Grounding yourself, is the process of balancing your physical, emotional, mental and energy state and reconnecting them.

I have over the past month or so been in need of grounding quite often, here are a few things that I have been trying, some do work and some don't work for me, I suppose it's a matter of trial and error.

When is grounding necessary?

Anyone with mental illness at some times run into problems with not being grounded.

When we are not grounded we may feel, lightheaded, tired, disconnected, dazed, confused, shaken, flighty, emotionally unstable, etc.

Following is some tips for grounding yourselves, just remember not every tip works for every person. What works for one might not work for you. Just keep trying different technics or a combination of a few until you find something that works,

Eating...eating is great for grounding, eat healthy things, fruit, vegetables, salads, some protein, legumes, potatoes, eggs, fish, etc. Who doesn't like chocolate, a few pieces of dark chocolate is good for your heart, has an antioxidant in it, plus its taste good.

Other strong tastes,....Curries, chillies, rich spicy foods also has a grounding effect,

Eating has slowing effect on the mind and settling mental states.

A regular Scedule....A regular schedule of sleeping, exercise. By doing something on a regular schedule helps your willpower.

Connect with Nature....Walking barefoot outside, feel the grass under your feet, the coolness of it, the texture of it, sand is great to walk on dig your toes, heels, bury your feet in the sand, gardening, long nature walks, these are all good for grounding yourself.

Baths and Showers,.... Baths and showers can be a powerful grounding element, The water running over your hair, head, down your body is really vey potent as is having a bath, with warm water, bubbles and maybe some scented candles, darkening the room for more grounding.

Scents and Smells....Smells can be really powerful in grounding ourselves, find one that works for you, Lavender is well known for giving a relaxing feeling.

Hard excercise,...When your not sure how to ground yourself, try hard physical excercise, cycling, cardio or running. but do not over do it.

These are a few things that we can try to ground ourselves.

How do you ground yourself?

Your thoughts and grounding techniques are very welcome.

Grandy.

Hi grandy , thanks for the tips.

The healthy foods stuck in my mind and thoroughly agree , just wish l could practice it more.

And teh bare feet, dad use to laugh at me always in bare fet , he could never understand why l'd go around bare feet any chance l could and put up with prickles and stones and stuff , instead of simply putting some shoes back on. Couldn't myself but l think you just helped me see why it was just something l had to do whenever l could.

Stepping out the door grounds me, whether into the sunshine and walk about on the grass or heading out somewhere or a walk late in the night. But if l've been inside too much and my heads becoming too much l crave it and as soon as l step out into it everything starts to clear.

Take care.

rx.

Hello Randomx,

I was the same when I was younger, always barefoot, I loved it. Then as we get older we loose that child in us and forget about the simple things, that do feel good and can ground us..

When I went to the beach the sand felt like a foot massage if you buried them in the sand and twisted them around..

Healthy food, yes when we eat all our senses are being used, taste, smell feel, sight, even hearing if we're eating something crunchy.

I still go out back and stand in the rain it really can be so relaxing and grounding.

Kindness only.

Grandy.

Hi Karen;

What a great idea for a thread; well done! :-)

I'd like to start my response with a quote from you;

'Anyone with mental illness at some times run into problems with not being grounded.
When we are not grounded we may feel, lightheaded, tired, disconnected, dazed, confused, shaken, flighty, emotionally unstable, etc'

The symptoms you describe sound just like having low blood sugar. If all these symptoms hit often, it might be wise to get fasting blood sugar levels done. To treat the situation in the moment, try to eat natural foods that work slowly thru the digestive system...banana is a great one.

The best way to avoid low blood sugar is to eat regularly every few hrs. It doesn't have to be huge meals either. A combination of protein, complex carbs, fibre and fat covers a balanced choice.

A smoothie with natural Greek yogurt, a banana, a little slice of avo, some walnuts and sunflower seeds, a teaspoon of magnesium powder (heart and brain) and Essential Greens powder blended with sparkling mineral water makes a great snack or even breakfast on the go. It keeps for a couple of days. I add Kale or celery sometimes if I don't have any Essential Greens powder.

While I make it, I focus on what I'm doing to ground myself with each step. By the time I get to drink it, I'm in the zone. Then I'm ready to face the day/afternoon/evening.

Symptoms you give also describe serious dissociation from anxiety. Grounding is absolutely great for this as you say. I like to flick my hands outwards as if there's gum stuck on them; the harder the better. I can actually feel energy running down my arms and out my hands, and, it feels good! (I think it has to do with increasing blood flow) Men might like to shadow box?

If you do this with your feet as well by stamping on the ground, it really reinforces being heavy and stuck to the ground. I think all this brings blood to the body carrying the goodness within it to any cells in distress.

Please be careful with heavy weights, intense gym workouts or long runs. This increases adrenaline output and can trigger anxiety. Those suffering with severe anxiety should stick to short medium/low workouts and gradually work up to higher levels always assessing if anxiety's present.

Food IS great to ground! The whole experience is..

Sez

Sorry for the long diatribe; it all just popped into my head as I wrote.

Hello Sez,

Thank you for your your great post.

The smoothie sound yummy and by the time everything is gathered, prepared and then mixed together I can see how that alone would ground you, then sitting down to drink and saviour the taste while all ready being grounded is a delicious reward in itself.

I like your idea of flicking your hands to get grounded and stamping your feet as well and it works for you, I think we need to find what works best for the individual person. Thank you for sharing that with us all as there are a lot of different grounding technics that works that we are unaware of and sharing what work for you might help someone else.

Food, in my opinion is really good for grounding oneself, the whole process of preparation (distraction) and cooking (the odours). anticipation (hungry and looking forwards to it) and eating it (the flavours) slowly and mindfully is my favourite grounding tool to try to settle me enough for the evening and for some relaxing meditation.

Meditation is another good way grounding.

I agree with Sara, please do not over do hard exercise. Start gently then slowly build yourself up.

What do you do to ground yourself? Please share ( only if you want to). as your grounding techniques could be one that can also help someone reading .

Kindness only.

Karen (Grandy).

Hello everyone,

Our senses can be powerful emotional triggers. A certain smell can make you feel calmer, a soothing touch can help us feel safe and calm, The right music can energise us, fill us with peace and sometimes move us to tears, Even though we've had all these experiences we never think to consciously harness the power of our senses to help ourselves to feel better, we can do this by making ourselves A GROUNDING BOX.

A grounding box box is simply a box of things that help us when we are in need them. If we have things gathered in one place before we use them, we don't have to worry about gathering them when we need grounding. It can be a simple box, that we fill with some things to ground us.

A simple box could be a old shoe box, Why not spend some time decorating it, you might want to paint it, or add some cut outs, of your favourite things, butterflies, frogs, rainbows, glitter glue.

Inside our grounding box we can things that will use our 5 senses, sight, touch,, sound, smell, taste.

Some things we can put into our grounding box could be.

Touch....Feathers, smooth stones, stress ball, play doh, plasticine, colouring book, journal, pens and pencils.

Sound.....Your favourite CD, or a meditation tape, headphones, a list of your favourite YouTube clips,

Taste....Some really sour lollies (warheads are good), strong peppermint lollies, chips, chocolate, snack pack of biscuits, anything that you like eating.

Smell....A candle, essential oils, eucalyptus leaves, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil. your favourite perfume or aftershave.

Sight....A photo of your family or friends, a postcard, book, magazine, travel brochures, soduku, puzzle book.

These are just examples of what you could place into your grounding box. You can at anytime you want to add some new items to it, take some out, replace them,

I would also recommend making a grounding box to-go. This is essentially a smaller version of the same thing, but made travel size, I would recommend a pair of earplugs, to deaden high noise ares, so there handy if you find yourself in a situation that the noises are causing you anxiety. The go-to grounding box/packet/satchel you make, should be small enough to fit in your handbag for when you are out and about, as well as being small enough to fit into your glovebox or at least small enough to be stashed into your car for travelling.

Has anyone got a grounding box, if so what items have you got in yours?

Kindness only,

Karen, (Grandy).

Hi Grandy

Thank you so much for the post. I didn't really know a lot about grounding, but so many of the tips were things I was already doing whenever I was struggling. I'll definitely try the others you have suggested, I really like the idea of a grounding box.

All the best wishes :)

Hey Just Sara

I really like the smoothie idea and focusing on each step. I think I'll try it in the morning tomorrow :)

And the tip with flicking your hands out is great. I tried it and it really helped - actually felt quite nice, thank you.

All the best wishes :)

Hello Green Tea & Honey,

Thank you for popping in and having a read, I'm pleased you like the idea of a grounding box..

It's a simple box filled with what works for you when you need grounding, it saves you from running around looking for things that work, as now they are all handy in one spot. Items can be changed, taken out, or replaced, when you feel you need something different.

Hi everyone, posters and readers,

Do you have a unique, different way of grounding yourself that could be beneficial to other posters or readers, please share your ideas or thoughts. They could help someone to get grounded.

Karen..(Grandy).

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would put a few grounding techniques for grounding when needed.

As the name implies, grounding is a particular way of coping that is designed to "ground" you in the present moment. In doing so, you can retain your connection with the present moment and reduce the likelihood that you slip into a flashback or dissociation. In this way, grounding may be considered to be very similar to mindfulness.

To ground, you want to use the five senses (sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight). To connect with the here and now, you want to do something that will bring all your attention to the present moment. A couple of grounding techniques are described below.

Sound..... Turn on loud music..
Loud, Bassy music will be hard to ignore. And as a result, your attention will be directed to that noise, bringing you into the present moment.

Touch..... Grip a piece of ice...
If you notice that you are slipping into a flashback or a dissociative state, hold onto a piece of ice. It will be difficult to direct your attention away from the extreme coldness of the ice, forcing you to stay in touch with the present moment

Smell.....Sniff some strong peppermint,or Lavender...
When you smell something strong, it is very hard to focus on anything else. In this way, smelling something strong, like peppmint can bring you into the present moment, hopefully slowing down or stopping altogether a flashback or an episode of dissociation.

Taste: Bite into a lemon.....
The sourness of a lemon and the strong sensation it produces in your mouth when you bite into it can force you to stay in the present moment.

Sight: Make a mental list of everything around you
Connect with the present moment by listing everything around you. Identify all the colors you see. Count all the ornaments, floor tiles, or furniture.

Make a list off all the noises you hear. Taking an inventory of your immediate environment can directly connect you with the present moment.

Your thoughts are welcome.

Kindness only,

Karen..(Grandy)..

Awww Karen, what an awesome thread. Such amazing examples for grounding.

The 'grounding box' really took me back. I remember years and years ago, well before I knew I had mental health issues, I too had a box that I kept to feel, smell, touch. see. In this box I kept shells, feathers, rocks from the beach. When I was feeling stressed or what i now know as anxiety I used to pull the box out and sit and meditate while feeling, smelling and looking at these beautiful things. It would relax me.

Now, to ground myself I just walk outside into the garden, listen and watch the birds. We have two bird baths. One in the front yard and one in the back yard. I also water the garden and hopefully water the frogs to get them singing. All through winter they thanked me for the water. It was beautiful.

Other techniques i've used over the years is asana yoga poses. Usually the standing and sitting ones, while breathing by breath.

Again Karen. Great thread.

Hi Karen, also Random, Sara, GreenTeaAndHoney, and Pamela.

Thanks Pamela for posting here, as I was about to go looking for this thread after mentioning it on your thread. You saved me going looking for it as it sprang up here before my very eyes.

Very useful thread Karen. I dont have any advice to add at this stage. I mainly want to follow along with everyone elses tips for now. But I will be going through some grounding techniques with my psych in upcoming sessions with her. If I learn something which may benefit others here, which is not already here, then I'll post it.

Amanda

Hello Pamela,

Thank you for your kind words and great input.

I still use my grounding box at times I get extremely anxious. But usually I ground myself by going outside, taking my shoes off sitting with my feet on the grass and watch the clouds drift pass.

If I need grounding during the night, I head out front onto the veranda and sit on my old lounge leaning back and watch the stars, we have no street lights where I live, so the stars are amazing.. a few occasions I must have drifted of to sleep because I woke up to a front row seat of a beautiful sunrise..

There is so many ways to get grounded it's really what works for the individual..

Grounding boxes are once made by you readily available and can easily be stored in different places around the house or yard for quick availability if required.

Karen..

Hello everyone,

We all know how terrible anxiety can feel. From the nauseous feeling to the panicky sensation when you have to try something new, to the overwhelming anxiety that incapacitates you.
Grounding is a simple but effective therapeutic technique that can help you when strong anxiety hits. You can use grounding when you feel like the anxiety is taking over, when you feel numb, like you are in a dream, lost in past events.
Grounding helps to bring a person back to the here and now, to realise that they are safe and in control of their reality and emotions. It helps a person to refocus and find calmness and strength in the present moment when they are highly anxious and emotional.
There are many different grounding techniques for anxiety.

Some more examples of grounding techniques.

Grounding techniques which are good for anxiety.
The 54321 technique.
Name 5 things you can see in the room with you (e.g. chair, painting)
Name 4 things you can feel (e.g. my feet on the floor, cool air on my skin)
Name 3 things you can hear right now (e.g. people talking outside)
Name 2 things you can smell right now (e.g. toast, perfume)
Name 1 good thing about yourself (e.g. I am strong)
Touch and describe an object

Find an object around you e.g. cushion, handbag, etc.
Try to describe it as if you are explaining it to someone who has never seen it before. e.g.
“This is a cushion, it is a square shape with a red and purple pattern of stripes…it feels soft with some hard ridges around the corners”
Repeat until you feel calm.

Memory game
When you are feeling anxious, you need to try to bring yourself to the present moment, and using your memory can help with this. e.g.Name as many types of dog breeds you can.How many cities have you visited around the world.

Repeat the alphabet

Square Breathing
Getting your breathing under control can be hugely effective in reducing anxiety, but most people either breathe too fast or hold their breath when they are trying to calm down.

Square breathing is a simple way to refocus your attention to your breath and the present moment.
With your index finger, slowly trace the shape of a square in front of you, keeping your eyes on that finger.
With one side, breathe in for 3 seconds…
With the next side....hold your breath for 1 second…
With the third side.... breathout for 3 seconds…
With the final side...... hold for 1 second..keep repeating this until calm.

Karen..(Grandy).

Hello Amanda, and everyone else,

Thank you Amanda for calling in and taking a look here,

Everyones input, suggestions are very welcome, the more ideas and suggestions for different ways of grounding is always welcome. Not everything works for everyone, it's good to get different combinations of how you can be grounded.

I have over the last few days been very high with anxiety after being triggered, I ended up sitting outside last night near midnight watching and counting the stars while I was popping bubble wrap, It took a while but it grounded me, enough for some meditation and mindfulness music and eventually sleep.

Karen (Grandy).

Hello Karen

Being triggered is the pits isn't it. The most difficult part for me is working out why. Though I have overtime realised that finding out what the trigger is not really that important. It's how i manage through the trigger. You sound like you're doing all the right things Grandy. So hang in there you wonderful woman. You are so inspiring!! Keep going - you are a marvel. I know you're going to find it difficult to accept my phrase, but lovely one. It's all okay. You're here now, with us on BB.!

Hello Karen and everyone ❤

Karen what a wonderful thread idea.

I needed grounding yesterday and i went and sat with my chickens. Watched them with their simple ways. I picked one up and held her and patted her and she fell to snoozing in my lap.

They don't worry about the future or get tangled up in angst about the stupid thing they said yesterday.

They're just here, present, right now. They helped to ground me and bring me back to now.

Love 🌻birdy

A quick reply.

I also find sitting outside on my back patio and simply listening to the birds and watching their antics is lovely. It's very much like mindfulness which you can do anytime, anywhere. When sitting outside and feeling the grass beneath your feet or any of the other suggestions you have so thoughtfully provided, you will be concentrating on one aspect at a time.

Mindfulness is very similar. It simply requires you to be in the moment with whatever you are doing. A friend of mine did this when washing the evenings dishes. He made a point of noticing everything he did and concentrating on doing the best job he could. Like sitting in the garden, the attention becomes focussed on the thing immediately before you. While you are attentive to your task you are able to release the anxiety. There is simply no room for it.

This is a gift to yourself that you can take anywhere. Focus on what is next, then next, then next. It's quite surprising how it slows down your life in a good way.

Mary

Hello Pamela, Birdy, Mary, everyone else,

Pamela....I agree being triggered is the pits, and it most important to try and get yourself under control asap. At times getting under control is not as hard as other times.

Birdy....Thank you for your lovely story about your little chickens, you made it sound so sad but peaceful.. I often think about what you said about chickens/animals living in the now. 🐣🐥🐰🦋. no worries about the stress of living..

Mary... it's nice to just sit barefoot feet on the grass listening to birds, as you mentioned this is like mindfulness. With grounding oneself we should be trying to use all 5 of our senses, I have found out that I can usually ground myself before I've used the 5 senses....sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste, It depends how deep into your triggers/anxiety as to how long it would take you to get yourself grounded...

I have my grounding boxes out near my favourite spots, front veranda, back veranda, in the shed, so I can watch the clouds or birds while "playing" with my grounding box..

Thank you all for your very encouraging posts,

Karen.

Hello Gilip,

Sorry it's taken a while for me to answer you, I hope your traveling with some light..

A grounding box is a little cardboard box, maybe you could use a shoe box where you put some items inside for when you are over anxious, triggered etc, and you need to ground yourself..ie get yourself in the now.. The 1st post here page 1 explains grounding and some suggested items to put in them..

Kind thoughts

Karen. (Grandy)

Hello Everyone,

I just thought I would update this thread a little with some different types of grounding techniques being used..

Just a few more thing to try for grounding.

Cover Your Crown
I don’t fully understand why this grounding exercise is so effective, but it almost always works. When you are ungrounded, place one hand over the crown your head. That’s it. If it helps, close your eyes to avoid distractions.
Time: 30 seconds to 1 minute

Feel Your Feet
I often use this technique because it’s so fast and effective. Sitting or standing, place all of your awareness on the bottom of your feet. Pay attention to any sensations.
Time: 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Follow Your Breath
Close your eyes and as you inhale, trace the air as it enters your nose and goes into your lungs. On the exhale, follow the air leaving your lungs and exiting your nose or mouth.
This grounding technique gets more effective with practice. The key is to observe the breath instead of forcing it with your mind. Let your body lead and your mind will follow.
Time: 1 minute to 10 minutes.

Stand Like a Tree
this powerful grounding technique is a guide to an ancient standing meditation.
Stand with your feet parallel and at least shoulder’s width apart. Keep your head floating above your body, chin tucked, and spine straight. Rest your hands at your side or place them over your navel.
Sink all of your body’s weight and tension into your feet (without collapsing your posture), allowing it to be absorbed into the ground. To support this grounding process, imagine roots growing out the bottom of your feet, extending deep into the ground beneath you.
Time: 1 minute to 10 minutes.

Take a Cool Shower
This grounding technique has many health benefits. Cold exposure has shown to increase immunity, reduce fat, and elevate mood (by triggering dopamine). If you’re not used to taking a cold shower, start of with the water cool, over a period of a few weeks start to turn the water a little cooler each day until you get the water as cool as you want.

Have you or do you use any of these techniques to ground yourself or do you have other methods of doing so.

Kind thoughts.

Karen..(Grandy).

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all feeling okay with some light shining in.

I needed help today so I decided I would write what I just done in here and why. Plus some more information on what grounding is about and how it can help us.

The the best way to stay grounded is to stay fully present in the now/present moment. This is where our power is. In order to ground ourself and get some light in we must find the light to do so by grounding ourselves. When we are constantly aware of how we are feeling with ouremotions, behaviour, and are aware of where we are and what we are doing we have control and direction.

As soon as we get ungrounded we loose our power, control and direction, we then might get into a panick attack, shakey, anxious , frightened and light headed and tend to loose our control when in the face of high anxiety we are often not grounded, so we need to ground ourself to regain control. This is done by coming into the now/present.

I/we talked a bit about different ways of grounding, my favourite way is to be barefoot outside with my feet touching the grass, dirt, sand and even unpainted concrete works for me, while I'm standing or sitting, I will look around until I can focus on something, listen for sounds, could be birds, the wind or the leaves moving in the wind, then I take in the smells of the air, flowers, plants, grass, I like to break some grass off the ground and smell it, it's like when you cut the lawn the aroma is the same, I aso try to have a mint or sour lolly with me to eat..I have used the 5 senses and hopefully more so then not I can ground myself.

I just came inside from doing these 5 simple things and I do feel more under control.

Karen. (Grandy).

Hello Everyone,

Grounding when not feeling over anxious can be done by taking your mind else where and out of your anxious mind.

I was feeling a bit frazzled and anxious, a few days ago when Smallwolf gave me a gift of a pond, I took myself there and it helped, so I am going to share it with you all as well.

Smallwolf's gift..Thank you..

""". think of us all going for a walk through a field of flowers and a gentle breeze in the air. Birds and insect eat the nectar from flowers of all colors. We come upon a stream of flowing cool water - crystal clear. Smooth pebbles cover the bottom of the stream. Walking in the water, we follow it upstream for a while and come upon a large pool of water which looks to feed the stream. A waterfall is on the opposite side. A place where we can all wash away the hurt. Of course we will have to leave, but if ever need this place again, it is our secret."""""

kindness only,

Grandy..

Morning Karen,

Thanks for sharing that. And thanks to Smallwolf as well.

I have been reading your grounding thread this morning Karen, because I can feel my anxiety rising again this morning. I started out okay, at least I thought I did. Now I'm all over the place, lost again.

Will read some more of your thread, see if I can make it work. Thank you for providing these tips.

Amanda

Hi,

I’m pretty new here & still trying to work out how to use this sight properly. Technology is definitely not my strongest point! 😊

I just read your post. I just wanted to say that I think the Grounding box is a brilliant idea. I’m definitely going to give it a go. The sense of smell is something that I find very soothing & useful.

Thank you 

Hello Bella Donna,

Thank you for taking the time to read through my thread, I'm pleased that you found something that may help you..

Kind thoughts,

Grandy..

Hello Everyone,

Here is a small list of different scents/smells and what they are helpful for..

1. Lemon.... This scent promotes concentration and has calming effect that are helpful when you're feeling angry, anxious or run down.

2. Lavender. This essential oil has calming effect that help control emotional stress, and also a soothing effect on nerves and can relieve nervous tension and depression as well as treat headaches and migraines.

3. Jasmine. it is also used to calm nerves, and also help us by giving us an uplifting feeling to help with confidence, optimism and energy.

4.. Rosemary. This is the perfect pick-me-up. rosemary has stimulating properties that fight can help physical exhaustion, headaches and mental fatigue.

5. Cinnamon. can help fight mental fatigue and improve concentration and focus.

6. Peppermint..An energy booster, this scent seems to help awaken the mind, to promote concentration and helps to stimulate clear thinking.

placed into small bottles these are then easy to fit into your grounding box/boxes to be easily accessed if needed..

What is your favourite scent?

All thoughts are welcome..

Kindness only,

Grandy..
 

Hi everyone,

some more scents that are helpful in Mental Health are.

Vanilla......is often associated with food, ice creams, cakes, pastries, chocolates. It has a calming, relaxing and comforting effect, especially when it is not paired with scents that stimulate the nervous system.
The essential oil of vanilla is processed through distillation of the vanilla seed pods. In some studies, vanilla when ingested increases the levels of adrenaline, thereby stimulating and invigorating the person.
Rose......The rose flower and petal by itself earned it the title “Queen of the Garden”. For poets and lovers, rose symbolize love and perfection.
The wonderfully intense, sweet and floral scent of the rose is useful in calming nervous tensions. It gives one a positive feeling about oneself.
Lilac..... is a genus of a flowering woody plant that produces scents for relaxations, lilac is hard to ensnare in oil..Use it in perfumes and warm water as a tonic and healing spritz.
The scent produced brings serenity, pleasurable memories and peaceful slumber. Lilac induces calming effect for those who are insomniacs.
Ylang-ylang.....The intensely sweet, heady, floral and spicy scent of ylang-ylang has both stimulating and calming effect. For some, ylang-ylang induces sleep. However, according to research, it stimulates mental alertness.
For many, sniffing the extract of this flower lowers the blood pressure and relieves palpitations. For those who are anxious and in rage, slow down the sympathetic nervous system, a pleasant aroma that puts one to peaceful slumber.
For many, sniffing the extract of this flower lowers the blood pressure and relieves palpitations.
Mandarin... The fragrance is extracted from the outer peel, and gives of a feel of being uplifted and rejuvenated.

I will add more of these wonderful depressions/anxiety helping fragrances as I learn more..

These are all to find naturally or to purchase from Health stores.

Kind thoughts.

Grandy..