A toolkit for when anxiety and panic visits.
***Think of this more of a reference tool for options to deal with anxiety or feelings of panic. It's more as a bank of potential ideas rather than an long read. Try a few and see if they work for you. You can come back to it later!
Physical grounding techniques:
4-7-8 breathing
- start by exhaling all of your breath through your mouth
- Then you take an inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, and then exhale the breath through your mouth for 8 seconds. You repeat this cycle of breath at least 4 times."
It essentially helps your body feel safe and relaxed and can quell anxious thoughts. After doing this exercise, you will notice that your breathing patterns changed, and you may notice less tension in your body.
Tense and release the tension.
"Try tensing your hands—like making fists—for several seconds and then releasing the tension. You can do this with your legs, arms, feet, etc.," de la Rosa says. Clenching your fists allows you to channel the energy of the emotion in your hands, then release it.
When you do these tense and release exercises, you are helping your body notice sensations of tension and relaxation,"
It can help distract you from some intense anxious thoughts or physiological experiences in your body.
Stretch your body.
When you stretch your body, you are redirecting your attention to any tense muscles. Notice if your neck or shoulders are stiff. If they are, take a moment to relax them.
As you're stretching your muscles, feel how your muscles contract when you activate different parts. How does it feel in the areas where you store stress, like your shoulders and neck? Take a beat to observe your muscle groups in between your tense and relaxed state. After a while, you should experience some relief from any agitating thoughts.
Touch Something.
Try touching objects with unique textures or weight for extra sensation. This is a technique that can remind you of what's really happening in the moment. You can touch anything—this can look like a knit blanket, a fuzzy pillow, a textured ball, a weighted squeeze ball, or a smooth stone. If you want to go further, you can pay attention to the colours, its weight, and how it feels in your hand.
Pick up the item and put all your attention toward noticing the sensation of touching it," she says. Keep your perception focused on your sensations and current surroundings.
Feel the changing temperatures.
Try this method if you want to quickly move your attention away from anxiety. Put your hands under cold running water, touch an ice cube, drink ice water, sip a warm beverage, step outside into the cold air—whatever it is, just notice how your body responds to these new sensations.
When you turn your attention to the physical reality rather than anxiety's fearful predictions, you'll feel your body calm down within a minute or two.
The 3-3-3 method.
When you engage in this exercise, you are bringing your attention back to the room/setting you are in and also bringing attention to your body.
Can you name that particular shade of colour of the object? How does the noise sound to your ears? Are your joints stiff when you stretch?
Name objects you see around you, in increasing detail, like, 'I see a chair, it's a blue chair, it's a blue velvet chair, it's a blue velvet chair with brown legs and a white pillow, etc.
Mental grounding techniques:
Visualize a safe space.
When you're doing a visualization exercise, you can imagine anything that brings you peace. Perhaps it's a beach, forest, or bonfire. What do the waves feel like? How do the trees sound when the wind plays with the leaves? Does the bonfire smell like s'mores?
Say what you're observing out loud.
Look at the time. What's around you right now? What's in the room you're in? If you're thinking about a past event, remembering your surroundings will steer you away from experiencing flashbacks over a past event.
It doesn't have to be what's around you either. If you're stuck, get creative with your thoughts.
You can think of lists: Name all the flowers you can think of, cartoons, or the names of characters in your favourite book, saying it out loud so you can further connect to the moment instead of what's happening in your head.
Give anxiety a face
Sometimes, anxiety can saturate your reality so much that you feel like it's a part of you instead of something that you're temporarily experiencing.
Imagine your anxiety as something separate from yourself.
Draw or describe it as a little gremlin, an animal, or a cartoon. Then you can mentally visualize the story of your interactions with anxiety. By personifying your anxious thoughts, you can separate it from yourself so you're not swirling in your head.
Tips for practicing grounding techniques effectively:
Be patient.
When you ground yourself, you may feel immediate effects, or it may be an slow process. Exercise patience with what you're experiencing. When it's working, you'll notice you're not spiraling with your thoughts because you'll feel connected to your body and immediate environment.
Adapt any technique as needed to make it work for you.
The best news is that grounding doesn't require a step-by-step protocol. As long as you are drawing your attention to the moment and connecting to your surroundings in a meaningful way, you're grounding properly.
