While acknowledging your thoughts and feelings (note, this is not a distraction technique, it’s a practice for making room for what is here), you….move to ‘C’. Another way to do this is to adjust your self-talk from ‘I am feeling…’, or ‘I am thinking…’ to instead say to yourself ‘I’m noticing I’m having the thought ……’ or ‘I’m noticing I’m feeling….’ Or ‘I’m noticing a sensation of…’
One way to do this is to pause and notice what’s showing up inside, in your inner world (that you can sense however no one can see).
THE ANCHORING TRAP HOW TO
How to Drop Anchorįirst A: Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, and/or bodily sensations. That’s why we drop anchor to be steady while the storm passes. Rather than be tossed around in every direction by these rough seas, you DROP ANCHOR - to steady your boat, and to steady yourself.ĭropping your anchor will hold you steady until the storm passes it will not stop the storm, the weather is still happening, however you’re less affected by it. The weather is rough, representing all the external storms or crises around you that you have no control over, along with the inner emotional storm you may be experiencing.
Imagine you are a boat, being tossed around at sea. You can practise this skill with me (6 minutes) here, before or after continuing with the details. How do I practise Dropping Anchor?ĭropping Anchor is based on a simple acronym, ACE, and there’s an analogy which helps to bring it to life. This practice is often used as a first step for people needing support with anxiety or panic attacks and chronic pain, or any kind of emotional turmoil that is causing distress. Therapeutically, this skill has proved helpful for individuals who are seeking support with behaviours that are impulsive, compulsive, aggressive, addictive, or problematic in another way. Who’s it for?Īnybody can benefit from the Dropping Anchor skill as a way to develop awareness of mental activity, while also making room for what you can control (for example, your ability to control your movement, posture, and/or breath), and then to consciously engage in the present moment. It provides a steady ground, and offers a way to circuit break problematic mental activity. This mindfulness exercise can support you to make contact with the present moment and open up to the thoughts and feelings you’re experiencing, while choosing to consciously engage in the activity or situation at hand.ĭropping Anchor takes you out of auto-pilot and brings you back from future time travel (worrying about the future) or ruminating about the past. What is Dropping Anchor?ĭropping Anchor is a grounding skill from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which was developed by ACT trainer and author of The Happiness Trap, Dr Russ Harris. A simple exercise to centre yourself and connect with the world around you (to drop anchor) - especially when you’re feeling caught up in a swirl of thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, when we experience challenging thoughts or feelings, we can become caught up in an emotional storm that makes it hard to think clearly.Įxperiencing a distressing thought or feeling can make the body feel like it’s in a potentially threatening situation, and respond accordingly - by activating our survival system of fight, flight or freeze.
Dropping Anchor: a circuit breaker for overwhelming thoughts and feelings
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