You understand how it feels to have an anxiety attack when the physical signs start to appear. Your pulse quickens. You experience dry mouth and trembling throughout the body. You start to perspire icily. Your mind is taken over by anxiety, which defies reality and logic. What if we told you that you could stop anxiety attacks in their tracks before they have a chance to overwhelm you? There are, in fact. They are referred to as “grounding techniques.”
What are Grounding Techniques for Anxiety
Exercises known as grounding techniques might assist you in refocusing on the present to help you get rid of nervous sensations.
In almost any circumstance, you can utilize grounding techniques to assist clear your mind of unpleasant emotions, but they’re especially beneficial for:
- Anxiety
- Well-being
- Stress
- Depression
- Mood
- Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD)
- Dissociation
Physical Grounding Techniques for Anxiety
These methods assist you in overcoming distress by using your five senses or palpable, tangible objects.
#1. Put Your Hands in Some Water
Pay attention to the water’s temperature as well as how it feels on your hands’ backs, palms, and fingernails. Does it feel the same way over your entire hand?
First use warm water, then cold. Try warm water second, then cold water next. Is the feeling of switching from warm to cold water feel any different than vice versa?
This is an additional method of directing energy toward your hands. Rub them together as quickly as you can to create heat through friction. Concentrate on using that heat to release worrying energy.
#2. Reach Out and Touch Nearby Objects
What do you touch feel soft or hard? Light or heavy? Cool or warm? Consider each item’s color and texture. Instead of just thinking of red or blue, try to focus on specific hues like crimson, burgundy, indigo, or turquoise.
#3. Take a Deep Breath
Inhale slowly, then exhale. You can mentally or verbally say “in” and “out” with each breath if it helps. As you take a breath, notice how your lungs are full and how it feels to exhale.
By doing breathing exercises, you can control your heart rate and your muscle tension. Take a four-second deep breath in, hold it for four seconds, and then exhale slowly for four seconds. Keep doing this until you feel at ease. your heart rate and your muscle tense
#4. Enjoy a Dish or Beverage
Eat or drink something you like in little nibbles or sips, giving each mouthful your complete attention. Consider the aromas, sensations, and textures it has on your tongue.
Warm beverages like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate can help to relax your body and mind. Consider the mug in your hand as it cools as you make it, and imagine stirring the beverage. Your feelings as the
Your throat starts to feel heated, and liquid starts to dribble down.
#5. Go for a Quick Stroll
Pay attention to your steps; you can even keep track of them. Take note of your walking pattern and how it feels to plant your foot before raising it once more.
#6. Take a Hold of Some Ice
What does it initially feel like? How long till it begins to melt? When the ice starts to thaw, how does the experience change?
#7. Enjoy an Aroma
Are there any scents that you find appealing? This could be a cup of tea, a favorite soap, a herb or spice, or a scented candle. Inhale the scent slowly and deeply, trying to take in its characteristics (sweet, spicy, citrusy, and so on).
Smells are strong emotions, especially those that are familiar. These can assist you in returning to the present. When you require grounding, use a candle, lotion, fragrance, essential oil, or hot beverage to smell.
#8. Move Your Body
Consider concentrating on the bodily parts that bear the brunt of your anxiety as you stretch. Most people carry their stress from anxiety in their neck, shoulders, and back. Consider how your body is feeling when you try to incorporate breathing exercises.
Perform a few stretches or exercises. You might try:
- Jack-knife jumps
- Stomping around
- Bouncing a rope
- Running continuously
- Individually stretching each muscle group
Pay close attention to how your body feels during each movement, as well as whenever your hands or feet make contact with the ground or are in motion.
How do your hands and feet feel on the ground? If you jump rope, pay attention to how the rope sounds both in the air and when it lands.
#9. Pay Attention to Your Environment
Listen to the sounds in your immediate environment for a while. Birds can you hear? Barking dogs? Inventories or traffic? What are people saying when you hear them talking? Can you make out the language?
Let the sounds surround you and serve as a reminder of your location.
#10. Perceive Your Physique
This can be done while seated or standing. Pay attention to how every part of your body feels, from head to toe. Consider:
- The hair on your forehead or shoulders
- The burden your clothing is putting on your shoulders
- How relaxed or rigid do your arms feel at your sides?
- The rate and regularity of your heartbeat
- Whether you feel hungry or that your stomach is full.
- If your legs are crossed or if your feet are on the ground
Grounding Techniques for Anxiety 54321
The majority of us have at some point in our lives felt anxious. Even the most composed individual may become a little anxious when faced with work-related scenarios like public speaking, performance assessments, and increased duties. This five-step practice will help you stay grounded in the here and now when your mind is racing with worried ideas during times of worry or panic.
Be aware of your breathing before beginning this exercise. You can stay calm or get back to a calmer condition by taking slow, deep, lengthy breaths. Follow these techniques to help ground yourself once you’ve found your breath:
Try the 54321 Exercise
- 5. Identify FIVE surroundings observations. It might be anything in your immediate environment, like a pen or a point on the ceiling.
- 4. Identify FOUR objects around you that you can touch. It might be the ground beneath your feet, your hair, or a cushion.
- 3. State THREE things you overhear. Any sound from the outside could be this. It’s enough if you can hear your stomach growling! Pay attention to external sounds you can hear.
- 2. Name TWO items that you can smell. Perhaps you are smelling a pencil in your office, or perhaps you are smelling a pillow in your bedroom. You might detect soap in your shower or the scent of the outdoors if you need to take a little stroll to find a scent.
- 1: Name ONE flavor you can detect. What tastes better in your mouth—gum, coffee, or the lunchtime sandwich?
You have a lot of options if you’re feeling nervous or overwhelmed, including this strategy. Please speak with your doctor or call Behavioral Health Partners if you frequently battle with anxiety and find it difficult to concentrate or cope with these sensations. The mental health services for stress, anxiety, and depression provided by Behavioral Health Partners are available to those who qualify.
Grounding Techniques for Depression
#1. The Grounding Chair, First
Take a seat in a chair that is comfortable for you and has a floor-to-chair height. Focus on your breathing while closing your eyes. Breathe in slowly for three counts, then slowly exhale. Orient your thoughts toward your body. How does sitting in that chair make you feel? Place your bottom right up against the seat’s back so that your entire back is pressed against the back of the chair. Can you sense how your body is in contact with the chair’s surface? Try touching the chair’s arms to see if they are smooth or rough. Observe how your hands hang off the end of the chair arm as you press your arms down its length. If your chair doesn’t have armrests, feel the seat’s material to get a sense of its texture.
After that, plant your feet firmly in the ground and visualize the energy flowing out of your body and out of your feet into the ground. I imagine my energy filling my body from head to toe in a hue, but you could choose the image that best represents your energy. Feel how each body part becomes heavier as the energy leaves your head. Your chest feels heavy at first, followed by your arms as you relax those muscles. Finally, let the weight descend through your feet, through your legs, and into the earth.
#2. The Grounding Technique of 5-4-3-2-1
In order to assist you in returning to the present, this second technique encourages you to employ all five of your senses. You start by finding a comfortable position, closing your eyes, and taking a few long breaths. Count to three through your nose, then exhale through your mouth (to the count of 3).
Open your eyes now, and take a look around. Identify aloud:
- 5 things that you can observe (you can look within the room and out of the window).
- 4 – Things you can feel (how silky your skin feels, the fabric of your chair feels, and how does your hair feel? What can you touch that is in front of you? (Maybe a table?)
- 3-items you can hear (traffic noise, birds outside, things in your room are always making noise, although we usually don’t hear them when we are quiet and genuinely listening).
- 2 things you can smell—hope they’re not unpleasant!
- 1-something you can taste (you might want to have some chocolate on hand if you decide to do this grounding exercise! For this one, you can always get up from your chair; once you’ve tasted your selection, take a little piece and let it swill around in your mouth for a few seconds, really relishing the flavor).
- To conclude, take a long breath.
#3. Hold Something and Pay Close Attention to It
I keep crystals and stones in my workplace, particularly for this reason, but you may also browse around your home for objects with texture or that are attractive or intriguing to look at.
Focus completely on the item you are holding in your hand. I would notice the patterns and color variations if I were looking at one of my stones. Some of them feature glittering pieces or veins that run through various hues. Examine any areas of it where shadows may fall or see if any internal shapes emerge. Examine the weight and weightlessness of the object in your hand as well as the texture of the surface.
Anything you have lying around can be used for this, or if you know you’re about to enter a stressful situation, put one of your favorite tiny objects in your pocket or bag so you can perform this calming exercise while you’re on the way.
#4. Let Your Thoughts Flow in and out
When we are concerned, the thoughts of our anxieties keep circling in our heads. We try not to worry about them because they never end and keep adding till we feel exhausted by them. Instead of trying to resist your ideas, which are sure to make you do it more, consider viewing them objectively from the outside. Just keep an eye on your thoughts for a moment. visualizes leaves floating on a stream’s surface. Allow each thought to settle on a leaf and watch it float away in the wind for each thought that arises. Alternately, let the concept transform into a fish and watch it swim downstream. You don’t have to react to those thoughts; just let them come and go.
#5. Get Distracted
You can use a variety of techniques to divert your attention from whatever it is that is disturbing you and direct it toward something that is not emotionally charged. Here are my two preferred quick methods for doing it.
Choose a color. How many objects in various hues of that color are there in the space or outside the window? Do you still feel anxious? Select a different hue.
Starting at 100, count backward by 7 steps. It requires concentration and isn’t all that simple. When you are having trouble falling asleep, you might find it beneficial to try this.
Grounding Techniques for Anxiety FAQs
Does grounding help with anxiety?
To reduce anxiety during a panic attack, try grounding. You do this to assist your brain to locate you by recognizing the objects in your immediate environment. You feel more secure and in control of the situation as a result of knowing where you are.
How do you get grounded when you have anxiety?
Smells are strong emotions, especially those that are familiar. These can assist you in returning to the present. When you require grounding, use a candle, lotion, fragrance, essential oil, or hot beverage to smell.
What does the 3 3 3 rule for anxiety do?
Name three things you notice when you look around. Next, describe the three noises you hear. Finally, move your ankle, fingers, or arm, to three different body parts. This mental technique might help you stay focused and in the present moment if you feel like your mind is racing.
