Ground Yourself

The Act of Grounding    

 "Asking ourselves, 'Where am I right now?' gives us a chance to step outside the internal dialogue for a moment of peace. Look around you, take a deep breath and notice what you see, hear and feel. Present moment awareness is the point of power and choice. It frees us from our compulsive thoughts."  - Laura Harvey

The above quote illustrates a very common and simple grounding technique. I will say more on this, but first, let's understand in more detail what grounding is and how it works.

Bringing Mind and Body Back to the Present

To Ground Yourself is to bring yourself to the present moment- the here and now.

There are two things taking place simultaneously:

1. We shift our focus from inside our head/mind to the outside world. Rather than focusing on our intrusive negative thoughts and distressing emotions, we take deliberate steps to bring ourselves out of that negative mindset and instead, give our attention to what is happening to us physically in our bodies and around us in the present moment.

2. We use the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch to connect us to the here and now.

Being Grounded

It is a coping strategy for many, a daily practice for others, and basically consists of simple things you can do to help DISTRACT you from internal distress and REFOCUS on what's happening in the present.

The aim of grounding is to help you find your calm.

There are many different strategies to choose from to get grounded. There is no one right way to ground yourself; the challenge is in finding what works for you. In this regard, grounding is viewed as a highly personal technique with many different ways to practice.

The Benefits of "Getting Grounded"

Grounding works well for those who become easily overwhelmed, have distressing thoughts and feelings, experience anxiety, anger or worry excessively. It can help with stressful thinking habits, interrupt negative thinking patterns and bring relief to those who tend to overthink situations/problems.

My Go-To Grounding Techniques

1. Pinch Me Therapy Dough is a portable stress reduction tool with an ocean scent; soft texture; hue blue soothing color; malleable;calming aromatherapy; massage between your fingers and squeeze away your worries and troubles.
2. Light a scented candle. Inhale the fragrance slowly; watch the candle burn and flickering flame.
3. Stress-fix essential oil; portable rollerball with an aroma of lavender and clary sage; apply inside your wrists and rub them together to spread the oil.
4. The five senses method. Identify five things you hear, four things you see, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
5. Bring up mental image of loved ones; look at photos of them; focus on the colors, expressions, background, and warm embrace.
6. Breathe deeply. Slowly inhale and exhale; count to 10 with each breath and repeat.
7. Relish a favorite food or drink. Notice its taste, smell and flavor; sip or chew slowly.
8. Eat a handful of almonds. Focus on the shape, feel the texture; put in you mouth and roll it around, chew it slowly and mindfully and notice how that feels.
9. Listen to music; sing along to a favorite tune. How does the song make you feel? What are the physical sensations and where do you feel them in your body?
10. Move your body; walk or jog; pay attention to how your body feels with each movement. Notice how it feels when you press your feet onto the floor; you can even count your steps.
11. Apply hand cream and massage your hands gently; notice the pleasant sensations of touch. I use Thymes Olive Leaf with a combination scent of wood and lavender flowers.
12. Focus on how your body feels; touch your chest and feel your heartbeat; check your pulse; caress your arms; give yourself a butterfly hug; wiggle your toes; stretch your legs and arms; massage the tension away.
13. Count backwards from 100.
14. Repeat mantras quietly to yourself. Some of my favorite ones are: "I am...(fine, well, wise),"I can...(do this, get through this),"Calm down," "Compassion, compassion, compassion."
15. Laugh loud, hard and feel your aliveness. I watch LeJuan James Youtuber. He perfectly captures the funny nuances of growing up Latino.
16. Humming a happy tune. A great way to calm your mind, slow down the thoughts and connect with inner peace. You get to hear and feel your voice in a way that is soothing.
17. Imagine yourself leaving the distressful thoughts and feelings behind. Picture yourself putting your painful feelings in a container with a lid. They are still there but you don't have to keep them up close. Imagine your thoughts as passing clouds; notice the movement and the distance between you and the thoughts as they pass by.
18. Go out and people watch; observe others in motion. Notice details; what do you see, hear and smell around you. Keep your eyes moving.
19. Sit with your pet; take them for a walk; play; caress; talk to them; snuggle. Great love therapy.
20. Call up a friend to talk to.
21. Play calming apps on your phone. I recommend: Calm, ZenView, and Relax for sounds, visual, and short meditations.
22. Take a long shower or bath; notice the water pressure, temperature and how the water feels on your body.
23. Tap your collarbone with your fingertips; the rhythmic tapping has a calming effect to lower anxiety.
24. Keep a grounding stone/rock handy to hold whenever. Run your fingers over it, look at its color, shape, and feel it as you move it around in your hands. Hold and really focus on it.
25. Remind yourself of where you are right now as in the quote above. State your name, your age , where you live, today's date and state what you are doing right now. It brings you back to the present.
26. Picture the voice and face of someone you love. Imagine them telling you exactly what you need to hear to help you calm down, feel safe and secured at this moment.
27. Make your own squeeze-ball. All you need is a midsize balloon, a funnel, flour and design a pliable, malleable any color you like ball. You can knead it, roll, massage and just play with it.
28. Find a comfortable chair to sit in and focus on your breath. Sit fully in your seat, using its arms for arm rest. Feel your chair under you; place both feet on the floor; How does your body feel sitting on that chair? Lean your back towards the chair; press your feet onto the floor; continue to breathe slowly and deeply; give your attention to the feeling of being fully supported by this chair. Now allow the tension to flow down from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet and release. Imagine different parts of your body releasing the tension as it makes its way out. Relax and gently breathe. When you are ready, bring yourself to the present moment. You can do this exercise with your eyes open or closed.
29. Touch something comfortable; favorite blanket, pillow, get into your comfy clothes; feel the softness on your body. Smell the scent and touch the texture.
30. Get a cold glass of water. Feel the coldness in your throat and how refreshing it feels.
31. Read a book or a magazine; listen to an audiobook.
32. Clean your home; do dishes; put your hands under running water; feel the sensation of water on your skin; focus on the task.

Grounding strategies are a must-do for those of us who want to feel calm, peaceful and centered in the moment.

I personally practice daily grounding strategies both at home as I start my day and at the office between sessions. All I can say is, what a difference in our day when we are well grounded.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get grounded.

Thank you for reading!