My top 4 grounding techniques!

Have you ever found yourself feeling trapped, disconnected, unable to move, or numb? This may be a sign that you’re feeling dysregulated and may need a helpful grounding exercise to connect back into your body. Grounding can be especially helpful during moments of dissociation or when you feel so overwhelmed that you don’t know where to begin.

These moments of dysregulation are our nervous system acting in overdrive resulting in our higher cognitive thinking to shut down. There are a quite a few techniques to bring yourself back into your body and ground yourself in the present. Below are a few of my favorites:  

1. 54321: name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste.

2. Categories: Name as many things from one group that you can in one minute.  I have a client that loves to name types of cereal, but you can choose whatever list you’d like. Some other options include dog or cat breeds, colors, appliances, clothing brands, plants, etc…

3. Sour candy: This may become a favorite of yours depending on your taste preferences! Sour candy shocks the brain and brings you back to the present moment. My go to is Sour Patch Kids Watermelon!

4. Wash your hands! I had a counselor years ago teach me this. Ever since this has been my personal tried and true for moments that I feel dysregulated and need a quick jump start. I’ll mindfully wash my hands in cold water with soap. The sound of the water, the smell of the soap, and the feeling of the cold water works in a similar way to 54321.

These may sound simple, but they can be life changing when you find yourself frozen and unable to move through your current emotions. You can begin practicing these skills today, right now, wherever you are. If you’d like support or counseling to explore more ways to connect with yourself and stay grounded, I’m here to help.