What are your resources?

What are your resources? The places, people, animals, sensations, objects, activities (and more) that make you feel a bit better, make life feel more doable?

Sometimes it’s good to take stock. Particularly when you are feeling well resourced, so you have some ideas for where you might turn when you’re struggling. So here’s your invitation to check in, and here’s one way to think about resources that might be useful - looking at resources in three loose groups (and there might be some overlap between the groups, which is good to notice - resources that support you in multiple ways).

Physical resources:

What are the things that make the animal of your body feel a bit better? These might be things like moving, stretching, walking, swimming. Or things like a soft blanket, or comfortable clothing, or the warmth of a cup of tea in your hands. Taking a shower or a bath. Asking someone for a hug. Weighted blankets. The sun on your face. Taking a few gentle breaths.

Emotional resources:

What are the things that make you feel emotionally better or different? Perhaps there’s some music you love, or to sing or hum yourself. A conversation with a trusted person. Spending time with a cat or a dog or a bird or a marmoset (you never know…). What about an activity that requires gentle focus in the present, like colouring in or another kind of craft? Changing your posture, sitting up straighter, taking a breath.

Mental resources:

What are the things that make your mind and thoughts feel like a friendlier place to be? It could be things like taking time to listen to the different voices in your mind, without feeling like you have to do what they say (hearing your inner critic out, then thanking them for their opinion and doing something that delights you, for example). It might be taking some time out somewhere quiet, or taking a break from social media so there’s less input and you have a bit of time to breathe and settle. It might be the opposite - spending some time scrolling through the feeds of some artists you love to look at beautiful art. Talking to someone about your thoughts, or writing them down, to gain some different perspective.

These are just a few ideas - what are some of yours?

If you like, perhaps write a list and keep it somewhere, so when you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and under resourced, you have your list of resources as its own resource, and can choose a few and see if they help. Kind of like a prescription list - then you can prescribe yourself a resource based on how you’re feeling and what you might need in that moment.

And if you’d like some support with finding resources or learning how to turn towards them in times of stress (sometimes getting external support from someone like me is a great resource), then get in touch and we can have a chat about what that might look like.