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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
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
Mental
Reading
Listening to a podcast
Journaling (ex. Brene Brown's Stormy First Draft)
Puzzles
Emotional
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
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
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
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
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
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