Self-soothing is a term that is used to describe the act of comforting oneself. When we are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, self-soothing can be a helpful way to manage those feelings. It can also be useful for improving our mood and reducing stress levels.
In this blog post, I will discuss self-soothing means and some of the techniques that can help us self-soothe when under stress.
Why is self-soothing so important?
Learning how to self-soothe is important because it can help us to:
- Regulate our feelings, improving our ability to deal with difficult or intense situations
- Manage our stress levels and calm ourselves
- Improve our mood and maintain our emotional well-being.
When do we learn how to self-soothe?
We typically begin learning how to self-soothe in childhood. As infants, we are born with the ability to cry and this is our first way of communicating our needs.
Crying is a form of self-soothing and as we grow, we learn other ways to comfort ourselves. For example, we may suck our thumb, hug a stuffed animal, or rock back and forth.
What techniques can we use to self-soothe when under stress?
As we get older, we develop more sophisticated ways of self-soothing.
Some people find that deep breathing or meditation helps them relax. Others find that listening to calm music or reading a book helps them to de-stress.
There are also people who need to move their bodies in order to release tension, so they might go for a walk, do some yoga, or take a bath.
My favourite self-soothing technique is to brew a cup of coffee. I find the whole process very calming and I love the smell as it bubbles away. When I sit with hot mug of coffee the tension slowly drains out of my body and I feel renewed.
My friend, on the other hand, finds cleaning therapeutic. I personally cannot understand it, but it really does work for her! She says that the process of tidying up helps her clear the chaos in her mind.
So everyone has their own way of doing it. Experiment and find what works best for you!
How can we get better at self-soothing?
Self-soothing is a skill that can be incredibly helpful in managing our emotions. It would be a good investment to set aside some time each day to practice self-soothing techniques.
By taking the time to learn about self-soothing and experiment with different techniques, we can find what works best for us and make it a part of our regular routine.
Start by identifying when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Then, try one of the self-soothing methods listed above. Once you find a technique that works for you, make it a habit to use it regularly. The more you do it, the easier it will become and the better you will become at it.
Remember, there is no one perfect way to self-soothe. The important thing is to find what works for you and to keep practicing! The more you self-soothe, the better you will become at it.
For Further Reading:
The following are some posts you might find useful if you struggle with anxiety.
- Relationship Anxiety: What It Is, What Causes It, and How to Overcome It
- How to Overcome Anxiety with Simple Grounding Techniques
- Driving Anxiety: How you can overcome the phobia of driving
- Pet Separation Anxiety: The Human-Animal Bond in Two Studies
- How to Help Your Child Overcome Social Anxiety: What You Need to Know
- 20 Affirmations to Calm Anxiety and Improve Your Life
- Anxiety vs. Depression: How to Tell the Difference and Get Help
- Anxiety and Heart Disease in Men: What you need to know
- Spinner Rings – a natural way to reduce stress and anxiety
- Music To Heal Anxiety – The Best Songs to Listen to When You Are Anxious
- Managing Anxiety and How to Stop It from Ruining Your Life
- How to Manage Anxiety and Stress with a Mindfulness Practice
- What to Say to a Friend with Anxiety Instead of ‘Don’t Stress’
- Inspirational Quotes about Overcoming Anxiety
- Everything You Need to Know About Self-Soothing
- The Danger of Being a Perfectionist: Why You Need to Let Go
- Getting Out of a Rut: Tips for Breaking out of Your Comfort Zone
- Interoception: the hidden sense that shapes wellbeing
- How to Control Anxiety in the Face of War: Tips for Coping
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Everything You Need to Know
- Gardening – A Fun and Healthy Way to Lower Stress, Anxiety and Depression
- How to break the rumination cycle
- 11 Steps to Coping with Climate Anxiety: What You Need to Know
- Acupuncture for Anxiety – How does it work and why does it help?
- Mindfulness Puzzles: How to Reduce Stress and Relax with Adult Puzzles
- 11 Ways to Stop Comfort Eating and Cope Better with Stress
- How to help Employees Deal with Anxiety in the Workplace
- Suffering From Anxiety Attacks? Symptoms and 10 Ways to Calm Down
- Separation Anxiety in Adults – How to Overcome Separation Anxiety as an Adult
- The Answer to the Question “Is There Such a Thing as Good Anxiety?”
- A Comprehensive Guide to Different Types of Anxiety Disorders
- Stress Eating: What is it, Signs you’re doing it, and How to Stop
- Things to help with anxiety – How to Reduce Worry and Overthinking
- 10 Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder as Defined By DSM 5
- Anxiety Disorders – do we pass them on to our children?
- How to Overcome Social Anxiety – 6 Effective Strategies
- How to Cope with Climate Anxiety – What You Need to Know
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. When you use one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me. At no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission, which helps me run this blog and keep my in-depth content free of charge for all my readers.
