Grounding Techniques Explained: 5 Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques are calming practices to help you focus on the present moment. Calming and refocusing yourself can help relieve emotional stress and minimize anxious thoughts by shifting your attention to physical sensations or different mental stimuli. Grounding methods include breathing exercises, repeating a coping statement, or focusing on a grounding object or smell, such as a piece of jewelry or the scent of an essential oil.

Grounding yourself offers health benefits as a mindfulness practice that can help alleviate stress and calm your nervous system. Grounding exercises—such as taking a walk to get fresh air, listening to your favorite song, or taking deep breaths—can help regulate strong emotions and distract you from distressing thoughts. These techniques are an essential part of a mental health tool kit to help you cope and practice self-love during trying times.

Try these mental grounding techniques as you practice self-care and support your well-being in your daily life:

1. 1. Complete a body scan meditation. If you’re feeling ungrounded, a body scan meditation can shift your focus to your physical body, giving you the tools you need to get outside of your head for a while. Body scan meditation involves paying close attention to how each part of your body feels.
2. 2. Engage with your favorite things. Watching a beloved TV show, taking a soothing bath in warm water, or applying your favorite lotion and enjoying the scent are little things that help wake your senses in a stressful time.
3. 3. Practice breathwork. Breathing exercises help return you to the present moment. Try taking a deep breath in and counting to five as you slowly exhale. If you are in a safe space, try closing your eyes to focus on your breath.
4. 4. Take a walk. Physical grounding techniques focus your attention on how your body feels. Take a stroll or do jumping jacks to raise your heart rate and refocus your attention on physical sensations.
5. 5. Try mind games. Grounding strategies to distract and focus your mind include playing mental games or solving puzzles. For example, you can complete math problems in your head or recite the alphabet backward.

Find something comfortable to sit or lie on, grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, and dial into the present moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Western mindfulness movement. From formal meditation exercises to examinations of the science behind mindfulness, Jon will prepare you for the most important practice of them all: life itself.