HJAR May/Jun 2021

24 MAY / JUN 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   11 HABITS “If at all possible, try to get outside for a few minutes of fresh air during your shift. Take deep breaths, stretch your arms and legs, and take in the gifts of nature around you.” • Name 15-20 things you can see. For example, the floor, a light, a desk, a sink. • As you keep looking around, remind yourself that, “The flashback or emotion I felt is in the past. Right now, in this moment, I’m safe.” Pause and take a few deep breaths. We tend to hold our breath whenever we are stressed, but this only exacerbates feelings of anxiety and panic. Instead, use “box breathing” to calm yourself and heighten your concentration. Box breathing is the technique of taking slow, deep, full breaths. Here’s a tutorial for when you’re feeling triggered. Slowly exhale your breath through your mouth. Consciously focus on clearing all the oxygen from your lungs. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose for four slow counts. Hold your breath for four more slow counts. On the next four counts, exhale again through your mouth until your lungs are empty. Hold your breath again for a final slow count of four beats. Try the 12 words exercise to process traumatic stress. This powerful tool helps you tap into your feelings when you feel “stuck” due to trauma by gently visiting key words one at a time. Paradoxically, naming a feeling that you’re having and letting yourself fully experience it actually lessens tension more than it increases it. If you can name it, you can tame it. You can do the 12 words exercise on your own, in therapy, or as part of a group exercise. If doing it on your own, imagine a trusted friend or loved one gently and empathetically guiding you through the exercise. If you are in a group, the moderator can lead the exercise by speaking each word to the group or to a single person in the group. You don’t have to cover all the words at once. You can focus on just one or two words, take a break, and start on a new word later. STEP 1: Read the following words out loud: Anxious, Afraid, Over- whelmed, Fragile, Depressed, Frustrated, Angry, Ashamed, Alone, Lonely, Exhausted, Numb. STEP 2: Pick one of these words that most captures what you’re feeling when you’re greatly stressed and then focus on it. STEP 3: Imagine feeling this feeling at its worst. STEP 4: What does this feeling make you want to impulsively do? STEP 5: Imagine saying what you want to do to a person who loves you, and picture them smiling with love and compassion and saying back to you, “I understand.” STEP 6: Imagine feeling their love taking some of the pain away. STEP 7: Imagine them asking you, “What would be a better thing to do?” Reach for something that anchors you in the present moment. Carry a small reminder of what you love about your life and focus on it if you feel triggered and need to center yourself. It might be a photo of your kids or pet, a small rock you picked up on a scenic nature hike, or a special necklace. Think of the gratitude you feel for your life whenever you look at this token.