Hello, I'm Dr. Holly Huber-Gifford, and today I'm going to talk to you about how to ground yourself in the present moment. If you work directly with children or work in a child-serving field, you likely often find yourself feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or confused. You may have distressing thoughts and emotions about things you previously experienced at work, or you may worry about things that could happen in the future. It may even feel as if you're caught in an emotional storm with nowhere to take shelter.
When you find yourself in these turbulent waters at work, it's important to drop your anchor and ground yourself in the present moment. When you drop anchor, you're not removing or avoiding the storm. Rather, you're creating a safe space for yourself until the waters are calmer. Practicing this dropping anchor skill on a regular basis can help you feel calmer in the moment and increase your ability to tolerate stressful situations.
Consider this example. Laura is a correctional officer in a juvenile detention center. She spends her time trying to help children and youth with challenging behaviors. It's her job to mentor and develop plans for youth, and she frequently becomes emotionally invested in her cases. At the same time, she must ensure the safety of everyone at the center. Today, Laura is meeting a new child, but is thinking back on times when a different child she was supervising became aggressive and others' safety was at risk. Laura is thinking about all of the things that could go wrong while working with this new child and finds that she's becoming quite anxious. She becomes acutely aware of all the conditions in her current workplace that could lead to a bad outcome. She starts to feel irritable and wants to avoid the encounter. Now is a good time for Laura to drop anchor and ground herself in the present.
Here's how Laura and you can drop your anchor. Let's try it.
First, pause for a moment to reorient yourself with your surroundings. Ask yourself: where are you right now, in this exact moment? Next, take slow, deep breaths, noticing how your chest rises and falls with each breath. Then, firmly plant your feet into the ground, feeling the muscles in your legs tighten. Imagine yourself dropping anchor in the midst of turbulent seas. The waves swell around you, but you stay in place — you feel stable and calm, with your anchor holding you steady. You sense that you are fine, even though the water around you is churning.
Now stand or sit up straight, feeling the muscles in your back contract. Stop and look around you. Describe to yourself three things that you can see. Now listen — what are three things that you can hear? Repeat these steps until you feel calmer and grounded in the present moment. Don't worry if your attention wanders; just refocus your attention on the activity. Acknowledge that your anchor is an inner resource that you can use anytime things are feeling unstable or out of control. Your anchor is an asset that keeps you steady in turbulent times.
Remember that dropping your anchor and grounding yourself in the present takes practice. This skill will be most helpful for you if you practice it in neutral times, before you need it to cope with a stressful situation. When you're better prepared to weather the storm, you'll be better able to care for yourself and other people, and more likely to stay well at work.
Thank you for listening to this episode of the podcast. Follow the link in the video description for more resources on our Well at Work website. And of course, stay tuned for more episodes on topics that will keep you well at work!