With me the first thing I need is to get away from the trigger. This could be as easy as turning off the TV or if I am in a store or away from home I need to get to my car. ( I use a walker so fight or flight response is an additional trigger for me.) Once I am able to reach my safe place I need time alone to just physically hold on to something and focus on something I can see that is within my safe area. In my car I hold on to the steering wheel and focus on the thing that hangs on the review mirror. At home it can be anything in my room.

Once I settle down I need time to distance myself from what happened so I use audio books and coloring with colored pencils.