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Soothe Your Self

We soothe distressed babies & children; as adults we too need to be soothed when distressed.

Distress tolerance skills (DTS) necessary to help you go through a crisis, or when you are not able to solve a problem or when you do not want things to get worse.

Self-soothing (SS) is a DTS skill.

  • you treat yourself with compassion, care and kindness
  • you build resilience; bounce back faster
  • useful when experiencing major stress or overwhelming emotions
SS focus on your 5 SENSES - 'enjoyable sensory experiences'
  1. SIGHT - pretty nature spot, art, coloring
  2. SOUND - calming music, nature sounds, songs
  3. SMELL - scented candles, essential oils, cooking
  4. TOUCH - warm bath, soft clothing, brush
  5. TASTE - drinks, chocolate, delicious meal and ONE EXTRA
  6. KINESTHETIC  - rocking chair, pleasant stroll, playing
Experiment, find what best fits you. Look for elements of warm, dark, quiet, mellow, sweet, soft, rhythmic, cuddly. 

You may resist this because
  • believe don't deserve it
  • feel awkward
  • think it's childish
Maximising SS
  1. be open minded and experiment
  2. be present and mindful
  3. create a 'full' SS experience
  4. prepare SS kit
  5. practice often

(All the above exciting information came from this article)

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