Grounding Techniques for Anxiety - Finding Ways to Feel OK
By: Dr. Chrissy Davis, Ph.D
We all get anxious from time to time. Sometimes we know ways to calm down, other times it feels like trying to tell yourself to “calm down!” makes the issue even worse. I often hear clients say they know what they need to calm down, but don’t know how to do it in the moment of panic. Other times, folks don’t know where to begin on using anxiety-management tools. I’d like to help you have a go-to list of Grounding Techniques you can use when you feel anxiety (or panic) coming on.
What is a Grounding Technique?
A grounding technique is a form of coping skill that helps us feel more present and comfortable in our mind and body. They often involve our senses, and it can help to know which senses you tend to favor that bring you comfort. For me, hearing is my sense above all others that makes me feel calm, connected to the world around me, and comfortable. It helps my thoughts slow down to listen to music or a podcast, and makes my shoulders less tense. What is your favorite sense? Is it that you like seeing a picture of your best friends on your desk at work? Is it that you like playing with a fidget toy in your hands? Smelling a candle?
Physical Grounding Techniques
So… you start to panic. Panic is a heightened form of acute anxiety that often makes us feel like we are going to die, we are going crazy, we can’t breathe, or we are having a physical crisis like a heart attack, when really our body is heightened due to anxiety. When your heart is racing and you feel short of breath, sweaty, all of those things… it is hard to think your way out of panic. So, I suggest using a physical grounding technique first in a moment of panic or heightened anxiety, then working on the thoughts and feelings.
What’s cooler than being cool? Use ice cold water to splash on your face, hands, or hold on to an ice cube. If you’re in public, you can go to the bathroom to run cold water on your hands, or ask for a cup of ice at the cafeteria, a restaurant, etc. You can even carry an ice pack in a lunch box if you are prone to panic at work or school. This is due to the mammalian dive reflex - if mammals are submerged in water, their breathing and heart rate slow down in order to sustain and survive. Trick your body into thinking it’s diving into cold water - it will make you feel calm!
Rubber band snap on your wrist - sometimes when people are panic it is hard to snap back into the present moment. A rubber band on your wrist can serve as a grounding tool with minimal amounts of pain to bring you back to the present. It is also a helpful technique for self-harm reduction. (If you struggle with self harm- here is a resource: https://projectlets.org/alternatives-to-selfharm)
People often find themselves short of breath when they are panicking or anxious. First, use the ice cold water trick (see above) to kick in the mammalian dive reflex. Then, breathe into your nose, out through your mouth, and feel your stomach going up and down while you do so. It’s common we breathe shallow breaths when panicking, so if you notice your shoulders going up and down vs. your stomach, stop and put your hand on your belly to redirect the air. This helps your breathing slow down, your circulation improve, and gives your brain a small distraction. You can even say “in through my nose, out through my mouth” or count your breaths.
Mental Mindfulness
Once we have calmed our body down, we may still be experiencing mental aspects of anxiety. This includes racing thoughts, ruminating (not being able to set a thought down), or feeling unable to concentrate. Here’s a few mental tricks you can use to ground yourself from anxiety:
Visualize your thoughts as a physical object through mindfulness practices. It can be leaves on a river, it can be balloons floating into the sky, it can be cars on a road. Imagine your thoughts are these objects, and let them go by. Mindfulness lets us acknowledge our thoughts, and then let them move away.
If your thoughts are racing, they likely need a place to spill out. Pick up a journal, write down your thoughts, tell a friend, or jot them down in a note in your phone. Then tell yourself, once I have written these down, I will set them down for now.
Put your mind on something else. Find a cognitive distraction, like a crossword puzzle, help your kid with their homework, or work to solve a problem in your household. Engaging our brain in another complex task can help slow our racing thoughts down.
How do we move forward?
Sometimes the best way to disrupt anxiety is to push forward. Of course, we need to address our bodies and feelings to get grounded before we can. But, once you have given some physical and mental grounding tricks a try, disrupt the anxiety by doing something different:
Go to a different room, change your environment!
Find a task to do with your hands (a puzzle, do the dishes, pet your cat)
Call a supportive friend
Do 5 jumping jacks
Stretch your arms big and wide
Take a shower or bath
Say something final to your anxiety (“that’s enough”)
When we become anxious, our muscles tense, our hearts race, and we tend to feel stuck or frozen in our thoughts and feelings. If you apply a grounding skill and find some forward motion, you can find yourself more regulated, less panicked, and back to feeling like you!
About:
Dr. Chrissy Davis, Ph.D (she/her) is psychotherapist for And Still We Rise. She is under the supervision of Dr. Natasha Holmes. Learn more about Chrissy here.