(#23) 6 Ways to Self Regulate

Self regulation can be defined as "the fact of something such as an organization regulating itself without intervention from external bodies". When it comes to our overall health and wellbeing self regulation is our ability to manage our mind and emotions, (especially in times of stress, anxiety, overwhelm or frustration) without the use of external bodies like food for comfort, alcohol to reduce stress or TV to distract. Most of us are not taught how to self regulate and have to find ways to cope with challenging feeling as we get older. Here are 6 simple ways to start self regulating

1. Journaling

Journaling is an incredible way to process thoughts and emotions. When we journal we can clear things from the mind that are not serving us. Our journal practice can help us not only process what we are experiencing in life but also gives us mental clarity we need to continue navigating the outside world. If you have a lot on your mind try writing down all of your "to-do's", anything causing you to be angry/frustrated, what you're worrying about, etc. Need help getting started? Check out the Best Self Bundle where I offer 30 journal prompts to help you get started! Use code BEST at checkout for 50% off.

2. Breathing

Breathwork is one of the tools for self regulation. Breathwork is incredibly versatile, and can be practiced anytime and anywhere. Unlike other practices you don't need a yoga mat, a meditation pillow or a notebook to use the practice, all you need is your body and your breath. You can practice breathwork while doing your normal day to day activities like washing dishes, standing in line at the bank or folding laundry. Breathwork is a tool that is easily accessible to all people regardless of height, weight, flexibility, level of athleticism, etc. When I owned the yoga studio people had 100 excuses for why they couldn't practice yoga, breathwork isn't as easy to make excuses for, everyone breathes, all the time actually. You can calm your body (think of the heart racing you feel when you're anxious) and calm you mind, simply by shifting the way that you breathe. I created an hour long workshop on breathing to help you find a technique that works for you, it's part of the Best Self Bundle, check it out here!

3. Tapping

Tapping is a fusion of self acupressure and talk therapy that helps you process through thoughts and emotions mentally, emotionally and physically. I'm linking a stress/anxiety tapping video for you to try out! If you want to learn even more about tapping, there is a full workshop and 5 tapping sessions available in the Best Self Bundle.

4. Moving

As the great Tony Robbins says, Motion=Emotion if you do the same things you have always done, you will feel that same way you have always felt. If you are trying to think your way out of a bad mood but can't seem to shake it, try a physical approach instead. Whether it's a walk, yoga or dancing, getting your body moving with help reduce stress and give you the mental clarity you need to find solutions to your external stresses.

5. Meditating

Meditation is one of the most popular wellness/self care/self regulation tools. Gaining in popularity because of it's wide range of benefits. One of the top things that I hear from people when it comes to meditation is that they feel like they "can't" meditate, either because they feel as if they can't sit still for that long or they worry about being able to quiet the mind. The quote that I like to share, that really helped me with my personal meditation journey is, "Meditation is not about controlling the mind, it's about stopping the mind from controlling you." The practice of meditation isn't about having no thoughts, it's about becoming the non-judgmental observer to those thoughts. (There's a Meditation workshop AND a 21 day meditation challenge in the Best Self Bundle to help you have a successful meditation practice 😉)

6. Mindfulness

The Oxford English Dictionary defines mindfulness as “A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” More simply put mindfulness is the practice of being present and being aware of yourself and your surroundings. Most of our stress and anxiety comes from worrying about that upcoming work meeting, stressing about that silly thing we said or ruminating on a recent argument, all things that happened outside of the present moment. We can start to release some of the chaos of the mind by getting out of the mind and into the present moment, an excellent way to do this is through the senses. Practice being in the present moment by finding 4 things you can see, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can hear and 1 thing you can smell.

Thanks for reading this week's blog post!

See you next week!

Xoxo,

Bianca