Unsettled to Calm with Grounding

Quelling your anxiety with simple practices

If you are feeling anxiety lately, you are not alone. Many people experience symptoms such as irritation, concentration issues, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, restlessness, trembling or a sense of impending doom.

One practice to help when in the throws of anxiety is called grounding. Grounding interrupts the anxious thoughts and allows you to connect back to your body to calm yourself quickly.

Here are three suggestions for your grounding practice:

1. Breathe. Close your eyes and follow your breath. Try inhaling longer than you exhale for 4 breaths. Now reverse that for 4 breaths. Notice how your body and mind are becoming calm.

2. Wiggle your toes. This is especially helpful when in a crowd or while sitting in a meeting. Bring your attention to how your feet feel in your shoes. Wiggle your toes, tense up your foot and the let it relax and stretch a bit.

3. Put your hands in water. Notice the sensation of the water on your fingers. Then on your palms. Change the temperature of the water and notice if that feels different to your fingers or your palms. You can also visualize the water ‘rinsing’ away the anxious thoughts from your mind.

Having a these tools to turn to when you feel anxious or unsettled can go a long way to helping you feel confident you can find your calm again.