Grounding Techniques: Tips from a Therapist
Do you sometimes struggle with intense emotions and find it challenging to calm down and feel balanced? This could be a sign that you’re experiencing emotional dysregulation.
Emotional dysregulation is when we become very overwhelmed, making it difficult to cope in the moment. Whilst it’s a very common experience amongst us humans, there are ways we can manage it.
It’s not uncommon for people to be skeptical of grounding techniques - thinking about slowing down when we’re having intense emotional responses seems counterintuitive, but there is some science behind it!
The vagus nerve connects our brain to the autonomous nervous system (ANS). It starts in our brain stem and makes its way down to our kidneys, passing through our hearts and other organs. The ANS is in charge of our involuntary body functions: breathing, digestion etc. I find it useful to think of the vagus nerve as a two way street, meaning it connects and allows the brain and the ANS to communicate. I assumed that our brains are in charge of communicating to our bodies, but research is showing that our ANS is in charge of 80% of communication to our brain, with the brain making up only 20% of communication in that two way street!
So, grounding techniques can help signal calm and safety to our ANS in times of dysregulation and intense overwhelm.
Here are a few grounding techniques that I hope you’ll find useful…
Deep breathing - a simple practice of sitting in a comfortable position and focusing on breathing in for four counts, holding the breath for four counts, releasing the breath for four counts and holding the breath again for four counts after emptying the lungs. This focus on the breath can help bring us back to a place of calm.
Anchoring/Grounding/Centering - pay attention to where you are, are you sitting or standing? Notice which parts of the body are in contact with the floor or a chair. Can you lean more of your weight into the chair or your feet? How does that feel? Notice shifts in sensations as you adjust your weight distribution. Another form of grounding is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 things you can taste. You can adjust this technique to suit you, for example if you are blind or deaf.
Connection - co-regulation with a person can bring a sense of calm and ease. However, picturing a safe place or person can be just as effective. If you can’t think of one, try imagining what a safe place would look like and visualising yourself there.
I hope you found something helpful here.
Nia