When you struggle with anxiety and worry, it can be hard to feel grounded.
As worried thoughts capture your attention, you can get caught up in thinking patterns that only serve to disconnect you from your world. This effects you, ramping up your nervouse system and making you feel even more anxious.
Fortunately, there is a way to break this cycle before it even gets started. The key is utilizing different grounding techniques. These interventions, are meant to help you stay present in the here-and-now.
Moreover, these beneficial techniques are simple and practical. You can do them anywhere, at any time to cope with your distress. Let’s take a closer look below at how you can beat anxiety and worry with the following tools.
Soothe Anxiety and Worry with Grounding Techniques
Try Kinesthetic Tools
These are items that you hold and manipulate in your hands to intentionally release tension. The idea is that when you start to notice anxiety and worry rise up you can grab one of these objects and start fidgeting with them. Some examples of kinesthetics include:
- Play-doh
- A hand grip
- Fuzzy pipe cleaners
- Paper clips
- A pencil or pen
These items help you to release some of the energy pent up inside you as well as provide a distraction.
Tap into Your Five Senses
As noted above, anxiety and worry cause you to lose your moorings and feel less grounded. To counter this effect, it helps to do something that allows you to feel more grounded in the here-and-now. A “five senses” exercise can help with this.
With this technique, you take note of what you can see, hear, smell, feel, and even taste. The method helps you to feel more connected to your environment. It’s a very powerful grounding technique for when you are feeling anxious and afflicted by racing thoughts.
Move Your Body
You don’t have to be a master dancer or professional athlete to move your body. Body movement requires that you redirect your attention away from the anxiety and worry and back into the here-and-now. Start either with your head or at your toes and move through your entire body. Arch your eyebrows and wiggle your ears and nose. Shrug your shoulders and swing your legs. The idea is that you move everything. You can do this while standing, sitting, or lying down. It only takes a few moments but it will help you stay grounded.
Tune in to the Power of Music
Music should not be overlooked as a grounding technique for anxiety. There are a few options to consider:
- Have your favorite playlists ready to go at a moment’s notice.
- Play a musical instrument
- Sing or hum
Better yet, give all three a try. Music is such a powerful medium for expressing emotion and feeling more connected. Even if you don’t consider yourself a musician there is most likely a song or two that deeply resonates with you.
Breathe Deeply
No discussion of grounding techniques would be complete without mentioning breathing exercises. Breathing is the most basic thing that we do. In fact, we don’t even notice most of the time when we are breathing. It just happens in the background automatically. However, when you feel anxiety and worry, you find yourself breathing harder. Panic attacks are known to feature fast, shallow breathing. To avoid this, you need to train your body to breathe deeply even when stressed. Practicing breathing exercises will help with this. They also go hand-in-hand with meditation as well.
Seek Support for More Help with Anxiety and Worry
Anxiety and worry can strike at any time. And freeing yourself from their grip is sometimes easier said than done. That’s why you need to master not just one grounding technique, but several. If that sounds overwhelming, hold on. Participating in anxiety treatment with a therapist will help with this process.
You can learn skills via therapy that you can put into practice daily. To learn more, reach out today to discuss how anxiety therapy can help you. I’m available for a consultation when you’re ready.