Emotional grounding techniques are practices that help us to stay in the present moment. By grounding ourselves in our experience in the present moment, we can better cope with difficult emotions like anxiety and overwhelm.
Grounding techniques are not meant to solve the root cause of our problems or issues. Instead, they prevent us from getting swept away in difficult emotions. They pull us back into the present so that we can regulate our emotions in our body and act with intention.
Emotions- and knowing how to feel emotions– are a critical part of surviving as a human. Yet, when our emotions are too intense, whether positively or negatively, we become unable to discern the messages in them.
Learning ways to manage emotions and stay grounded when overcome with intense emotions of rage, heartbreak, or even panic attack can help to you stay in control of your own responses. In this post, we will cover emotional grounding and how to effectively implement techniques so that you can stay control of your decisions and experience peace in your mental health.
Remember, these skills are easy to describe, but can be hard to implement. If you think you could benefit from the focused support of a professional anxiety therapist, we are here to support you.
What is Emotional Grounding?
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – Viktor Frankl
Emotional grounding exercises are the space between. The space that you intentionally take to regulate your own intense emotions in your body instead of reacting outwardly to them.
The reality is, when we are flooded, or feeling emotions in a big or hot way, we cannot access parts of the brain that we need for reasoning and decision-making (I.e. the prefrontal cortex). Instead, the limbic part of the brain, the short-term survival part, takes over and prevents us from seeing the bigger picture.
For instance, perhaps in a fight with your partner, you feel so overwhelmingly vulnerable and rejected that you forget how hard they try to meet your needs. In the heat or pain of a moment, it can be difficult to access coping or communication strategies.
Instead of trying to solve issues when we are in an emotionally intense state, we should focus on grounding ourselves. These experiences can be either hyper-arousal (i.e. when we feel things too much) or hypo-arousal (i.e. when we dissociate or numb).
Rather than getting swept away in the emotions of a moment, we acknowledge what we are feeling and gently reconnect to our bodies and the present moment. From this place, we can
How To Ground Yourself Emotionally
When you notice yourself either becoming over or under-activated, the first step is to stop. Pause and take a deep breath. Decide that you do not want your emotions to make you act without thought.
From there, you can experiment with different techniques, broken into physical, mental, and soothing below. Practice grounding and discover which tools are the most helpful and effective for you.
Physical Grounding
Physical grounding strategies focus on your body and senses.
Adjust Your Body
Emotions are communicated from our limbic brains via our nervous system into our bodies. This is why when you are angry you may feel hot or tense and when you are anxious you might feel a pit in your stomach.
Here are some body-based emotional grounding techniques you may try:
- Intense exercise- expend physical and stored up energy by running, lifting weights, jumping, etc.
- Cold water- place your face in cold water or a cold pack onto your face to slow down your heart rate
- Paired muscle relaxation- tense your muscles as you inhale, relax them as you exhale
By adjusting your body composition, you can move the emotional energy through you more quickly and achieve grounding.
Move Your Body
Stretching, walking, and deep breathing are all more effective ways to help process emotions through your body. Further, focusing on these activities will keep you grounded in the present moment.
As you stretch or walk, notice that you are stretching or walking. Take account of the sensations you notice with your experience.
Sensory Awareness
Starting backwards from five, list things that you notice using your senses in your current space. For example, you might observe:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can hear
- 3 things you can touch or feel
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
The goal is to pull you back into the present moment using your awareness of your five senses instead of being pulled away in emotion.
Breathing
Breathing exercises are always available to us for the purpose of grounding wherever we are.
Focus on the pattern of your breath. In order to hold your attention, it can be helpful to count or to think of a mantra such as “inhale, exhale” repeatedly as you breathe.
You can also implement 4-7-8 breathing by following these steps:
- Inhale through your nose to a count of four
- Hold your breath in for seven counts
- Exhale for eight counts
Repeat this cycle as many times as you need to in order to notice your body returning to a neutral state.
Butterfly Tapping
The Butterfly Hug is a self-soothing technique to manage stress and anxiety. Cross your arms over your chest and tap one shoulder followed by the other, following your own rhythm.
Continue tapping for as long as you need. You may even focus on your breath or bring a mantra to mind as you continue to tap and focus on the soothing motion of your arms.
Combining gentle touch with bilateral stimulation and a mental focus, you can slowly activate your body’s parasympathetic nervous system for calming effects.
Shake
Shaking your body is a tool to release stored tension and emotions. You’ve probably seen your dog do this for a quick reset after lots of excitement.
Simply stand up and begin to shake from your feet, up your legs, torso, and arms. Shake a few minutes and imagine releasing and pushing out stale energy.
Mental Grounding
Mental grounding focuses on becoming aware of your thoughts and feelings.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness and emotions are inextricably linked. To regulate our emotions, we must become aware of them. Once you have stopped, practice mindfulness by observing what is happening inside and outside of you.
See if you can answer these questions:
- What my read of the external situation?
- What thought do you have about the situation?
- What emotions has this stirred up inside of me?
- How to name feelings I am currently experiencing?
Before taking any action, make sure you are clear on these components of your own experience.
Visualize A Task
Perhaps you enjoy practicing yoga. You may imagine yourself preparing and taking a yoga class. “I clear my floor and roll out my mat. I take a seat and take few deep breaths. I feel my hands on the tops of my thighs. I listen for the teacher’s instruction. I begin to move my body, noticing the places that feel stiff.”
By focusing your mind on the specific micro-tasks associated with an activity you enjoy, you break yourself out of the chain of emotional reactivity.
Describe Your Environment
Look around and describe the space around in in as much detail as you can. Notice the colors, shapes, textures, smells, and even the energy of the room around you.
Similarly, focusing on the environment pulls you out of emotion-mind and into your current experience by focusing on the present.
Body Scan
A body scan is a mindfulness practice where you focus attention on different parts of your body. By intentionally and systemically guiding your focus, you increase awareness of bodily sensations and become more grounding in your physical being.
Begin by sitting or lying down and choosing a starting point of your head or your feet. As you breathe deeply, focus your attention at your starting point and then ascending through each body part. Observe sensations within each part of your body: temperature, tension, and texture.
Self-Soothing
Soothing involves relating to yourself in a kind and compassionate way.
Bring A Loved One To Mind
Attachment theory and research has shown through MRI imaging studies that levels of stress in the brain decrease when we can bring a loved one into our mind.
Imagining the face or the feeling of being near one that we love can also serve as a soothing
Loving Kindness Meditation
Loving kindness meditations focus on radiating feelings of warmth, empathy, and kindness not only to others but to ourselves.
By listening to a guided meditation, you can focus on listening and paying attention to the words in order to stay present and grounded. You can then focus on feeling the experience of the exercise in your body and more deeply connecting to your own experience.
Visualize A Happy Place
Bring to mind a safe or happy place- real or imagined. Bring to mind what the scene is in this place. Picture the weather, the colors, the temperature, the energy, the people close by. What can you see, feel, hear, and touch in this place?
Importantly, what does it feel like to be in this place of happiness and safety? When you feel overwhelmed with emotion, grounding techniques like visualization can bring back into the present moment by providing a sensory-rich experience in your mind.
Listen To Music
Listen to music, or play music if that’s an activity enjoy. See if you can move out of autopilot and instead focus deeply on the lyrics, the melodies, and the harmonies.
Does the music speak to you? What does it feel like to connect to this type of experience?
Giving yourself fully to this exercise will help your body learn to stay present.
Tap Deeper Into Your Senses
Take a shower or bath in warm water. Brew a hot cup of tea. Cook a delicious meal and notice the tastes and smells. You can also grab a book and snuggle under your favorite blanket.
However you feel the most relaxed and connected to your sensory experience, lean in fully and allow yourself to soak in the present moment.
Connect With Nature
Nature can be very emotionally grounding. Research shows that being in natural settings reduces stress, anxiety, and even symptoms of depression by lowering cortisol and promoting relaxation.
Nature also offers a sense of connection to something outside ourselves, providing perspective and meaning. Engaging our senses outdoors brings us into the present, making it easier to step away from anxious or overthinking patterns.
Sound Bowls
Tibetan singing bowls have been used in many ancient traditions to promote relaxation, focus, and healing.
If you have a singing bowl, find a quiet space and relax comfortable. Hold the bowl, tap the rim, and move the mallet in a circular motion to create a steady and continuous sound. Listen mindfully to the sound and use this awareness to ground yourself in the present moment.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy uses natural essential oils to promote mental and emotional calmness and wellbeing. Select scents based on their listed benefits (e.g. lavender for calming or eucalyptus for deep breaths). Either apply the scents topically or place them into a warm bath.
As you breathe in the scents, focus on your sensation of smell and enjoy the present moment. Notice any shifts in your emotional state as you ground through this sensory experience.
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