By Adam Scheldt, M.A.H.L., M.A.R.E., C.S.D, C.L.C.

Once, when I was little, I tripped and fell while playing outside. Although I wasn’t really hurt, I was small enough that going from an upright position to suddenly speeding across the lawn and falling on my face, covering it with grass and clover, frightened me. After crying and screaming, my grandmother magically appeared, picked me up, looked straight at me and exclaimed with great joy, “Oh, down you went! Wasn’t that fun?! And look over there! Look at that bird, can you hear him chirp?” Then, after taking a deep breath, she asked if I could smell the sweet spice of the clover growing in the yard.

Suddenly silent, my tears dried, and I heard the birds, smelled the air, and was smiling. Despite being too young to remember, I was told that it took just seconds for me to become more interested in mimicking the bird and smelling the clover than in thinking about my fall. Within moments, I was back to running and playing.

My grandmother spent her entire life underprivileged and on a farm. She was not a trained psychologist. In fact, she never made it past 8th grade, but she was an expert at calming upset kids. The wonderful farm lessons she taught are actually psychologically proven to be sound clinical interventions for emotional situations.

We are living in a time of big emotions. We see the news, scroll through social media feeds, speak with friends, and one thing leads to another, before finding ourselves wound up, overwhelmed, and in need of some calm.

Unfortunately, my grandmother is not available to calm all of us down when we are feeling overwhelmed. However, there is a psychological trick I share with my clients that helps you do for yourself what my grandmother did for me all those years ago. It is a variation on something called the 3-3-3 grounding technique, and it’s a way to lower the temperature when you notice your emotions start running high.

Start by looking around you and notice three things you can see. Just notice them, without analyzing what you’re seeing. Next, notice three things you can hear. Allow your eyes to close, listen, and gently notice three sounds. Again, just notice, don’t analyze. And third, (with eyes open), touch three things. Notice their texture, weight, features, and feel. Lastly, let your eyes close once more, take a deep breath, and notice what, if anything, you can smell. Allow your exhalation to be longer than your inhalation, and offer yourself a small measure of gratitude for taking a moment to invest in yourself.

This won’t erase your emotions or solve your problems, but it can help you manage them — enabling you to regain a little space and sense of yourself, rather than being consumed by your feelings.

Adam Scheldt is the founder of Adam Scheldt Wellness LLC, and a leading coach and holistic counselor specializing in helping people live their best lives in mind, body, and soul. To learn more, visit AdamScheldt.com.