Chaplain's Chat

Hi Everyone, '

Welcome back to school! It has been so fun catching up with the students and hearing about all their amazing school holidays. 

One thing I've noticed is that it can take a while to get back into routine and to settle into the new school year. This unsettlement can become anxiety around bedtimes and leaving for school in the morning. It is usually a result of feeling overwhelmed and focused on not knowing about the future. 

One helpful trick I use to help with these overwhelming emotions is something called a grounding technique. Grounding is a way to distract yourself from what you are experiencing and refocus on what is happening around you. 

Grounding techniques help create space from whatever is upsetting you and are designed to calm you down in a quick and subtle way.

One grounding technique I often use with kids is called the 5 senses grounding technique. This technique takes you through your five senses to help remind you of the present. It can be used to get through tough or stressful situations. 

Take a deep belly breath to begin

5 – LOOK: Look around for five things you can see and say them out loud. For example, I see a cup, I see a picture etc..

4 – FEEL: Pay attention to your body and notice four things you feel and say them out loud. For example I feel my feet in my socks, I feel the chair on my legs, I feel my sleeves on my arms etc..

3 – LISTEN: Listen for three sounds and say them out loud. For example, I can hear the traffic outside, I can hear some birds and I can hear my tummy rumbling 

2 – SMELL: Say two things you can smell. If you can, move to a spot and sniff something. If you can’t smell anything at the moment say your two favourite smells. For example, I can smell sanitizer on my hands and the grass outside

1 – TASTE: Say one thing you can taste. It might be your toothpaste or something you just ate. If you cant taste anything, say your favourite thing to taste. For example, my favourite taste is chocolate.

Take a deep belly breath to end

This is a great tool, especially for helping young people with anxiety.  

When they are young or forgetful, I usually make a little card for them to print out and keep in their pocket to remind them how to calm down. 

Here is an example I made for a student who loves bunnies and rainbows. Feel free to print one out or create your own to keep on you for those times you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed.