Exploring our emotions, processing our trauma, and using cognitive tools to reduce anxiety are all useful to us and widely used in counselling. Also helpful, and backed up by neuroscience such as Polyvagal Theory, is creating for ourselves a sense of safety whenever we can. This can take many forms depending on environment, such as surrounding yourself with calming colours at home, having a photo on your phone of a person or environment that helps you to feel safe, or filling your bedroom with soft textures like blankets or cushions. Aiming to find the safety in each environment in which we find ourselves can become a habit after some practice, and it can contribute to reducing anxiety. Perhaps at work we start by looking around for someone we can talk to in case we run into a problem. Maybe when we're out, we try to notice the nature around us rather than just the noise of traffic and people. At home, we might spot things that have been gifted to us, made by us or bought by us that are special and make us smile. We might also choose clothes in which we feel comfortable. We can use cues of safety, such as a keyring or a phone case that we have purposely acquired as a reminder of something that reminds us to seek out comfort and security. Consider what helps you to feel safe and add as much as possible to your life.
