Hyperarousal is the state of high alert and anxiety with a persistent mode of fight (feeling angry, rage) or flight (wanting to runaway).
You may have physical or emotional symptoms such as feeling jumpy, outbursts of anger, heart palpitations, jangly sensations throughout body.
Try the self-care techniques below to help calm and re-ground yourself.
Movement
- Do a task that soothes you, like cooking
- Throw a ball against a wall
- Jump up and down (star jumps)
- Shake/ stomp off excess energy
- Lift something heavy, push or pull
5-4-3-2-1 Mindful Exercise
Think of your 5 senses (touch, sight, smell, sound, taste) and try to come back to the present by locating some of these senses in your immediate surroundings.
So you think….
- What are 5 things – I can touch
- What are 4 things – I can see
- What are 3 things – I can hear
- What are 2 things – I can smell
- What is 1 thing – I can taste (*taste your lips if you have nothing around you!)
Self Hug
Get into a comfortable position and wrap your arms around yourself.
