How To Remain Present In Your Body To Cope With Trauma

Being outside our bodies doesn’t serve us. Here’s how to remain present in times of trauma. 

Stay Present With Grounding Techniques 

A side effect of trauma, dissociation keeps us disconnected from emotions and reality. Experts at Calm recommend engaging your senses to stay present by touching objects around you and describing their texture, temperature, and color. 

Or ground yourself by concentrating on a sound in your environment, like a ticking clock or birds chirping. 

Stay Present With Affirmations 

In “Undrowned,” author Alexis Pauline Gumbs offers this affirmation. Repeat it aloud as a reminder to stay present: “Here. Here I am. Here I am with you. Here is all of me. And here we are. Here inside this blinding presence. Here. A constant call in a moving world.”

Stay Present With Your Body

Trauma stores itself in our bodies. Ground yourself in the present, even in the presence of trauma, by focusing on how your body feels from head to toe. Notice each part of your body. The speed of your heartbeat. Are your legs crossed or are your feet flat on the floor? Wiggle your toes. Curl your fingers. 

When we remain present, we can always hear God. You are here. Here in this beautiful body, in this moment with God. 

Inhale: I am here. Exhale: I refuse to let my past distract me from my present. 

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