Temperature

The temperature skill is designed to activate the mammalian dive reflex. This is when our bodies attempt to conserve oxygen by lowering our heart rate, in response to being submerged in water. Like the name of the reflex suggests, this is something that happens to all mammals (cool, right?).

What’s even cooler is that we can actually trigger this reflex ourselves to lower our heart rate, and in turn, our anxiety. Now, the obvious way to do this is to go jump into a body of water, but this probably isn’t the easiest thing to fit into your day! Luckily, there are other ways to trigger this reflex. For example, you can:

• Take a bath or a shower

• Put your face and temples in cold water

• Splash cold water onto your face

• Put an ice pack or a frozen towel over your face and temples

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Let's Practice!

Go ahead and practice the Temperature skill now (or when you can) so that you know what to do in the future. Practicing skills before you need them is important, since it can be really hard to learn new skills during an anxiety spiral!

Over the next few days, try using the Temperature skill when your anxiety is high, then use your notebook or text editor to reflect on any changes you experience in your body or with your anxiety. What changes did you notice after trying the Temperature skill?