Ace Your ACE Skills: Use Mindfulness Anywhere and Anytime
If you are not new to therapy, you have probably used mindfulness meditation a few times. Maybe you are a mindfulness guru and even have that go-to exercise. However, if you are maybe newer to therapy or mindfulness exercises, do not worry! You can still tap into the wonderful gift of mindfulness anywhere and at any time, regardless of whether you have a guided meditation ready.
The idea of using mindfulness anywhere and anytime may sound somewhat strange. Using mindfulness while in line at the grocery store or in the middle of a presentation may seem pretty far-fetched, but with three letters, it is less far-fetched than you might think!
So, let’s say you find yourself getting angry because the grocery store check-out line has been too long, and this extreme couponer holding everyone else up is egging on your pet peeve of standing in lines. The anger is bubbling in your chest, your face and hands are hot, and all you can think about is your urge to yell at the next person who tells the cashier they have a coupon.
What do you do?
In this instance, you can ACE the grocery line waiting game, manage your anger, and incorporate mindfulness into your daily life.
ACE stands for acknowledging your emotion(s), connecting with your body, and engaging with your surroundings. It is at the root of every mindfulness exercise, and you already have all the tools you need to use it effectively.
A: Acknowledge the emotion(s)
First, acknowledge the emotion that you are experiencing. Try to identify and name the emotion. Focus on how it feels, where it comes from, and what it is trying to tell you. The emotion is allowed to be there, and the feeling is normal. You are human; therefore, you are meant to feel pleasant and unpleasant emotions. We do not need to make the emotion disappear because we can never make an emotion disappear entirely. We can push it down for now, but it will bounce back up as strong or even stronger the next time it is evoked. So, acknowledge the emotion and allow it to be there. Pretend it is a houseguest you don’t want to host, but know they’re visiting with good intentions. After all, that emotion is present for a reason.
C: Connect with your body
Then, connect with your body. Try to engage with yourself and feel your own presence in your limbs, face, and torso. You can even ask yourself a few questions, starting at one end of your body and ending at the other.
How does your head feel on your body? Is it heavy or light? Try rotating your head slowly in a clockwise motion.
How does your face feel? Is it scrunched, relaxed, hot, or cold? Is your jaw clenched or relaxed? Where is your tongue resting in your mouth?
How are your shoulders sitting? Are they up by your ears or down to the floor? Are you hunched over or sitting straight?
How do your arms and hands feel? Are your arms dangling or positioned? Are your fingers curled or sitting flat? How do they feel in relation to the rest of your body?
How do your legs feel? Are they touching the seat of your chair or standing in space as you stand?
How do your feet feel? How do they feel pressed against the floor or dangling in mid-air?
E: Engage with your surroundings
In engaging with your surroundings, you piece together all of your experiences to acknowledge how they are occurring in the present moment, where you are, and as you are. The best way to do this is through your senses.
What do you see? Identify four things you can spot and make note of them.
What do you feel? Identify four sensations or textures you can touch and make note of them.
What do you hear? Identify four sounds you can detect and make note of them.
What do you smell? Identify four scents you notice and make note of them.
What do you taste? Identify four tastes and make note of them.
It is also important to note that even if you do not have four sights, textures, sounds, scents, or tastes, focus on the absence of the senses. What does that absence of sound sound like if you cannot hear anything? What about the absence of taste or scent?
Then, when you are ready, you can return to what is at hand.
If ACE does not work the first time, try it again and keep practicing. It may seem like there are a lot of parts to remember, and it may take a few tries to get used to it. With enough practice, you can flow through this list of questions casually and at whatever pace you find most comfortable.
You also cannot use ACE incorrectly. It is designed to be there for you, however you use it. All ACE requires is to turn to it with openness, willingness, and without judgment of yourself or your experiences. The beauty is that you can try it out for however long you like. Whether you are trying to do a subtle, 2-minute mindfulness reset in a crowded room or a 20-minute mindfulness meditation in your room alone, ACE is at your fingertips.
So, next time you face an extreme couponer, presentation, or other challenge, ACE your way through it!
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Written by: Sophie Koch, LGPC
Sophie is a LifeSpring therapist who offers online and in-person counseling services to adolescents and adults (15 and up) to offer help with depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, trauma, and mood disorders.
