Let’s Talk About Grounding
By Lateai Smith
Most people have heard the term grounding before, but what does it mean? Anxiety, whether it's the normal worry we all experience or a diagnosis like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, forces us to think about future experiences. We worry about what may happen and imagine a variety of negative scenarios. Grounding is a coping methodology that is used to "ground" you in the current moment, or connect you with the present right away. When you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other forms of anxiety, grounding methods are frequently employed to help you deal with flashbacks or panic attacks. These techniques serve as a diversion, allowing you to get out of your brain and away from distressing ideas, emotions, or feelings, and instead get into your body.
How Does it Work?
The five senses—sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight— or physical items (i.e., things you can touch), are primarily used in grounding techniques to quickly align you with the present moment. Think about the activities that you currently enjoy. How might you use these things to help you become grounded? Singing a song, playing with a Rubik’s cube, or eating sour candy, for example, are all grounding activities that create sensations that will help to distract you from what's going on in your head.
Physical Techniques
Ice Ice Baby
❖ Hold a piece of ice in your hand. How does it feel? How long does it take to start melting? What type of sensations do you notice?
Sniff Sniff
❖ Is there a particular smell or fragrance that appeals to you? This could be a scented candle, cup of coffee, flowers, bodywash, etc. Inhale the fragrance slowly and deeply and take note of its qualities. Is it spicy, floral, citrusy, sweet, etc?
Let's Get Physical
❖ Do a few simple exercises or stretches. Do whatever feels comfortable for your fitness level. How does your body feel with each movement? Do you notice any sounds?
Soothing Techniques
Happy Faces
❖ Visualize someone who has been a positive influence in your life. Think about the details of their face. What does their voice sound like? Visualize someone telling you that the situation is difficult, but that you will overcome it.
Your Furry Friends
❖ If you have a pet, sit with them for a few minutes. If you can, pet them or hold them and pay attention to how their fur/skin/surface feels. If you have a very small pet that you can handle, pay attention to how it feels in your hands. If you’re not at home, close your eyes and think about your pet's best qualities and how they would soothe you if they were around.
All Wrapped Up
❖ Wrap yourself up in your coziest blanket and sit in a comfortable chair.
❖ Or take it a step further and use a heated blanket or put your clothes in the dryer to warm them up then put them on and relax.
Mental Techniques
Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue
❖ Think of a poem or song that you know and love. Recite it quietly to yourself, in your head or out loud if you are in a safe space. How does it make you feel? Visualize each word as you might see it written on a page.
Playing With Numbers
❖ If you are a person who enjoys math, this should be a fun one! Numbers can help center you. Try these exercises: running through a multiplication table in your head or counting backward from 100. You also try Serial 7s: Start from 100 and keep subtracting 7. For example, 100-7= 93; 93-7= 86 and so on.
What’s Happening
❖ Take a few moments to take in your surroundings and make a mental note of everything you observe. Pay careful attention to the details and try to use all five senses. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you feel around you? Are you tasting anything?
The wonderful thing about grounding is that you can do most of these techniques anywhere. You might be alone or in public, but anytime you experience a flashback, anxiety coming on, or you feel overwhelmed, you can practice grounding to bring your attention back to the present moment.
Just Breathe
Breathing is an everyday occurrence for survival but how often do you pay attention to your breath? To become aware and consciously connected to it? Breathwork can be described as the practice of deliberately controlling one's breathing patterns to improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It has been used for thousands of years in various cultures and traditions, and modern science has also recognized its many benefits.
Here are some of the key reasons why breathwork is important:
Stress Reduction: Controlled breathing can help reduce stress and anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body relax and calm down.
Improved Respiratory Function: Breathwork can help improve lung capacity and oxygen intake, which can enhance overall physical health and athletic performance.
Enhanced Mental Clarity: Breathwork can help increase focus, mental clarity, and alertness, which can be helpful for activities such as studying, work, and creative endeavors.
Emotional Regulation: Breathwork can help regulate emotions by promoting feelings of calm and reducing feelings of anger, frustration, and anxiety.
Increased Self-Awareness: By paying attention to one's breathing, individuals can become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, which can lead to increased self-awareness and self-reflection.
When practicing various breathwork exercises, it is important to listen and work within the limitations of your body. This includes starting slow and working up to longer sessions. Some practices can be done either seated or lying down but no matter the method, ensure that you are comfortable and relaxed, with a neutral spine, and with an open respiratory system.
Some common types of breathwork practices include:
Diaphragmatic breathing: which involves breathing deeply into the belly by expanding the diaphragm, rather than shallow chest breathing. It is also known as abdominal breathing.
Box breathing: This is a technique in which you inhale for a certain count, hold your breath for the same count, exhale for the same count, and hold your breath again for the same count. The counts can be adjusted to suit your needs.
4-7-8 breathing: This technique involves inhaling through the nose for a count of 4, holding the breath for a count of 7, and exhaling through the mouth for a count of 8. It is believed to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
There are many other types of breathwork practices, and it's important to find one that resonates with you and your goals. I invite you to try one of the mentioned breath work practices and become more deeply connected with the energy and breath within you.
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Melanie N. Stargell, MA, LCPC, NCC
Melanie@Harmonypointwellness.com
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