10 grounding exercises for anxiety and panic
Grounding techniques are something I often teach my therapy clients who struggle with anxiety, trauma and/or panic attacks.
At times of intense anxiety or panic, we can feel out of control and grounding techniques act as an anchor pulling us back into the present moment.
When our brain believes we are under threat, our nervous system reacts in a way that it believes will keep us safe and allow us to fight off the threat or flee from danger. Our heart race increases, we breathe more quickly, our muscles tense. This is useful if we are actually in immediate danger.
Unfortunately, this survival mechanism can also be activated by a perceived threat at times when a ‘fight or flight’ response is not appropriate — when we are about to give a presentation, when we are having a difficult conversation with a loved one, or when something harmless reminds us of a past dangerous situation.
Grounding techniques help us in these situations to tell our nervous system that everything is ok, we are safe and we don’t need to fight off a threat or escape a dangerous situation.
These are ten grounding exercises that I teach clients who attend counselling to work on anxiety, panic, stress or trauma.
The ‘5,4,3,2,1’ technique
This is my favourite grounding exercise because it is so simple (and easy to remember when you are overwhelmed by panic). It helps to bring you back into the present moment and your immediate surroundings. A bonus is that it’s easy to do discreetly if there are other people around.
So what is the 5,4,3,2,1 grounding exercise? Very simply, either out loud or in your head you note:
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
And that’s it! Pretty consistently people being to feel a shift around 3 or 2, as they engage with their present surroundings.
2. Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation is about focusing on the here and now and thus is a really helpful grounding tool. This is the kind of technique that is most helpful if you have a bit more time. For example, if you have a job interview in 30 minutes or the night before an exam. A regular practice can have a cumulative effect on helping you to be more grounded on a daily basis.
There are lots of grounding meditations available online, but the basic formula is as follows:
Set a timer - five or ten minutes is the usual length of time to start with.
Get comfortable - lie down or sit comfortably and close your eyes or lower your gaze to the floor.
Breathe - bring your attention to your breath. Take a few slow and deep breaths, noticing how it feels.
Body scan - bring your attention to the different parts of your body, starting from your head and working down to your toes. Notice how each part of your body feels as you continue to slowly breathe in and out.
Focus on the ground - bring your attention to where your body is making contact with the floor such as your feet, the chair or other surface underneath you. You can also do a bit of visualisation, maybe imagining roots growing from your feet down into the earth, anchoring you.
Start noticing the room around you - sounds, smells, temperature of the air.
Open your eyes - give yourself a final moments to notice your breath, then gradually open them and continue with your day!
3. Categories
This technique can feel a little silly, but it really is helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed or panicked! Basically, pick a category and try to name as many things in the category as you can. This is a great distraction to reset your brain when it is spiralling with anxious thoughts. Some ideas for categories are
Animals
Fruits
Countries
Sports teams
TV shows
Celebrities
4. Safe place visualisation
Pick a place, ideally a real place, where you have felt safe in the past. If there is no real place you have felt safe, try to imagine a place that has felt quite safe and imagine that the changes you need to feel fully safe there have been made.
Close your eyes and breath slowly, imagining that you are in this safe place. Visualise how the place looked, remember any sounds or smells associated with the place. Remembering places we have previously felt safe can help us to feel safe again in the present moment.
5. Affirmations
Having a few short sentences that you can say to yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed can be really useful. Ideally, you would practice these when you are feeling calm and then say them out loud or in your mind at times when you are feeling panicked.
Affirmations are very personal, and what feels cheesy to one person feels helpful for another person. So, find the affirmation that works for you but here are some ideas to begin with
I am safe.
This difficult moment will pass.
With each breath, I breathe in safety and with each exhale I restore balance.
I am grounded and rooted to the earth like a tree.
6. Butterfly hug
This is a very simple and quick way to comfort yourself.
Cross your arms over your chest and place your hands on your collarbones/ shoulders. Breath slowly and deeply.
Begin tapping each shoulder, one side then the other. Do this for 10 counts.
Pause and take a deep breath.
Continue tapping and breathing deeply, until you feel more relaxed.
7. Barefoot walk
If you have somewhere safe to do so, walk outside in your bare feet, noticing how the earth feels under your toes. If this isn’t an option for you, try putting your hands on the earth, or just getting out into nature (without your phone to distract you!). Connecting with nature reduces anxiety and stress.
8. Breathing exercises
Regulating our breathing helps to ‘flip the switch’ in our nervous system and let it know that we are safe. There are lots of breathing exercises that you can learn for use when you are feeling stressed or anxious. Two of my favourite are box breathing and belly breathing.
Box breathing
Breathe in, counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.
Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Try to avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
Slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 until you feel re-centered.
Belly breathing
Let your breath flow as deep down into your belly as is comfortable, without forcing it.
Try breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Breathe in gently and regularly. Some people find it helpful to count steadily from 1 to 5. You may not be able to reach 5 at first.
Then let it flow out gently, counting from 1 to 5 again, if you find this helpful.
Keep doing this for at least 5 minutes.
9. Specific object
Some people like to use a specific object as an anchor that they can touch when they are feeling panicked. Noticing how it feels can help to bring you back to the present moment. Many people use jewellery for this, but things like a small rock or a piece of fabric are also possibilities. Find the texture that feels grounding for you!
10. Feel your feet on the ground
Saving the most simple technique for last! No matter where you are or what you’re doing, notice your feet. Press your feet (shoes on or off, up to you!) into the ground and just for a second notice the connection between you, the present moment and the space you’re in.
I hope that you will find something in these techniques that is useful for you. If you would like to try and work further on your anxiety, panic or trauma responses in therapy, please do get in touch.
