If You Take One Piece of My Advice, I Want It to Be This

I want you to just sit.

Just sit outside. On a bench. Facing away from humanity.

5. I see grass. It looks like it has just been cut.

4. I see tulips. They are in my top 5 of favorite flowers.

3. I see big, luscious trees. I wonder how long they have been in that very same spot. Planting their roots.

2. I see birds. Pigeons to be exact. Being fed bread by the same old couple that comes by everyday.

1. I see my own 2 feet. Firmly placed.

I am grounded.

4. I feel the weight of my own body, pressing against the bench. No one can move me. I am one.

3. I feel the wind blowing on the small of my exposed back. It's such a small exposure, but it feels like so much more.

2. I feel the soft grass below my feet. It has definitely just been cut.

1. I feel the eyes of everyone around me catching glimpses of me, between their texts. They are probably wondering why I am not on my phone as well.

I am grounded.

3. I hear the pigeons, thanking the old couple over and over again. I don't think they are hungry. I think they just enjoy the company.

2. I hear the soft rustling of those large leaves on the very large trees. I wonder how many times they have fallen and regrown.

1. I hear the voice in my head begin to calm down.

I am grounded.

2. I smell those tulips. Tulips might be one of my most favorite scents.

1. I smell the freshly cut grass now. This smell is right below the tulips.

I am grounded.

1. I taste the air slip through my teeth as I smile so widely at the sun.

I am grounded.

This is called the 5 sense coping technique. I have sworn by this technique for as long as I can remember. I began doing it just at the times where I felt most anxious. Hoping it would calm me down and bring me back to reality. It did, it always did. But why should I just allow myself this great pleasure only when I feel like everything is slipping between my fingertips?

So if you will just take one piece of advice from me, I want it to be "Just sit." Just sit at your desk at work and notice these things. Ground yourself to where you are. Maybe you will realize that your job is not as bad as you may think. Just sit at your kitchen table. You can ground yourself even in a silent home. There are always senses waiting. This is your safe place; be familiar with it and all it has to offer. Just sit on a park bench. Nature is the absolute best place to ground yourself. There is always a soft bustle of life waiting to be noticed. Nature will always make you feel small in the best way possible. Just sit in your car. When you get done shopping. When you just leave work. When you arrive at the restaurant you agreed to meet your friend at. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle of life one does not realize how long it has been since you "stopped to smell the roses." Just sit in the coffee shop. By yourself. You don't always need company. Take note in the lives of everyone around you and wonder if they took time to just sit today. Self-help doesn't have to be yoga to free the mind or a spontaneous vacation to make your soul feel free. Self-help can sometimes just be enjoying your own company and grounding yourself.

So please, just sit today.