Grounding Techniques

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Summary:

Grounding is a technique that uses your senses to shift focus from overwhelming distress to the present moment. Grounding techniques can interrupt the anxiety cycle and calm your nervous system. This guide offers strategies to help you manage overwhelming or stressful moments.

What is Grounding? 

  • Grounding can help our nervous system come back into the present moment when it is feeling overloaded, under-stimulated, or disconnected. Grounding works by giving the nervous system a specific focus for a while.  
  • Grounding may not help us fix the problem or immediately feel better. However, grounding can help us become reoriented to where we are and what is going on, reduce noise, and add the right amount of stimulation needed to help us regulate our system. 
  • Grounding is a way to navigate and manage challenging emotions, not as a way to escape them. 
  • Different nervous system states require different kinds of grounding–give yourself permission to experiment with what works best for you

What are the different types of grounding? 

Different types of grounding include:

  • Sensory grounding
  • Mental grounding
  • Rhythmic grounding

Sensory Grounding 

Sensory grounding helps us reconnect with our body which can be particularly helpful when our thoughts are spiraling. This type of grounding can help get us out of thought spirals. 

Examples of sensory grounding: 

  • 3-2-1 Sensory Check: Notice 3 things you can see, 2 things you can touch, and 1 thing you can taste.
  • Rub your hands together quickly to notice the physical sensation of friction 
  • Hold an ice cube and notice the cold 
  • Hold a warm mug or wrap yourself in a heated blanket
  • Touch objects, fidgets, or stress balls with different textures
  • Taste flavors that are unusual like spicy foods, sour candy, or peppermint
  • Smell soothing scents like essential oils or incense
  • Co-regulate with someone who has a calm voice or practicing breathing together 
  • Pet an animal 
  • Push against a wall with your hands or against the floor with your feet
  • Stomp your feet
  • Do jumping jacks
  • Carry something heavy or lift weights
  • Try to balance on one foot
  • Mindfully stretch
  • Self-hug or receive a firm hug from another person
  • Roll up into a blanket or sit under a weighted blanket
  • Turn down lights and noises around you (when possible)

Mental Grounding

Mental grounding helps us use our brain to re-anchor awareness to the present moment. Rather than trying to “clear your mind,” this gives your mind a job to do.

Examples of cognitive grounding include: 

  • Practice listing items under a category. For example, list 5 animals, 5 types of candy, 5 states, etc.  
  • Focus on and describe one object near you and focus on its texture, shape, smell, and color. Once this is done, move on to another object. 
  • Count backward from 100 by an odd number (3, 5, or 7)
  • Pick a category (like movies) and see if you can find an example for each letter of the alphabet. 
  • State factual information (list  your name, today’s date, your age, where you’re going, etc.)
  • Observe around you and name what you see in the room 
  • Walk and counting your steps

Rhythmic Grounding

Rhythmic grounding uses repetition and predictable movement to stabilize the nervous system. This is especially helpful for restlessness, feeling “trapped” inside your body, or when staying still will increase your distress. 

Ways to practice rhythmic grounding include: 

  • Rocking, swaying, or slowly pacing 
  • Walking toe to-toe in a straight line, paying attention to each step
  • Drumming your fingers or tapping your feet
  • Walking to a steady beat
  • Listen to steady-beat music
  • Cross-body tapping (rhythmically tapping opposite shoulders or arms while crossing your arms over your chest)
  • Play an instrument

How to Make Grounding Exercises Work for You 

  • Different grounding exercises will work well for different people and different situations. You may find that some grounding exercises work better if you are anxious versus when you are exhausted. You may need to try out different strategies until you find the ones that work best for you. 
  • Create a list or a grounding kit where you keep supplies to help support you in grounding. This reminder can help you practice grounding skills more often. 
  • Practice grounding when you first start to notice your anxiety or distress creeping in. This could help prevent these feelings from growing bigger. 
  • Try a before-and-after assessment. Notice your distress levels before and after practicing grounding. This can help you identify which grounding techniques work best for you. 
  • Discuss your experiences with grounding techniques with your Lyra provider. It can be challenging to find what works best for some people, and your provider is here to help.