Covid-19 HSE Clinical Guidance and Evidence

Dropping the anchor – Mindfulness

Involves: Standing up and stretching

Time it takes: approx 2 minutes

Audience:  Busy colleagues who have little time or are not familiar with mindfulness exercises

Preparation:  practice reading the exercise once or twice through

 What people say about this exercise: colleagues enjoyed it

This is a practice called Dropping the anchor. The practice will aim to centre yourself and help you connect to the world around you. You can practice this throughout the day, especially when you find yourself getting caught up in your thoughts or feelings.

1. Stand up
2. Plant your feet on the floor and push them into the ground.
3. Notice the floor beneath you, supporting you
4. Notice the muscle tension in your legs when you push your feet down
5. Notice your entire body and the feeling of gravity floating down from your head, spine, and legs into your feet
6. Then, look around you – notice what you can see and what you can hear around you
7. Notice where you are and notice what you’re doing
8. Stretch your arms up to the sky
9. Bring your arms back to your side
10. Take a big deep breath