Drink Water, Jon Batiste Featuring Jon Bellion and Fireboy DML
2024 Summer Playlist: Unplug & Elevate
Unplug & Elevate: Notes of Empowerment Summer Playlist is a collaborative mixtape of music and thoughts sourced by three colleagues who work in the areas of wellness, burnout, and purpose, but more importantly, who are friends. We know that having the right playlist for a road trip (or whatever journey one is on) makes ALL the difference. This summer, we handpicked songs from our lives that helped us to rebalance, recoup our own stories, and root into our purpose. Listen now
Inhale. Feel your feet underneath you.
Exhale. Wiggle your toes.
Hold your Breath. Feel your hips in your chair.
Inhale. Lengthen your torso.
Exhale. Roll your shoulders down your back, let your jaw go slack.
Hold your Breath for four seconds
As you inhale- Feel all the parts of your core shift to accommodate the air.
Take a second and breathe.
In and out.
In and out.
How does that feel? What are your senses telling you?
Now try drinking water if any is near you.
For a moment, just a moment, are / were you present ?
Healing starts here. Getting grounded. Finding your breath. Drinking water. Being present to the needs of your body here and now.
You are more than your past. You are not your future. You are not your worst day. You are not your best day. The real you is here now.
To unplug and elevate, you can’t be in the past or the future. We gotta start grounded, in the present. The good stuff is here; find it.
Simple.
Maybe not.
The skill of taking a deep breath and drinking water is so fundamental to grounding that it is one of the first things people stop doing when they start getting stressed out. I recall being in a tense work meeting that took a nasty pivot. When it was finally over, I got into my car and realized I hadn’t been breathing for the last hour. Staying in a place where one can’t breathe deeply for a long-time can trigger a trauma response and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering fight, flight, freeze, or fawn reactions. Which is just a fancy way of saying I’m going to be less logical, less reasonable, more likely to have a highly emotional reaction, possibly embarrass myself, and do something I’ll regret later.
Grounding is a fundamental part of mindfulness. It’s a technique found in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapies, to help folks move out of their emotional mind and into the here and now. With clients, I practice grounding when someone is spiraling into a panic. The severity of the panic determines what skill we use. The trick to grounding is to tune into your body and distract your brain from wanting to think about that one thing (or all the things) it really wants to think about. There are multiple exercises one can use to keep grounded. Often, the trick is implementing the right skill at the right time.
Here are some examples:
If worry, anxiety, or anger are above a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the highest), I use TIPP. TIPP is an acronym (like most DBT skills), for temperature, intense exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, and paced breathing. First, let’s go for a change in temperature. If hot, find a cold place or drink icy water. If it's cold, find a warm place. Intense exercise helps; I have found the strangest places to do jumping jacks. For progressive muscle relaxation, I’ll YouTube a short video to guide me if I’m alone or have headphones. Finally, paced breathing: inhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts. Then repeat as needed.
If emotion is still high, between 5 and 7, where sleep is a struggle, and my brain is overthinking the same thing again and again, I’ll use a skill called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Name five things you see, four things you can touch (take your time noticing the texture), three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
When emotion is hovering around a persistent 3 to 5 for days and weeks, like any time I must do “adulting” indoors on a gorgeous summer day—things like waiting on hold, cleaning a newly discovered aged pile of pet mess, going to the dentist—that’s when I dig out a kickin’ playlist and sing along. Loudly. Maybe there’ll be dancing, maybe there won’t be, but I’m working on changing my mood rather than being a victim of it.
For me, it’s these simple but difficult tasks of tending to my biology—breathing, hydration, sleep, getting exercise, putting my screen down, and seeing the loved ones around me—that’s where the slow work of healing and growth comes from. Life keeps us busy; this summer, for a moment, try to slow down.
Featured Response by Charlotte Kovacs from Kovacs Coaching
Do you remember the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? In it, the dad is infamous for spraying Windex on everything and everyone as a remedy. Headache? Here’s some Windex - you get the picture. I feel that, later in life, my son will say my remedy for everything was water. I hurt my finger - here’s some water. I fell off my bike - here’s some water. School is hard - here’s some water. And sometimes I add a “take a deep breath, here’s some water.” This isn’t to say that I don’t care about my son’s wellbeing, but the water helps him and me focus and calm down to see what’s really happening. Just as Megan said, to understand what’s happening, you need to be in the present.
But that’s the thing, it’s really hard to be in the present when we aren’t taking care of ourselves - mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I have a pretty elaborate morning routine that includes journaling, praying, meditating, stretching, walking and exercising. And, as it sounds, it takes a while. When I don’t sleep well, or if life is stressful, this routine is often the first to get impacted, and I always regret it. This morning routine is my daily version of “take a deep breath and drink water”. When I take care of myself, I’m better able to be present for my son, my husband, my friends and family, and my clients so I can support them when they need that deep breath and water.
Featured Response by Eileen Murphy from Blackbird Life Coaching
We often witness individuals in high-pressure situations, such as testifying before Congress, reaching for a sip of water. That simple act serves as more than just a physical; it provides a moment of respite, allowing them to gather their thoughts and articulate their responses with clarity. What's less visible, but equally significant, is the hormonal balancing that occurs beneath the surface. Dehydration not only impedes cognitive function but also disrupts the delicate balance of hormones in the body. When dehydrated, the body struggles to produce and transport serotonin, the "feel-good" hormone, to the brain, while cortisol, the stress hormone, increases. Studies have shown that even slight dehydration can elevate cortisol levels. By staying hydrated and recognizing the cues of stress, such as feeling thirsty or experiencing dry mouth, we can support our bodies in maintaining resilience and well-being.
It’s important to note that water or hydrating can’t treat clinical depression or anxiety.
Bios
Megan Hutchinson Krings, LCSW CADC is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified alcohol and drug counselor. She often works with folks when their neglected hunches about life manifest into addiction, depression, anxiety, burnout, or deep grief for the life they want but can’t have. Megan is the founder of Mindful Heart Counseling.
Charlotte Kovacs, ACC, CPCC, empowers mid-career women who are at a crossroads, wondering what they want to be when they grow up. She provides one-on-one and small group programs designed to help them set bold goals, enabling them to fulfill their purpose both professionally and personally. Charlotte is the founder of Charlotte Kovacs Coaching.
Eileen Murphy, MA in Industrial & Organizational Psychology, is your go-to certified Stress Management and Health & Wellness coach. She’s on a mission to help you disrupt your stress and find joy, aligning your career, health, and wellness like a life-balancing pro. Eileen is the founder of Blackbird Life Coaching.
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