List of anchors

I was curious if I could get some ideas on possible anchor ideas?
I tried

• -word association game
• -brown noise
• -my own concentration

For me I tried using anchors in my mind such as envisioning something/counting/mantras and things like that but it kept my mind too occupied and I could never fully transition. What has worked for me is simply keeping my mind blank but every few minutes or so bring attention to a part of my body but this might take some practice to not fall asleep. Another one that has worked for me is to use ear plugs or a sleeping mask and every few minutes or so bring attention to the feeling of the object on my body.

I don't think everyone can do this easily, but I would try just using your own concentration and not using an anchor too complicated.

Focusing on breathing is a popular anchor. I like something more subtle like feeling the air temperature, observing the darkness, or sound collectively (not a single sound, but your hearing in general). I've heard of anchoring on your heart beat, the smell of the environment around you, the feeling of the bed below you. There really are an infinite amount of anchors that can be used. Just make sure you aren't too focused on the particular anchor. This will keep you grounded in reality. Think of it like this...you are the boat and you want your anchor to drag across the bottom of the lake as you drift into the dream harbor. If the anchor is too solid and grounded, you aren't going anywhere. If the anchor is too light, you will zoom passed your destination and out of consciousness. If that makes any sense :P