Self-Regulating

For those of you that have followed my struggle through divorce, you may already know that I use GRAPES as a tool for self-care and self-regulating.

You might wonder, what is self-regulating? It means bringing your mind, body, and spirit back to a neutral state so you can find calmness in your body and respond instead of react. When my depression or anxiety feel like they are taking over, I go back to my GRAPES.

GRAPES was a tool I learned in the Outpatient Cognitive Behavioral Program at Sharp Mesa-Vista following my divorce. It gave me the tools that I needed to become a single mother during a difficult divorce, while navigating the forest of PTSD. I always go back to these when I am feeling off. The great thing is that you can do something that fits more than one category or you can aim to just to your "G"s for the week. It is not meant to overwhelm but to provide you a framework to regulate and ground yourself.

Here are some examples that I do:

- Morning Routine of Prayer, Meditation, & Journal can fit into Gentle with Self, Relaxation, and Accomplishment.

- A walk with a friend can fit into Pleasure, Social, and Exercise.

- Sometimes all I can do is breathe, eat a meal, walk around the block, call a friend, and rest.

Feel free to email me nicholeawilkinson@gmail.com if you have any thoughts or questions!

Keep calm & breathe! We are all here for each other. Namaste.