Grounding Techniques
What is Grounding?
Grounding is a set of simple techniques that help you detach yourself from emotional pain and anxiety. Instead of focusing on your thoughts you can distract yourself and focus outward. We can also call grounding a safe place, becoming more centred, looking out rather than lookin in, detaching yourself from unhealthy thought.
The key to helping grounding techniques work is to practice doing them in advance of a situation that would trigger you into anxious feelings and or panic. Remember a few so that always have them up your sleeve and practice, practice, practice. Practice teaches the brain and helps retrain it.
Avoid talking about your negative anxious feelings or writing them down when you are doing grounding techniques as you want to distract yourself and not engage in them.
Try not to make judgements about things around you like saying something is good or bad i.e. grey skies make me feel down, instead just say the sky is colour grey and leave it there and move on.
Below are some ways to ground yourself using different methods; Mental, Physical & Soothing.
Mental
Describe your surroundings in great detail to yourself without attaching an emotion to it.
Imagine roots growing out of your souls feet going into the ground making you stable, secure and strong and grounded on the planet.
Observe different types of people and things, put them into categories i.e. people with bleached blonde hair and people with natural blonde hair, how many grey doors you see and how many red doors you see.
Try counting the alphabet backwards.
Imagine changing the TV channel to watch a better programme or picture.
Think of something funny to shift you.
Think about what would be the most relaxing place to be right now and imagine yourself there and let your body respond.
Physical
Go through each joint in the body naming them as best you can.
Do breathing technique with your hand, breathing in and out slowly as you follow the outline of your left hand with the finger of your right hand.
Tense each muscle in turn and relax that muscle.
Eat something and focus on every sensation in your mouth and every taste.
Pick up an object and touch it, notice all textures and qualities of it.
Soothing
Say kind statements to yourself i.e. you are a good person, you are ok, you're not in danger, we're ok etc.
Think about your favourite animal, colour, time of day, type of holiday.
Breath in for five counts, hold breath for two then breath out slowly for 7 smiling to yourself inside your mind or even smiling on the outside.
Think of something that you are looking forward to and imagine it going well. If you have nothing to look forward to then begin planning something.
Think of all the people in your life now or in the past that have encouraged, complimented or praised you. Count them all, even the tiniest thing.
Think of somewhere that you could call a safe place. Focus on it in every detail, the colours, the shape, the noises, the temperature.
Further techniques
Think of 5 colours, 4 shapes, 3 soft things, 2 people, 1 book
Give yourself a power hug. Wrap your arms around yourself and stroke your arms, tell yourself its OK, you're OK.
Become aware of each individual toe in your shoes.
Make something, be creative.
Take a deep belly breath in and do three stomping movements on the floor with your feet.... then blow the air out and repeat ....
Play some if your favourite music and dance about your room.
Put yourself in a protective imaginary bubble. Inside the bubble you are safe and in control and you can bring anything into your bubble that will help you, for example your pet, friends, mum and dad, other family, go to your favourite holiday destination inside your bubble, imagine a place that would be so relaxing, imagine yourself being the person you really want to be.
Using your Senses
Pause and notice 5 things you can see.
Pause and notice 4 things you can feel. This is not about reaching out with your hands but the sensations in different parts of your body. E.g. your temperature, your feet on the floor.
Pause and notice 3 things you can hear. Really focus on the sounds around you.
If needed go on and...
Pause and notice 3 more things you can see, 2 things you can feel and 1 thing you can hear.
Alphabet Game
The alphabet game is where you name something for every letter of the alphabet within any category of subject. This could be countries, animals, people’s names, foods etc.
"I had never found something that had me back to thinking logically and calmly so fast. Now it is definitely my go-to exercise for anxious days (mine, or other people’s). This isn’t an instant fix by any means, and everyone will have different experiences, but it’s an excellent grounding technique to get your brain switched back from the fear and panic that has thrown all rationality out the window.”