By, Bethany Weaver
We all have stressful days! Perhaps like me you thought: “Once I get through Christmas and get the kids back to school things will settle down," or "Once I start the New Year, everything will be alright.” And yet, here we are well into January and you may find that your life is still going 100 mph or some days are still spinning out of control. I have two practical options for you.
First, you could try coffee and either grind whole beans into beautifully ground coffee, brew it allowing the amazing smell to speak to your soul or simply eat the coffee beans straight out of the bag.
Coffee is one of my favorite beverages! I love the smell of it, that magical first sip, and the warmth it offers like a “hug in a cup”. It is one of the first things I give attention to each morning and sometimes a friend I revisit in the afternoon for a pick-me-up. It wakes me up, boosts my mood and gives me liquid courage to face my day. Ground coffee is a good option.
OR…
You could choose grounding. It is a tool we have learned as parents to our three adopted children helping them navigate past traumas. We utilize this exercise when a day or moment is spinning out of control or contains big emotions.
To engage in “grounding”, you simply need to count from 1-5.
1- Look around and verbalize one thing you see
2- Close your eyes and identify two sounds you hear
3- Breathe deeply and list three smells
4- Open your eyes and touch four items
5- Eat five bites of your favorite food or drink five sips of your favorite beverage
Basically, utilize your God-given senses to focus on reality, reset your emotions and give yourself a mini refresh or restart any time your day, week, month or year needs a do-over.
In the words of my dad (Dr. Joseph Simpson), “Learn from moments that didn’t go well, but don’t look in the rear-view mirror too long as you aren’t going that way. Instead, grasp the wheel and keep your eyes on the road looking straight ahead.”