Finding relief through grounding techniques

What are grounding techniques?

Grounding techniques, also called grounding exercises, are any type of mental, physical or calming activity that helps you shift your focus to what’s happening right now and away from whatever is causing you to feel distressed.

Sometimes, when you feel stressed, anxious, panicked or overwhelmed, the front part of your brain isn’t able to think clearly because it’s gone into fight, flight or freeze mode. By focusing on what’s going on around you instead of your thoughts, you can settle yourself enough to slow your breathing, lower your heart rate, and get your brain working normally again.

As we continue to live in a fast-paced world, it’s normal to feel like your mind is racing a million miles per hour or you’re being weighed down by things like financial stress, challenges at work/school, or problems in your relationships. It’s also normal to need help dealing with the ups and downs of life.

Grounding techniques can be used anywhere, at any time, and without others knowing. Best of all - they’re exercises you might already know how to do!

On this page, you’ll find information on:

Scroll down to learn more.

How grounding helps mental health

Grounding techniques can help you relax, cope with difficult feelings or manage the stress and overwhelm that often come with daily life.

Having ways to redirect your attention away from distressing thoughts and feelings and focus on whatever is happening right now may also help manage symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, and trauma.

Grounding techniques can be used to:

Help you feel safe
Stop rumination (e.g. repetitive thinking and dwelling on negative thoughts/outcomes)
Keep you from ‘spiralling’
Help manage intrusive thoughts
Reduce the intensity of distressing memories or flashbacks
Avoid and manage panic attacks
Resist urges to self-harm
Cope with chronic pain
Boost your mood
Build resilience.

Below, you’ll find a range of different grounding techniques that can help you right now and over time.

Try a grounding technique now

If you’re experiencing symptoms such as racing thoughts, difficulty breathing, and a rapid heart rate, a grounding technique like box breathing is something you can use to regain a sense of control within minutes.

If you’d like to try box breathing now, click play on the video below.

Scroll down to keep learning about grounding techniques and different types you can try.

Types of grounding techniques to try

Remember, grounding works in different ways, which means what works for someone else might not work for you and vice versa.

Don’t be afraid to play around with them and find the version that feels right for you. There's no need to feel like you have to follow the instructions perfectly.

Mental grounding techniques

Mental grounding techniques are particularly helpful for managing anxiety and stress because they can help you view what you’re experiencing in a way that feels less overwhelming and threatening.

On top of helping deal with feelings of stress and anxiety, mental grounding techniques can also be helpful for dealing with things like grief, sadness, regret, and anger. Sometimes, we might want to ignore or hide these emotions thinking they'll go away on their own. But if we find helpful ways to handle them, it can help us cope with them right now and learn how to approach them in the future.

Here are some examples of how you can use grounding for distressing and difficult feelings:

Say or think of something in order
Whether it’s multiplying by threes, saying the alphabet backwards or reciting the lyrics of a song you like, repetition can be a helpful distraction technique. These activities require concentration and can help redirect your focus away from stressful thoughts or emotions.
If you need help trying to sleep, you can try listing everything you did throughout the day in reverse.
Use an anchoring phrase
Describe your situation objectively
Journal

Physical grounding techniques

Physical grounding techniques are often used for managing the physical symptoms of stress, anxiety, and panic attacks because they can help distract your brain from whatever’s causing distress so that you can gain control of your breath and heart rate.

Try a mindfulness exercise
Mindfulness exercises use your senses as anchors to reconnect you to yourself and the world around you. Here are a few examples of mindfulness exercises:
Five senses check-in: Look for 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
Mindful walk: Take a slow walk outside and focus on using your senses. Listen to the sounds around you, feel the ground beneath your feet, and notice any smells in the air. Look at the colours and shapes of the objects around you.
Mindful eating: Choose a small snack, like a piece of chocolate or a fruit slice. Before eating it, take a moment to look at it carefully, smell it, and feel its texture. Then, take small bites and savour each one, paying attention to the taste and how it feels in your mouth.
Cloud watching: Lie down on a grassy area or sit comfortably and look up at the sky. Watch the clouds as they move across the sky, noticing their shapes and colours. See if you can find any familiar shapes, like animals or objects, in the clouds.
Exploring textures: Gather a few objects with different textures, such as a smooth stone, a soft piece of fabric, and a rough piece of paper. Close your eyes, pick up each object, and explore its texture with your fingers. Pay attention to how they feel different in your hands.
Feel what's around you
Take deep breaths
Do a body scan
Try gentle mind-body movement

Calming grounding techniques

Calming grounding techniques are similar to some self-care activities in that they enable you to take time to do things that bring you joy. Calming exercises can be particularly helpful for coping after a stressful or traumatic event.

Being creative with things like drawing, writing or making videos can also be a great way to work through tough emotions. It can help you express yourself and understand your feelings better.

Think of someone positive in your life
When you're feeling upset or stressed, it can be helpful to think about someone positive in your life. It could be someone you love or just someone you feel connected to.
Close your eyes and imagine this person’s face. Think about how their voice sounds or something you really like about them.
Now, imagine them saying something encouraging to you, like, ‘You've got this!’ or ‘Don't worry, it won’t be like this forever.’ Or maybe they say something comforting they've told you before, something only the two of you would know about.
Even if it feels a bit strange at first, notice how it makes you feel inside. You might feel warmer or more relaxed. This simple trick can help you feel happier and more at ease when you're going through tough times.
Use creative expression
Listen to music

How to build grounding skills for life

Remember, we all like different things and have different experiences so some grounding techniques may work better for you than others. Don't be afraid to try new techniques until you find something that feels right for you and brings the most benefit.

You might prefer grounding yourself regularly, like every morning when you wake up, or you may prefer to schedule yourself some ‘grounding time’ on weekends. You can also connect the techniques to something you already do, like doing deep breathing while stuck at traffic lights.

There's no one ‘correct’ way to do grounding techniques. It's all about finding what works best for you and what helps you feel calmer and more relaxed.

The power of practise
The more you practise grounding techniques, the better they’ll work for you. Similar to when someone lifts weights regularly and their muscles get stronger, the habit becomes easier to maintain.
When you do grounding exercises, you strengthen the pathways in your brain that help you relax and feel calm. By doing grounding exercises often, your brain will get better at managing feelings of stress and anxiety.
For example, imagine you have a big work deadline that's stressing you out. Usually, your mind would race with thoughts, but this time, you use the box breathing technique, which calms your mind down.
If you keep using this technique regularly, your brain will learn to respond with relaxation instead of stress when facing tough situations. So, the more you practise, the easier it gets to stay calm and relaxed.
When you start using grounding techniques, it's normal if you feel a bit unsure or awkward at first. But just like when you learned to walk or read, it takes practice and perseverance to get better.

“The beauty of box breathing is in the simplicity. With just a few moments of counting my breaths, I can find a moment of peace anywhere, anytime.”

—

Andy

Grounding techniques won't make negative feelings completely disappear, but they can give you much-needed relief when things get tough.

If you enjoy spending time with others, you can talk to someone you trust about your progress. You could even have a go at teaching a grounding technique to them. One of the best ways to get great at something is to teach it!