Coping skill · 3 min
Flashback anchor
A memory just pulled you back and it feels like it is happening now.
Do this
- Plant both feet and press them into the floor.
- Say out loud: your name, today's date, where you are.
- Say: "That was then. This is a memory. Right now I am safe."
- Hold something cold or textured and describe it.
- Look around and name three things that were not there back then.
Why it works
Strong feelings and urges rise, peak and fall, usually within minutes. A skill gives your body something to do while the wave passes, and each time you ride one out, the next one gets a little easier.