So what is grounding anyway? Grounding refers to any exercises or tools that help us become more connected to our bodies, the present moment, and/or the world around us. First, I’m going to explain why grounding exercises are so helpful for anxiety. And then, I’m going to share some of my favorite grounding exercises with you so that you can see for yourself how helpful it is!
Let's Talk Anxiety
Here, we will focus on two aspects of anxiety: the mental aspect and the physical aspect.
The Mental Symptoms
Anxiety impacts our minds by creating all the “what-ifs” a person could ever dream of. It can also remind us of all the things that have gone wrong for us in the past. The thoughts that our anxiety conjures up only lead to the anxiety growing and worsening. So taking steps to become mentally present helps us interrupt our brain from reliving all the anxiety-provoking memories from our past and creating terrifying future hypotheticals. When we are successfully able to mentally ground ourselves in the present, we’ll feel relief that we aren’t actually facing any of the past or future events that worry us.
The Physical Symptoms
Then, we have the physical aspects of anxiety. The shaking, the sweating, the racing heart, the difficulties breathing, the tenseness in our muscles and the list goes on. When we are avoiding noticing what’s happening in our bodies, or even trying to keep our bodies from having some of those physical anxiety symptoms, we can inevitably worsen them.
For instance, say you are feeling anxious and shaking because of your anxiety. Because you don’t want to be shaky, so you tense your body to try to stop it — which is very challenging. If your body continues to involuntarily shake, you’ll likely get more worked up because you can’t seem to control it. As a result, you’re feeling anxious AND upset that you cannot control the shaking. But, if you were to simply notice the shaking without attempting to control it, you would become more connected to your body and grounded. Feeling connected and grounded helps us naturally feel less anxious. This means that we are likely to stop shaking because we’re no longer anxious. Win-win.
Let's Practice Grounding
Here are a list of some of my favorite ways we can ground ourselves. Pick a couple to try out this week!
- Body Scans: start at your toes, and working your way up your body, notice how each muscle group is feeling. Don’t worry about changing anything if you notice tenseness or other sensations. Simply notice and observe.
- Mindfulness Countdown: Notice 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch or feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
- Describe an object: Pick an item that is near you. Describe it in the most detail possible. Include all of your senses, if you can (i.e. how it feels, smells, sounds, etc.)
- Listen to Music: Listen to your favorite song. As you listen, notice al of the sounds and how you feel throughout the song.
- Have a warm drink: help yourself to a mug of coffee, tea, or hot coco. Use your senses to observe the way your drink feels, looks, tastes, and smells.
- Focus on your breathing: take a few minutes to notice your breathing. Notice whether your breaths are short, long, or average. Pay attention to the feeling of your lungs expanding. Focus on the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe. As you observe, do your best not to judge or change anything. Simply notice.
- Take a mindful shower or bath. Notice the temperature of the water, the smells of your soap, how the water feels, etc.
- Spend time with your pet (or a stuffed animal): notice the sensations of your pet’s fur. Notice any sounds your pet makes, the smells you notice, and how you feel when you spend time with your pet.
For more ways to practice grounding, check out this article.