7 Grounding Exercises: A Powerful Tool For When You Feel Overwhelmed

Grounding is a simple mental tool you can use at any given moment to become more relaxed.

The basic idea behind “grounding” is that when you find yourself feeling stressed, worried, or overwhelmed about a situation you can’t control, you “ground” yourself into the present moment by observing your immediate surroundings.

For example, one simple “grounding” technique is to look around and identify 5 objects in your environment. “Couch, dog, TV, book, laptop…” By doing this, you temporarily take your focus away from your worrisome thoughts and shift it to the present moment.

Grounding helps to reduce negative thoughts by shifting your focus outside of your mind and “busy thoughts” and into your body and “raw sensations.”

There are many different types of “grounding” techniques. Each is designed to shift your focus into the present moment in some way.

I’ll be sharing 7 types of “grounding” exercises here. Feel free to try out each one and see which you like best.

Five Senses

The first grounding technique is called “5 Senses.”

All you need to do is scan each of your 5 senses and identify everything you observe for each one.

Take a moment and focus on each sense:

• Sight – What do you see?
• Sound – What do you hear?
• Touch – What do you feel?
• Smell – What do you smell?
• Taste – What do you taste?

This is a quick and simple mindfulness exercise that takes no more than 5 minutes (if you really engage with each sense).

I do the exact same practice as part of my weekly multi-stage meditation, although I refer to it as a quick “Body Scan.”

There’s also a similar grounding technique known as the “5-4-3-2-1” method. It’s the same idea, just a different structure: identify 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell, and one thing you taste.

In general, I enjoy this technique because it’s a great way to step back and focus more on the little things that make up our experiences. It always seems to center me and remind me that I’m alive and safe.

You can download a worksheet version of this exercise here: 5 Senses Meditation (PDF)

10 Deep Breaths

One of the easiest ways to “ground” yourself into the present moment is to focus on your breathing.

The breath is an anchor to the present moment. No matter where you go, it’s always with you. This makes it one of the most reliable focal points for relaxation and meditation.

Taking a step back and taking 10 deep breaths into your belly can be a great way to slow yourself down and regroup yourself when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

It’s such a simple thing, but it’s true.

Of course, when someone else tells you “Relax! Take 10 deep breaths!” that just makes you more stressed out, but if you can gently remind yourself the importance of slow breathing, it will change the way you respond to negativity throughout the day.

In many ways, your breathing is like a controller for your nervous system. You can energize yourself by breathing faster and shallower, or you can relax yourself by breathing slower and deeper.

If you can become more aware of your breathing and the different ways you can control it, you will become a master of your mental state.

Mindful Stretching

Mindful stretching is a great way to ground yourself by stepping outside of your mind and inside your body.

Any type of slow, mindful movement such as Yoga, Tai Chi, or just stretching and exploring your body’s movements, is a great way to be in the present moment.

Mindful stretching also helps with relieving built up stress and tension in your muscles and joints – relaxing you on both a mental and physical level.

We often aren’t aware of how much stress and tension we are carrying in our bodies. A progressive muscle relaxation is one of the best ways to explore this and release this tension. You’ll be surprised by how much better your body feels afterwards.

Mindful stretching may be a difficult grounding technique to use in person (it would be a bit odd if you started doing spontaneous Yoga poses out in public), but it’s a great way to ground yourself when you are overwhelmed at home or by yourself.

I do 10-15 minutes of mindful stretching every morning before I jump in the shower (as part of my morning ritual). I consider it an essential habit in my daily routine.

Nature Bathing

Being around nature is a great way to “ground yourself” into the present moment.

Nature often grabs our attention and automatically makes us feel better to be around because we’ve evolved to live in green environments, not inside our homes or offices all day.

The Japanese have a wonderful term shinrin-yoku which translates to “forest bathing” (or “nature bathing”). The basic idea is that just by being around nature, or taking a walk through a forest, we are “bathing” in the energy of nature and soaking up the atmosphere.

When you feel stressed, step back and focus on nature, even if it’s just stepping outside and identifying 3 living things (tree, bird, squirrel…)

You don’t need to go hiking or camping to experience the benefits of nature. Studies show that paying more attention to everyday nature that is right in front of you can also boost mental health and well-being.

Another great way to ground yourself with nature is to just go for a short walk outside. Find a local park nearby, or just go for a walk around your block or office building. The sun, grass, and blue sky can be a refreshing change from our usual lives spent indoors or focusing on work.

You can also try watching nature videos on YouTube. Just search “nature live stream” or “live zoo stream” for a variety of interesting feeds. I sometimes put on “bird feeding” streams such as this while I’m drinking my coffee in the morning. Interestingly, research shows that listening to birds singing can reduce stress, as its an evolutionary signal of safety that often means there are no incoming storms or predators in the area.

A Pet or Stuffed Animal

Spending time with a pet can be one of the best ways to ground yourself in the present moment and shift your attention away from whatever is troubling you.

This is why therapy pets are becoming increasingly popular, especially among those with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Trained therapy pets can sense when a person is being “triggered” and immediately respond to help calm the person down.

In general, pets have a comforting and relaxing effect and give us a sense of connection and meaning in life. More research is continuing to come out about how pets help with anxiety, loneliness, and depression.

I know having a dog has definitely boosted my mental health and well-being in the long-term, especially as someone who lives alone. And when I’m feeling a bit too stressed or overwhelmed about something, taking a step back and spending some time with her is one of the best ways to ground myself.

If a pet is too much of a responsibility, stuffed animals can also have a similar effect.

If you are very tactile person, having a cuddly stuffed animal (or cozy blanket to wrap yourself up in) can be a great way to create a safety signal when you need to calm yourself down.

Feel-Good Smells

Smells can also be a great way to anchor pleasant and relaxing feelings.

One new study showed that aromatherapy can help reduce stress among nurses. The researchers found that participants felt significantly less stressed, anxious, fatigued and overwhelmed after wearing “aromatherapy patches” that were scented with a citrusy blend of essential oils: lemon, orange, mandarin, pink grapefruit, lemongrass, lime and peppermint. There have also been studies demonstrating the relaxing effects of lavender.

In general, choose smells that you enjoy and calm you down, especially if you already have a positive association with them (such as they remind you of a special person, time, or place in your life).

I know a couple people who use scented lip balm or moisturizer whenever they are feeling stressed in a situation. The nice smells calm them down and make them feel a bit better.

I’ve also been experimenting more with the role of “smell” in my environment and how it influences my mental state. For the past few months, I’ve been lighting scented candles during “creative”/”music making”-time. I will eventually start to anchor certain smells to relaxation and motivation too.

Smells are an often underrated sense, so they can be an interesting avenue to explore.

Sound Meditation

Sound is one of my favorite senses to meditate on.

All you need to do is close your eyes and listen, and a whole world of sound opens up that you aren’t typically aware of: cars, air-conditioning, birds chirping, the fridge humming, clock ticking, etc.

A sound meditation is one great way to explore sound more in-depth, but even a simple 30 seconds closing your eyes and making a mental note of all you hear can be a great way to “step back” and ground yourself in the present.

In truth, any sense – sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste – can become a type of grounding exercise all by itself. All you need to do is stop and focus.

Conclusion

All of these are fantastic options you have to ground yourself. Which one sounds the most interesting or effective to you?

Make a plan for how you can ground yourself the next time you are feeling super stressed and overwhelmed. Without a plan, it can be difficult to remember how to ground yourself when you are in the heat of the moment.

That’s really important.

Overall, I hope you take the time to practice grounding and discover the benefits for yourself.

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