Consistent Messages of Safety - 24 Examples
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Published 2021-09-09
Here's 24 different ideas for you. Enjoy!
Consistent Messages Of Safety 24 Examples
1. Smile
When you’re smiling, the brain perceives safety and dials down fear, attention and symptoms.
2. Use Reassuring Words
Reassuring Words spoken out loud or internally help the nervous system feel calm.
3. Breathe
Focus on your breathing. Slow, deep breathing sends a message of safety.
4. Relax Your Body
When your body relaxes, your brain feels safe.
5. Show Yourself Kindness and Self-Love
Give yourself hugs. Put your hand on your heart.
6. Focus On Positive Sensations
Focusing on parts of your body that are feeling great is a good way to remind your brain that things are going right in the body.
7. Expect The Best
Instead of imagining the worst, let’s flip the script and show the brain a safe outcome. The more vivid the visualization, the better.
8. Feel Your Emotions
When you allow yourself to feel emotions, your brain learns that emotions are safe.
9. Don’t Believe Your Negative Thoughts
Sometimes it can happen that your mental state is full of fear-based thoughts. Remind your mind that they’re just passing thoughts, not reality. Don’t take them seriously.
10. Reinforce Your TMS Belief With Accurate Knowledge
Reinforce your TMS journey by reading a book, joining a group, watching a video or just telling yourself that the only thing going on for you is TMS and you’re on the right path.
11. Have A Direct Conversation With Your Brain
Say, “Hey, brain, there’s nothing wrong with my body. I know you’re just overprotective. I love you! I appreciate you trying to keep me safe but you can turn off the pain or the symptoms because I’m already OK.”
12. Strike A Powerful Pose
A powerful body pose can use physiology to change psychology. Try the Superman or Wonder Woman or even Rocky Balboa. Yeah!
13. Laugh With Someone
Laugh with friends, family members or your cat. Search for reasons to laugh.
14. Connect With Others
Share funny stories or talk about the good old days. Try not to talk about symptoms.
15. Listen To Music
Upbeat music, happy music and inspirational songs can fill your mind with positive feelings and make your brain feel safe. Try James Brown: “I feel good I knew that I would!”
16. Spend Time In Nature
Soak up some sunshine. Breathe some fresh wind. If you can’t get outside, take a moment to gaze out a window at the open sky.
17. Engage In Normal Activity
Just doing regular stuff tells the brain you’re safe because for many of us who had pain for so long avoided activities. Do some dishes. Organize a closet.
18. Live Your Life Instead Of Fixing
When your brain isn’t focused on fixing a problem, it feels safe.
19. Don’t Talk About Symptoms
The best way to talk about our pain or our symptoms is as little as possible and when we do that the brain thinks the pain is no longer important.
20. Have Fun Despite The Pain
Fun=Safe
21. Know That TMS Is Temporary
Remind yourself that this too shall pass. TMS= temporary mindbody syndrome.
22. Watch funny Shows On YouTube
Cat videos go a long way in making the brain feel safe.
23. Meditate
Meditation calms the brain. But it is important to practice with outcome independence
24. Exercise
Exercise can make the brain feel safe in many ways. Even gentle movement works.
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All Comments (21)
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Messages of Safety 1. Smiling 2. Reassuring words "it's okay, there's nothing wrong, you're safe, they're just sensations" 3. Calm breathing 4. Relaxed body 5. Self-Kindness (self-hug, holding hand over heart) 6. Visualizing and expecting the best 7. Feeling emotions 8. Not believing negative thoughts/catastrophic thinking 9. Accurate knowledge 10. Direct conversation with brain 11. Powerful pose (changing physiology to change psychology) 12. Laughter 13. Connection with others 14. Upbeat music 15. Nature 16. Engaging in normal, regular life 17. Living life instead of fixing life 18. Not talking about symptoms 19. Knowing it's temporary, "this too shall pass" 20. Watching funny shows 21. Outcome independence -> Anything that makes you feel strong and capable, and not as broken
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I wake up frightened. Years of being a trauma nurse, now retired I am learning I'm still subconsciously in fight or flight with no where to go. Until now. You are the first thing I see every morning with my coffee. Thank you so very much.
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Dan, you are amazing! You help me face everyday! I'm 71 years old and have suffered from TMS since adolescents. My husband of 49 years has been telling me all this time it's in my head. Ha! I always thought he was just being mean. He was right! Now that I'm retired since COVID....it's worse without the work distractions. I have spent a fortune on exercise and muscle release products. I've stopped the daily pain treatment and I'm trying so hard and your words are the perfect equipment I need to start enjoying my life without fears. It is WORKING! I've tried this before but did not have much success after reading all Dr. Sarno's books. I needed someone to talk to me who understands! Thank you for all you do!
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Another somewhat “strange” message of safety might be watching videos of happy or relaxed animals! I’ve found that watching videos of happy dogs having fun, or making funny snoring noises while sleeping, conveys a message of safety to me (as weird as that sounds). I think seeing how carefree animals can be might be helpful in retraining our brains to be a bit more live-and-let-live like they are.
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I'm in a huge flare up, lots of symptoms and today sciatica pain was raging. I listened to a few of your videos before getting out of bed this morning. This one really hit the mark for me. Almost instantly the sciatica pain disappeared and my other symptoms became less. So much gratitude for your videos and compassion, Dan!
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Can we add prayer to the list? When I lay everything at the feet of Jesus, I feel so safe and relaxed. When I'm too stressed I know it's because I haven't started my day out right or taken the time to stop and let God know of all my worries.
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Singing! Even if you think you can't or you sound 'bad'..who cares? It's soo good for the soul, raises serotonin and dopamine levels. Listening to uplifting music is great in general. Also sound therapy is brilliant! I am a firm believer that music is medicine 🎵🎶💜🎤🎧🎹📻
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Avoiding conversations with friends or family that are in a negative state and/or always have issues. It really has helped. I send them love and compassion instead.
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My favourite message to my brain, done with a deep breath: Right now I’m safe and all is well.
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I love how he was so chill taking about storms and tornadoes. Even smiling. God I pray I get the chillness of this man someday
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My messages of saftey: riding my bike. Swimming. I don't like walking on pavement but LOVE walking on beach. I also hug myself
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Child’s pose. Feels grounding. Moving my body parts in a mirror because I actually can’t see my pain. A reflection of me that doesn’t hurt. Rubbing my thumb and fingers together. Finger tips are soft, or gently caressing my face. Asking for strength from a higher power and surrounding myself with a warm golden light (a lot easier when I sit in the sun). Sitting by a river and visualizing my symptoms washing away.
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Artwork.. painting, etc.
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I got one! 'Act in spite of your fear, not because of it'.
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Thank you Dan for the examples. think the biggest message of safety for me is not rushing or being pressured to rush through decisions, tasks, Not hurrying taking my time makes a huge difference in my feeling of wellbeing. There are no tigers after me. 😂 feeling more present. Before it was hurry up so I can rest from fear symptoms. I am freaking out less- setting a peaceful boundary for myself in this area
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Dan your like the dad we all needed😅! Really find your videos helpful and comforting ❤️
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THIS VIDEO IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT VIDEO YOUVE EVER CREATED:) I’m basically out of the weeds now, still traveling through the woods a bit, but at least I’m on a trail now instead of constant brush and thorns. This is very helpful. Thankyou.
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Love this list, especially ‘Stop Fixing My Life and Start Living it!’ Best advice ever. Right now, I don’t completely agree with telling my brain ‘nothing is wrong’. I have arthritis in my knees. I tell my brain, “I’m okay” rather than ‘nothing is wrong’ because that’s more factual. You explain Things better than the folks at Kaiser, who are teaching the pain management class I’m attending.
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Thankyou so much for your videos. I’ve been watching them most days to keep me on track. I’ve been doing nervous system work for a while but I realised how I was making it my whole life’s mission and now I see that that was keeping me stuck and feeling depressed as my life was so restricted and full of fear. It’s still a journey and I do use practices like brain retraining and somatic work for deeper trauma but I have found your short videos transformational, just the knowledge alone has relaxed my nervous system so much more. I have switched from focusing my whole days on ‘healing work’ to just doing practices when I need them but not being overly strict, and focusing the rest of the day on doing normal things that bring me joy. Like being social, pursuing my hobbies again of music and dance, I’ve even been working out most days and loving it - our bodies are so strong and capable!! Even though the journey isn’t perfect it’s so freeing to not feel controlled anymore. The idea of ‘don’t do too much’ that I have always heard in the CFS and POTS community - even in mind-body spaces - always caused so much confusion and fear. But now because of this knowledge combined with somatic experiencing and daily brain retraining etc for the past week I’ve had so much energy which is huge for me ( healing from TMS symptoms and one of the main ones was chronic fatigue). I can’t believe how much I’ve been able to do. I’ve worked more than usual, done a lot of exercise, socialised and just normal fun and life stuff. I now believe that like you said, focusing too much on healing is what keeps many of us stuck. Just being able to enjoy life again has been enough to lift secondary depression, give me hope and in turn give me that life energy back. Thankyou so much for all that you do. And I hope anyone else reading this is as encouraged as I am🎉.
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Losing my independence and confidence was a hard hit for me and having no life cos I'm literally scared to walk the stiffness petrifies me.... So today I left house alone got tired of asking for lifts so I got on the bus and just went to see friends.... I was anxious, high alert, uncomfortable wanted to turn back go home and just cry but I'm gonna go out tomorrow again.... U get fed up having no life. It was difficult not to talk about knees but i promised myself I would not!
