Grounding Techniques

Many of us suffer from guilt and regret about the past, or anxiety about the future.

Grounding is a practice that can help you cope with those worries and regrets and live in the present moment.

These techniques may help distract you from what you’re experiencing and refocus your attention on what’s happening in the present moment.

Physical Grounding Techniques

• My favorite grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Working backward from 5, use your senses to list things you notice around you. For example, you might start by listing five things you hear, then four things you see, then three things you can touch from where you’re sitting, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Make an effort to notice the little things you might not always pay attention to, such as the color of the flecks in the carpet or the hum of your computer.
• Listen to your surroundings. Take a few moments to listen to the noises around you. Do you hear birds? Dogs barking? Machinery or traffic? If you hear people talking, what are they saying? Do you recognize the language? Let the sounds wash over you and remind you where you are.
• Savor a scent. Is there a fragrance that appeals to you? This might be a cup of tea, an herb or spice, a favorite soap, or a scented candle. Inhale the fragrance slowly and deeply and try to note its qualities (sweet, spicy, sharp, citrusy, and so on).
• Move your body. Do a few exercises or stretches. You could try jumping jacks, jumping rope, jogging in place, or stretching different muscle groups one by one. Pay attention to how your body feels with each movement and when your hands or feet touch the floor or move through the air. How does the floor feel against your feet and hands? If you jump rope, listen to the sound of the rope in the air and when it hits the ground.
• Put your hands in water or some other material – pay attention to how it feels on each part of your hand. Try warm water, then cold. Thick, viscous material, then watery.
• Pick up or touch objects near you. Soft or hard? Heavy or light? Warm or cool? Focus on the texture and color. Try to think of more specific color names (e.g., crimson, burgundy, indigo, or turquoise, rather than red or blue.
• Breathe deeply. Feel each breath as it fills your lungs and note how it feels as you push it back out.
• Savor a food or drink. Take small bites, letting yourself fully taste each bite. Think about how it tastes and smells and the flavors that linger on your tongue.
• Take a walk. Concentrate on your steps — you can even count them. Notice the rhythm of your footsteps and how it feels to put your foot on the ground and then lift it again.
• Hold a piece of ice in your hand. What does it feel like at first? How long does it take to start melting? How does the sensation change when the ice begins to melt?
• Feel your body. You can do this sitting or standing. Focus on how your body feels from head to toe, noticing each part. Can you feel your hair on your shoulders or forehead? Glasses on your ears or nose? The weight of your shirt on your shoulders? Do your arms feel loose or stiff at your sides? Can you feel your heartbeat? Is it rapid or steady? Does your stomach feel full, or are you hungry? Are your legs crossed, or are your feet resting on the floor? Is your back straight? Curl your fingers and wiggle your toes. Are you barefoot or in shoes? How does the floor feel against your feet?

Mental Grounding Techniques

• Play a memory game. Look at a detailed photograph or picture (like a cityscape or other “busy” scene) for 5 to 10 seconds. Then, turn the photograph face-down and recreate the photograph in your mind, in as much detail as possible. Or, you can mentally list all the things you remember from the picture.
• Think in categories. Choose one or two broad categories, such as “musical instruments,” “ice cream flavors,” “mammals,” or “baseball teams.” Take a minute or two to mentally list as many things from each category as you can.
• Use math and numbers. Even if you aren’t a math person, numbers can help center you. Try running through a times table in your head, counting backward from 100, or choosing a number and thinking of five ways you could make the number (6 + 11 = 17, 20 – 3 = 17, 8 × 2 + 1 = 17, etc.)
• Make yourself laugh. Make up a silly joke — the kind you’d find on a candy wrapper or popsicle stick. You might also make yourself laugh by watching your favorite funny animal video, a clip from a comedian or TV show you enjoy, or anything else you know will make you laugh.
• Use an anchoring phrase. This might be something like, “I’m Full Name. I’m X years old. I live in City, State. Today is Friday, June 3. It’s 10:04 in the morning. I’m sitting at my desk at work. There’s no one else in the room.” You can expand on the phrase by adding details until you feel calm, such as, “It’s raining lightly, but I can still see the sun. It’s my break time. I’m thirsty, so I’m going to make a cup of tea.”
• Visualize a daily task you enjoy or don’t mind doing. If you like doing laundry, for example, think about how you’d put away a finished load. “The clothes feel warm coming out of the dryer. They’re soft and a little stiff at the same time. They feel light in the basket, even though they spill over the top. I’m spreading them out over the bed so they won’t wrinkle. I’m folding the towels first, shaking them out before folding them into halves, then thirds,” and so on.
• Describe a common task. Think of an activity you do often or can do very well, such as making coffee, locking up your office, or tuning a guitar. Go through the process step-by-step, as if you’re giving someone else instructions on how to do it.
• Recite something. Think of a poem, song, or book passage you know by heart. Recite it quietly to yourself or in your head. If you say the words aloud, focus on the shape of each word on your lips and in your mouth. If you say the words in your head, visualize each word as you’d see it on a page.
• Imagine yourself leaving the painful feelings behind. Picture yourself: gathering the emotions, balling them up, and putting them into a box. walking, swimming, biking, or jogging away from painful feelings, imagining your thoughts as a song or TV show you dislike, changing the channel or turning down the volume — they’re still there, but you don’t have to listen to them.
• Describe what’s around you. Spend a few minutes taking in your surroundings and noting what you see. Use all five senses to provide as much detail as possible. “This bench is red, but the bench over there is green. It’s warm under my jeans since I’m sitting in the sun. It feels rough, but there aren’t any splinters. The grass is yellow and dry. The air smells like smoke. I hear kids having fun and two dogs barking.”