To manage stress, it is helpful to be able to mindfully notice yourself in the present moment. 

To be mindful, we aspire to notice our thoughts and feelings, body sensations and behaviors, without judgement.

One thing that becomes clear as you practice being mindful of your thoughts and emotions is that you realize that they are just phenomena that come and go in your day-to-day life. They come, they hang out for a time, and then they pass. Fleeting is a way to describe our mind’s flow of thoughts and emotions. 

Sometimes, intense thoughts and feelings, like worry and anxiety, can suck you in and overwhelm you in the moment. Especially when that happens, it is useful to have tools to ground yourself in the present, so you can explore the situation and your reactions to it. 

I would like to share with you a simple mindfulness strategy that you can use to ground yourself in the present and facilitate mindful noticing.

The strategy, from Dr. Russ Harris (2017), is called Drop Anchor. It is a grounding exercise, meaning that it is intended to help ground your mind and body in the present moment, rather than allowing yourself to stay stuck in distressing thoughts and feeling that are whirling around in your mind. 

You can remember the 3 steps of the Drop Anchor strategy via the acynmon ACE: 

• Acknowledge your inner experience – your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations.
• Connect with your body – breathing, sitting up, straightening your spine, feeling your feet on floor, noticing what you see/hear/smell.
• Engage in what you are doing – take action in accordance with values/the kind of person you want to be in this situation. 

Think about a current stressor you are facing and give ACE a try to facilitate mindful noticing. The more you practice ACE, the more useful this grounding strategy can be. This handout from Dr. Harris is provides further information on the strategy. 

Look for more articles on mindfulness strategies via the Mindful Counseling Center’s Mindfulness Blog Series. 

If you are interested in counseling that introduces you to mindfulness as a vehicle to cope with everyday stress and helps you build mindfulness skills and habits, reach out to me at the Relationship Institute of New Jersey. I also periodically offer psycho-educational courses to promote mental health that weave in mindfulness practices. You can get on my mailing list to receive updates about upcoming courses.

Article by  Patrick R. Connelly, LCSW and Certified Gottman Therapist.. Patrick is the CEO/Owner of the Mindful Counseling Center and Owner/Psychotherapist of the Relationship Institute of New Jersey.