Therapeutic Grounding Techniques For Mental Health

Feelings of anxiety and stress might be unavoidable. You may feel stressed before a job interview or anxious in a large social setting filled with unfamiliar people. For some people, these feelings are constantly present, which can make it difficult to participate in day-to-day activities. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it can help to be prepared with strategies you can implement to calm your mind.

Therapeutic grounding techniques when feeling overwhelmed

Therapeutic grounding strategies, which are designed to direct your attention to the present moment, can be effective in managing anxiety or fear. Keep reading to learn more about the different therapeutic grounding techniques you can try and how they can help you enjoy a more relaxed state of mind.

What are therapeutic grounding techniques?

If you’ve ever heard of or practiced mindfulness, you may already have an idea of what grounding is. Therapeutic grounding techniques work by helping you focus on the present moment and the senses that you’re currently experiencing. In doing so, you can steer your mind away from anxious thoughts that may be causing you distress. 

The benefits of using therapeutic grounding skills

Experts say that therapeutic grounding can offer several benefits, including:

• Reducing impulsive behaviors
• Teaching you to delay your reaction to stressors
• Decreasing symptoms of PTSD
• Soothing anxiety during a panic attack

People who have experienced a traumatic event may experience unwanted flashbacks or memories. By pulling you away from intrusive thoughts, grounding exercises can help you keep your focus on the present moment and remind your brain that you are not in danger. 

Types of grounding techniques for different emotions

Grounding techniques typically fall into one of three categories:

• Mental grounding techniques focus your mind on a specific thought or task.
• Physical grounding techniques require you to focus your senses on your body.
• Soothing grounding techniques have you participate in kind self-talk.

There’s no one grounding technique that’s proven to be superior to all others. Therefore, you can choose strategies that work most effectively for your specific needs. You may benefit from a mixture of mental, physical, and soothing techniques, or you might practice one exclusively. 

Grounding techniques to try during times of stress and anxiety

Consider trying one of the following exercises. The more you practice them, the more helpful they may be during times of stress or anxiety.

5-4-3-2-1

One of the most commonly recommended techniques, the 5-4-3-2-1 method has you reconnect with each of your five senses. To complete this technique, you name five things you can see, four things you can touch or feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. One way to make the most of this technique is to complete it outside where you can take advantage of the calming effect of nature and find more things to sense.

Focus on how your body feels

Like the 5-4-3-2-1 strategy, this technique encourages you to focus on your senses. Close your eyes and mentally scan each part of your body. How do your clothes feel against your skin? Are you hungry or full? How quickly is your heart beating? What sensations do you feel against your body?

Mindful eating

Instead of mindlessly eating or drinking something while you scroll on your phone, slow down and note the physical sensations you experience as you eat. Notice how the carbonation of a soda feels on your tongue or how you can feel the texture of strawberry seeds, for example. 

Utilize mental distractions

Depending on your interests, you can focus on any number of mental tasks, asking yourself to:

• Complete a math equation.
• Name ten items in a category.
• Create a mental map of a favorite location.
• Find four black cars while you’re driving.
• Think of loved ones and recite their phone numbers.

Mentally complete a daily task

In your head, spend a few minutes walking yourself through a familiar task. For example, you may think about completing a load of laundry. Close your eyes and picture yourself going to get the clothes out of your hamper and walking them to the laundry room. Imagine what settings you’ll program on the machine and how much detergent you’ll measure and pour. Think about what textures you’ll feel as you place your clothes into the machine. 

Complete breathwork

Breathwork involves mindful breathing in a specific pattern. To effectively practice breathwork, start by breathing through your nose, inflating your stomach as you inhale, and taking rhythmic, deep breaths. You can try any number of techniques, with each having you inhale, hold, and exhale for a designated number of seconds. 

Do a craft or art project

Many art and craft activities require both mental and physical concentration. Try any sort of project that you find engaging such as coloring in an adult coloring book, diamond painting, or origami. If you need immediate grounding and don’t have quick reach to supplies, use what’s available: Draw a picture with your child’s chalk, rearrange your living room furniture, or sketch something on a piece of copy paper. 

Repeat affirmations for your mental health

Show compassion to yourself in moments of distress by thinking or saying positive affirmations or mantras. Choose a few you can use ahead of time so you’re not scrambling to think of something during times of anxiety or stress. Some ideas include:

• I’m strong and I can handle this.
• I have survived even my worst day.
• This is temporary.
• I am loved and I am safe.
• This will pass.

Move your body

Physical exercise and mental health are closely tied. It can be important to find a way to practice movement, whether big or small. You may run in place, stretch your body section by section, or go for a walk. As you move, pay attention to how your body feels and what sensations you’re experiencing. Listen to the sounds that the movement creates.

How to put grounding exercises into practice

Once you’ve selected a few grounding techniques that feel most appropriate for you, prepare yourself to use them as needed. Here are a few ways to put them into practice:

Use therapeutic grounding techniques often

Knowing and doing might be two different things. Don’t wait until you’re experiencing distressing feelings or a panic attack to try one of your grounding techniques. Instead, consider putting them into practice on a regular basis to make the skill more mentally available for when you really need it. The most powerful grounding techniques may be the ones you’re already prepared to use.

Start sooner rather than later

It may be easier to redirect your thoughts before they begin to escalate into overwhelm. As soon as you feel unwelcome thoughts beginning to creep in, try utilizing one of the grounding techniques. 

Get support

Grounding techniques can be helpful to relieve feelings of anxiety or fear, but they may not be a suitable replacement for the support of a mental health professional. A therapist or other provider can help you get to the root of how you’re feeling. Once you understand why you feel anxious, you can develop a toolbox of healthy coping skills. If you’re using grounding techniques to work through symptoms of PTSD, a therapist may be able to introduce other strategies such as an adapted imaginal exposure approach, for example, to help relieve some of your symptoms. 

Where to find mental health support

If you’re interested in seeking mental health support, you can start by connecting with a licensed professional. The APA offers a list of registered therapists on its website. Still, not everyone is interested in working in person with a local therapist and for someone experiencing anxiety, the thought of leaving their comfort zone to attend therapy may be unappealing.

Benefits of online therapy

One option to remedy this is online therapy. Since all it requires is a device and an internet connection, online therapy may be preferable since it can be completed from almost anywhere, allowing you to meet with your therapist from the comfort of your own home. Working with an online therapist, you can learn grounding techniques and other coping skills through phone calls, video chats, or in-app messaging. 

The efficacy of online therapy for anxiety and unhelpful thoughts

In a 2021 study examining the efficacy of online cognitive behavioral therapy in treating social anxiety disorder, researchers confirmed that the online treatment significantly reduced the severity of participants’ social anxiety and functional impairment. Participants also experienced a reduction in the severity of their depression symptoms. By the end of the study, a third of the participants scored below the cutoff on the test measuring their social anxiety. CBT is a therapeutic approach that can help individuals recognize their unhelpful thought patterns and take steps to change them. By adopting more positive ways of thinking, individuals can experience behavioral changes that allow them to live more fulfilling lives.