Finding Calm in Unexpected Places
- posted: Sep. 24, 2025
Finding Calm in Unexpected Places
Yesterday, I had a root canal, and if you’ve ever had any dental work, you know how easy it is to spiral. For me: I hate needles; I despise needles; I don’t want to see them. And I definitely don’t want them anywhere near me—especially near my mouth. And if I have to have them near me, for how long?
I suddenly thought about myself as a practitioner (What does that even mean?), and then I thought about myself as well… myself. I reflected on who I am beyond my profession. I thought about the psychoeducation I’d given my clients and how I was feeling overwhelmed in the moment. I felt like I needed “my help,” which was the hardest thing ever. (I feel like I have the best coping skills to provide others and, at times, I struggle to implement them seamlessly for myself.)
I can, most of the time, if I am public about it, to hold myself accountable, but I couldn’t livestream my root canal and walk everyone through the body scan I knew I needed to do. I just had to do it. I was grateful in that moment to know how to do a body scan. If you don’t know what a body scan is in terms of mindfulness, let me walk you through it:
A body scan is a mindfulness practice where you bring gentle awareness to each part of your body, one section at a time, starting either from your head and moving down to your toes—or from your toes up to your head. You pause at each area, noticing sensations without judgment: tightness, tingling, heaviness, relaxation, numbness. You breathe into those places, allowing them to exist without needing to change them.
As I lay there in the chair, I guided myself silently: “Okay, Karlie, focus on your feet. Feel them pressing into the chair. Now move up—calves, thighs, stomach—breathe.” By the time I reached my chest and jaw, I realized my body had softened. My shoulders dropped. The tension lessened.
It didn’t take away the root canal, of course, but it gave me something I could control: my awareness, my breath, my presence. And sometimes, that’s enough.
Here are some other mindfulness techniques that can help in overwhelming moments:
Box breathing (4-4-4-4 method): Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. This calms the nervous system and helps you focus.
Grounding through senses: Name 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. It pulls you back into the present.
Progressive muscle relaxation: Intentionally tense and then release muscle groups to notice where your body is holding stress.
Mindful mantras: Simple phrases like “I am safe,” or “This moment will pass” can anchor your mind when it wants to run away.
Visualization: Imagine a safe or calming place in detail—what it looks like, sounds like, even smells like—and let your mind “go there” for relief.
Coping skills don’t erase discomfort or fear, but they create space to breathe through it. And in moments like a root canal—or life’s countless other stressful situations—that space is everything.
- posted: Sep. 24, 2025
Finding Calm in Unexpected Places
Yesterday, I had a root canal, and if you’ve ever had any dental work, you know how easy it is to spiral. For me: I hate needles; I despise needles; I don’t want to see them. And I definitely don’t want them anywhere near me—especially near my mouth. And if I have to have them near me, for how long?
I suddenly thought about myself as a practitioner (What does that even mean?), and then I thought about myself as well… myself. I reflected on who I am beyond my profession. I thought about the psychoeducation I’d given my clients and how I was feeling overwhelmed in the moment. I felt like I needed “my help,” which was the hardest thing ever. (I feel like I have the best coping skills to provide others and, at times, I struggle to implement them seamlessly for myself.)
I can, most of the time, if I am public about it, to hold myself accountable, but I couldn’t livestream my root canal and walk everyone through the body scan I knew I needed to do. I just had to do it. I was grateful in that moment to know how to do a body scan. If you don’t know what a body scan is in terms of mindfulness, let me walk you through it:
A body scan is a mindfulness practice where you bring gentle awareness to each part of your body, one section at a time, starting either from your head and moving down to your toes—or from your toes up to your head. You pause at each area, noticing sensations without judgment: tightness, tingling, heaviness, relaxation, numbness. You breathe into those places, allowing them to exist without needing to change them.
As I lay there in the chair, I guided myself silently: “Okay, Karlie, focus on your feet. Feel them pressing into the chair. Now move up—calves, thighs, stomach—breathe.” By the time I reached my chest and jaw, I realized my body had softened. My shoulders dropped. The tension lessened.
It didn’t take away the root canal, of course, but it gave me something I could control: my awareness, my breath, my presence. And sometimes, that’s enough.
Here are some other mindfulness techniques that can help in overwhelming moments:
Box breathing (4-4-4-4 method): Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. This calms the nervous system and helps you focus.
Grounding through senses: Name 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. It pulls you back into the present.
Progressive muscle relaxation: Intentionally tense and then release muscle groups to notice where your body is holding stress.
Mindful mantras: Simple phrases like “I am safe,” or “This moment will pass” can anchor your mind when it wants to run away.
Visualization: Imagine a safe or calming place in detail—what it looks like, sounds like, even smells like—and let your mind “go there” for relief.
Coping skills don’t erase discomfort or fear, but they create space to breathe through it. And in moments like a root canal—or life’s countless other stressful situations—that space is everything.