to greet your emotion without defensiveness, suppression, or rebellion
- Using the emotion wheel to identify present emotions
- Coloring or getting dressed based on color association of emotional experience
- Journaling
- Participating in a Vagal Toning Yoga Class with Dr. Arielle Schwartz
- Listening to bilateral stimulation music with headphones
- Imagining your Safe, Calm Place
- Placing what is overwhelming into your imagined or tangible container using Post-it notes or marbles
Social/Relational
- Calling a loved one
- Volunteering with a group
- Meeting up with a close friend/loved one
- Asking for space and time away from relationships that feel life-sucking or depleting
Physical
- Going for a walk
- Attending a group workout
- Going to the gym
- Attending an online tai chi, qigong, or yoga class
- Breathwork
- Boxing
- Cycling/Biking
- Running
Play/Creativity
- Playing an instrument
- Dancing to music
- Cooking/Baking
- Ceramics or molding clay or playdoh
- Singing
- Painting
- Drawing
- Photography
- Coloring Book
- Learning a new skill
- Improv Class
Awe-Inspiring
- Hike or stroll in nature
- Listening to an orchestra
- Seeing a live performance
- Swimming in natural waters
- Travel: day trip somewhere new, weekend getaway, retreats, vacation
- Picnic in a park
- Walking through art exhibits or galleries
- Engaging your senses in baking or some sort of activity
- Observing others engaging their senses
