Grounding techinques

What is a ‘grounding technique’?:

Grounding is a technique that helps keep someone in the present. They help reorient a

person to the here-and-now and in reality. Grounding skills can be helpful in managing

overwhelming feelings or intense anxiety. They help someone to regain their mental focus

from an often intensely emotional state.

Grounding Exercise #1:

Begin by tracing your hand on a piece of paper and label each finger as one of the five

senses. Then take each finger and identify something special and safe representing each

of those five senses. For example: Thumb represents sight and a label for sight might be

butterflies or my middle finger represents the smell sense and it could be represented by

lilacs.

After writing and drawing all this on paper, post it on your refrigerator or other safe

places in the home where it could be easily seen and memorize it.

Whenever you get triggered, breathe deeply and slowly, and put your hand in front of

your face where you can really see it – stare at your hand and then look at each finger and

try to do the five senses exercise from memory. Source: www.stardrift.net/survivor/senses.html

Here’s the 54321 “game”:

• Name 5 things you can see in the room with you.

• Name 4 things you can feel (“chair on my back” or “feet on floor”)

• Name 3 things you can hear right now (“fingers tapping on keyboard” or “tv”)

• Name 2 things you can smell right now (or, 2 things you like the smell of)

• Name 1 good thing about yourself

(Source: www.ibiblio.org/rcip//copingskills.html)

Oak Tree Meditation

• Sit in a comfortable position, your arms resting at your sides.

• Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Let your breathing be slow and relaxed.

• See your body as a strong oak tree. Your body is solid like the wide, brown trunk of the tree. Imagine sturdy roots growing from your legs and going down deeply into the earth, anchoring your body. You feel solid and strong, able to handle any stress.

• When upsetting thoughts or situations occur, visualize your body remaining grounded like the oak tree. Feel the strength and stability in your arms and legs.

• You feel confident and relaxed, able to handle any situation.

Some other ‘Anxiety Busters’:

From AnxietyBC.co (Canadian based mental health website):

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: http://www.anxietybc.com/sites/default/files/MuscleRelaxation.pdf

Calm Breathing (one of my favourites): http://www.anxietybc.com/sites/default/files/CalmBreathing.pdf

Box Breathing (another fav):

Box breathing combines deep breathing with simple counting. First, inhale your breath slowly for a count of four. Then, hold the breath for an equal count of four. Release the breath all the way out through pursed lips, on a count of four. Finally, wait four seconds before saying or doing anything. Repeat the cycle a few more times or as long as you need to help you relax. Always breathe from the lower belly instead of from the upper chest. It may help you to place one or both of your hands on your abdomen or sides to feel the lower part of your abdomen rise as you breathe in.

When you're first learning box breathing, practice in a quiet setting in loose clothing so you can concentrate on the technique. Make sure you're in a comfortable position, whether it's sitting or lying down. Scan your body for any signs of tension and keep your head, neck and shoulders relaxed as you breathe in and out. It may help to add positive, affirming thoughts, to focus your attention on an object or an image in your mind, or to repeat a mantra like the traditional "ohm" of Eastern traditions. The more you practice, the easier it will be to use the technique in stressful settings.

Source: http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/box-breathing-technique-11421.html

Recognize the reptilian brain.

There “are two parts of our brain: the primitive part containing the amygdala — which is responsible for generating and processing our fear and other primal emotions — and our frontal lobes: the neo-cortex or the newest part of our brain, which is sophisticated, educated, and is able to apply a bit of logic to the message of raw fear that our reptilian brain generates.”

“Why is this helpful? When I feel that knot in my stomach that comes with a message that I am unloved by the world, I try to envision a Harvard professor, or some intellectual creature whacking a reptile on the head with the a book, saying something like “Would you just evolve, you overly dramatic creature?””

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/01/23/11-tips-to-help-manage-anxiety/

I found this on another site and thought it might help...

WWWI

Great tips, thanks.

:smitten:

Hello WWWI.  Thanks for the info!  Those techniques seem worth practicing.  My neuro-psych doc gave me a basic grounding technique for when I was becoming disassociative.  It may be worth adding to your list.

He said to put each hand on a very different feeling surface (for example on a sharp corner of an object and on a cushion.  Then focus your mind on the feeling and textures of each hand.

I think the idea is to let sensory awareness make an impact on your cognition.  I found something similar in a book on counseling traumatized people .....

Suggested sensory awareness grounding skills for survivors who dissociate.

 

• Keep the eyes open, look around the room, notice details of surroundings

• Breathe slowly and deeply, as if blowing up a balloon

• Fill a bowl with ice and put a hand or arm into it

• Place a cool cloth on the face or hold a cool object such as an aerosol or aluminium can

• Move around, reorient in space, feel the body, stretch the arms, hands and fingers

• Eat something and focus on the taste: try ice-cream (cold), a favourite food or citrus fruit

• Spray a favourite scent, light a perfumed candle or peel a citrus fruit

• Hold a pillow, stuffed toy, bell or pebble

• Stroke a pet

• Touch an object and feel its reality

• Listen to soothing music

• Remove shoes and place feet firmly on the ground

• Focus on somebody else’s voice

• Take a shower or bath

• Go for a walk and feel the weather

• Count nice things

 

edit: font difficult to read

thanks wwwi :smitten:

i need these!

went out tonight. when i started feeling a little overwhelmed the deep breathing really helped.

i hope youre doing ok.

love,

Gard

Thank you! Taste, touch, smell, sight and sound grounding has helped me in the past. Very difficult to remember while in panic. Thank you for the new tips.

I also got a tip from someone hear on BB. Putting an ice pack under your arm and alternating every few minutes. That helped too and I didn't think it would.

Glad these may be of help.  Thank you both Braban and JuustHere for your additions.  Excellent ideas and the more the merrier!

Hey Gard - Muddling through lol.  Hope you are doing ok too.  This is tough stuff no?  We are wounded warriors, but warriors none the less.

WWWI

awesome resource, thanks so much for posting these

Amy