Simple Grounding Exercises to Practice anywhere

By Savannah O’Berry on May 10, 2021

When you feel like your so consumed with worry that you’re spinning out of control, having an arsenal of healthy coping skills is more important than ever. Grounding exercises are a good way to bring yourself back to the reality of the moment when you start to feel overwhelmed by difficult emotions related to the stress and obligations of life.

Following are some simple grounding exercises that you can use to manage stress and anxiety.

1. Five senses

This exercise includes taking a moment to use all five of your senses and focus on the world around you. When you notice that you feel overwhelmed, stop and take inventory of what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch in your surrounding area.

By engaging your senses you are forcing your brain to refocus on the present moment which can bring you peace of mind.

2. Rooted in the Earth

This grounding exercise reminds us that the Earth is physically beneath us and the force of gravity holds us to the planet’s surface. By simply remembering this face we can come back to the present and feel a sense of relief.

Start by planting your feet firmly into the floor or ground. Use all your muscles to push down through your feet. Feel the energy flow from your legs down. Feel the power that courses through you as you breathe in and out noticing the tension in your body.

Continue to push through your feet and breathe deeply for about 10 breaths in and out. Feel free to close your eyes while you do this to remove the distractions all around.

After the last breath relax your muscles and open your eyes, looking out with a new and fresh perspective on the stress and worry that you had been feeling before the exercise. As you come back to what’s all around you think about how small you are compared to the forces at work around us. Think about what you can control and what you cannot control in your world.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique of tensing and relaxing your body from top to bottom while focusing on feeling each part.

Starting with your toes, stretch them out until you feel tension in them for a count of four seconds then release the tension and stay still for a few seconds.

Next tighten your leg muscles and hold this tension for a count of four seconds. Let this tension go and feel your leg muscles relax for a few seconds.

Move on to your core and back tensing these muscles the best you can for four seconds. Release the tension allow your body to relax.

Tense your hands by making fists and holding them for four seconds then let your hands relax. From here tighten the muscles in your arms and hold this for four seconds before releasing the tension and relaxing for a few seconds.

Next tighten your shoulders and upper back and hold the tension for four seconds before letting it go and relaxing for a few seconds.

Finally, tighten the muscles in your face by squeezing your eyes shut, tightening your jaw as if bracing yourself for something. Let this tension go and relax.

By systematically tightening and releasing your muscles while focusing on your breathe, your body learns how to differentiate between tension and relaxation. The goal after practicing this is for you to notice when you are tense, accept that it’s happening, and harness this feeling into a feeling of relaxation to overcome the mental and emotional tensions you may be feeling in life.

I am not a medical professional so please know your own limits when attempting these more physical exercises to relax. If something feels wrong, stop and call your local medical professional.

Wrap Up

These three exercises are ones that I have used myself many times and often teach to the kids I work with. They are a great way to bring yourself back to reality when the responsibilities and pressure from life start to get overwhelming.

If you want to take these exercises further focus on your thoughts while doing them. Notice where your mind tends to wander. It might be a help to jot this down in a journal or talk about it with loved ones or a mental health professional to see where it goes.

If you want to learn more about your locus of control and how to keep your perspective on those things we have control over or don’t have any control over see my post, Locus of Control.

Simply,

Soberry

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