Grounding Yourself: Techniques for Managing Distressing Thoughts and Emotions

All of us experience distressing thoughts, emotions, or unwanted memories.  At times, these emotions become too distressing, and we need a way to manage them.  Grounding techniques allow us to step away from distressing thoughts and emotions and focus on the present moment.  This helps us to regulate our body systems and work through intense emotions.

Grounding techniques can be effective for a variety of symptoms including anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks due to post-traumatic stress disorder or any other intense feelings that are overwhelming in the moment.  Not all grounding techniques work for everyone, so it’s a good idea to have a variety of techniques to choose from. Keep a list somewhere close so you can pick from it when you are feeling distressed.

Here are a few grounding techniques you can try:

The Five Senses (or the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique)

To use this technique, utilize your 5 senses to bring you back to the present moment.  Look around and list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste in your immediate environment.

Categories

Play a mental game of trying to list at many things in a specific category as you can.  This could be animals, foods, sports teams, or movies.  If you are having trouble focusing, try to list the items in alphabetical order.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

For this method, you tense groups of muscles one at a time and practice deep breathing while you do this.  Start in your toes and move up your body tensing each group of muscles for 5 seconds while you inhale and then relax the muscles and exhale for 10 seconds.  This relaxes your body and allows you to calm.

Do Math

While math may not have been your favorite subject in school, it can serve as a way to focus your thoughts and distract you from unpleasant feelings.  You can run through the times tables, count backwards from 100 by 7s or think up equations that yield the same answer.

Clench Your Fists and Release

Take all your distressing thoughts and feelings and focus that energy into your hands.  Clench your hands into fists as hard as you can and then let go.  Do this 10 times and focus on how your body feels when you release the tension.

Stretch Your Body

Stretch for 5 minutes.  As you do this, focus on where in your body you feel tension or anxiety.  Many people carry tension in their neck, backs or shoulders.  Pay attention to how your body feels when you stretch and loosen the tension.

You can also meet with a mental health provider to learn more about grounding techniques and to help you manage distressing thoughts and emotions.  Call Resolve today to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced counselors!

-Elisabeth Chipps, LCPC, LPC