1. Physical exercise-walking, running, swimming etc. In the alternative, practice yoga, tai chi, or dance, or immerse yourself in the beauty of nature at a park or beach. Cranking out 10 sit-ups may do the job.

2. Practice your progressive muscle relaxation exercises for a minimum of 10 minutes twice per day. Bedtime and first thing in the morning are optimal.

3. Attend to your breath using the 5-5-5-5 approach; count to five as you inhale, hold it to the count of five, and exhale to the count of five, and repeat five times

4. Check in with your body using a body scan and relax those areas that remain tense

5. Do something good for yourself. Talk to a supportive friend or relative (if that would not be overwhelming for you or them). If there is any humour in your trauma (there is no expectation that there will be!) try to use that to calm your nervous system. Otherwise, go to a movie, watch some funny videos on YouTube or listen to your favorite music.

6. Pick a word or phrase such as relax, let go, slow down, take care and then silently repeat the word/phrase as you slowly exhale. In the alternative, recite a small prayer to a Being as you understand him/her for guidance. This could include a phrase such as, “May I be peaceful.” If you are a religious or spiritual person, nurture your spirit in a way that is supportive

7. Hum, whistle or sing as a way to settle your body

8. Convert a nursery rhyme to a therapeutic strategy, i.e., singing “Rolodexing gets me down” to the tune of “London Bridge is falling down”.

9. Use of touch: give yourself a bear hug. Be fully aware of your feet on the ground. Touch your thumb and fingers together.

10. Positive imagery. The imagery should be unconditionally positive and involve all the senses including sight, sound, smell, touch and taste, if possible. Make your imagery as compelling as possible. Water or other nature scenes are, for most people, likely to be the best.

11. Look at picture of people caring for each other, etc.

12. If somebody is hassling you, re-visualize the negative interaction, i.e. see the threatening person as a clown with bubbles coming out of his/her mouth, in their underwear, falling down, etc.

13. Distancing strategies: see the trauma on television with you holding the remote and adjusting the brightness and sound; seeing the event from a distance of 100 yards, 50 yards, 20 yards, etc.; watch yourself watching television

14. For Flashbacks: Orient to the physical by digging your feet into the floor and engaging your vision. Then name five things you can see, five things the therapist can see, five things you can see, five things that the therapist can see; then go to five things that you are experiencing inside, the same for the therapist, the same for you, and the same for the therapist.

     Another way to get at the flashbacks is to imagine a concrete container with a steel door; all of your traumas are contained in the container except for the trauma under treatment; use your “inner shark” to catch traumas getting out of the container

15. What are the advantages/disadvantages of your worry

16. Thought stopping and thought replacement

17. Reappraisal-see cognitive traps, substitute a positive reframe; what would you tell your best friend to do? Will this issue/hassle really matter in a week? a month? a year?

18. Acceptance/Dispassionate observations - leaf on stream, clouds passing overhead, bubbles in the air

19. Schedule time to worry each day for 15-20 minutes or tell self to delay worrying until another time

20. Journal 15 minutes per day; read the journal a week later to find out how things seem with a bit of distance

21. Write down the traumas, one at a time in detail, read it at home until the SUDs are low (do this under the guidance of your psychologist)

22. Although a simple process, just label the emotion, e.g., upset, worried, scared, angry, sad, etc. Research shows that just naming one’s feelings can tame them

23. YouTube video on EMDR, I will explain

24. Dealing with hypervigilance - identify signs of safety, then neutral stimuli such as colors;

25. Paradoxical instructions - try worrying more than usual

26. Plan, not worry
(a) concretely identify the problem
(b) list your options
(c) pick one of your options
(d) write out a plan of action
(e) stick to your plan of action

27. For the unduly self-critical client, "grill" someone else in the same way that the client grills him/herself; they will not do it to someone else and, thereby, learn not to do it to themselves. Increase self-compassion; give up the need for perfection and approval

28. Note the value of ritual, e.g., bring a rock for each lost comrade, put up a cross, touch a meaningful coin/cross, etc. etc. subject to your beliefs

29. Listen to music on headphones; may work when other strategies fail

30. Use your PTSD/anxiety iPhone apps