Self-Soothing Skills

Personal Resource: Self-Soothing Skills

Personal Resource: Self-Soothing Skills

Self-soothing skills involve a person’s ability to calm down in the face of stress and anxiety. Being
able to self-soothe is important in relationships because stressful situations are inevitable in life.
By self-soothing, people maintain their ability to think clearly under pressure and also ensure that
they won’t take out their stress on their partners.

Strategies for increasing your self-soothing skills

1. Practice relaxation exercises like deep breathing or meditation to help you develop your
capacity for self-soothing.

2. Next time you face a stressful situation, observe your mind and body’s reactions to identify early
cues that you are feeling anxiety.

3. Recognize when you are not able to self-soothe in particular situations. In these situations, it
may be helpful to take a “time out” to give yourself a chance to calm down before you do anything
you may regret later.

4. Develop a wide range of self-soothing strategies—which might include yoga, exercise, a
hobby, or listening to music. This way, you’ll have many strategies to draw upon when they are
needed.

5. When you are experiencing stress, try to stay focused on your own role in the situation and your
own responsibility for creating positive change.