5 Simple Grounding Techniques to Quickly Soothe Your Anxiety

If you struggle with anxiety, you know how overwhelming it can be.

Your heart pounds against your chest. Sweat is accumulating in some not-so-pleasant places. Your thoughts are racing.

You cradle yourself gently, wishing all the anxiety away, but it won’t leave. It’s sticking to you like a piece of gum in your hair. All matted with your self-esteem and self-worth. Let me assure you, you are not your anxiety.

Fortunately, there are simple techniques that can help you calm down quickly. In this article, I'll share five of our favorite grounding techniques

Square yourself away

Box breathing is a simple breathing exercise. As you follow the exercise, it regulates your breathing and slows down your heart. Anxiety makes your breathing shallow and rapid, which can contribute to feelings of panic. All you need to do is:

Breathe in for four beats
Hold your breath for four beats
Exhale for four beats
Hold for four beats

You repeat this as many times as necessary until your anxiety lifts. Box breathing will help you take slow, deep breaths that calm your body and help you relax.

Counting down

One of my favorite go-to methods to ground myself is the 5–4–3–2–1 method. Whenever I’m feeling stuck in my head or out of my body, it’s the perfect thing to bring me back. It works like this. Identify:

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

Often, I feel better before I get to smell and taste. This technique brings the focus to your senses and grounds you in the present moment. When you’re anxious, you may dwell on the past or worry about the future. The 5-4-3-2-1 method helps you shift your focus to the present moment.

Calm yourself

Now, I’m not saying to literally calm yourself all on your own. If you could do that, chances are you wouldn’t need these. But using the CALM framework can help you refocus yourself.

For each letter, name something that brings you joy. Let the joy wash over you, and try to feel it calm you from the inside out.

For example, one may look like

Chuck (TV Show)
Animals
Lakes
Marianas Trench (the band)

This technique helps shift your focus to positive, joyful thoughts. When you’re anxious, you are often consumed by negative thoughts and worries. The CALM framework interrupts this cycle by focusing on things that bring you joy.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sleeping-in-bed-near-smartphone-4473864/

Seeing Rs

There’s a new framework on the block by psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz. It’s called the 4 R’s, and it goes like this.

Relabel: the basic idea behind this stage is to label a compulsive thought or obsessive urge for what it is
Reattribute: the key to reattribution is to recognize your thought is the result of a medical disease
Refocus: consciously shift your attention to another task
Revalue: ask yourself, are you still feeling the same way? Do these fears seem as valid as they did ten minutes ago?

This helps you recognize and manage obsessive or compulsive thoughts. You might be stuck on certain thoughts or worries. And the 4 R technique helps you recognize these thoughts for what they are and shifts your focus.

Snooze away

My therapist gave me this technique when I told him I was overwhelmed. He introduced me to the REST method. I put this at the end as more of a complementary technique, but it can still help you find calm. Here’s how to use it.

R: Relax

The first step is to take a deep breath and relax. Use one of the previous techniques to help win down or listen to relaxing music. The goal is to release the tension your body is carrying. That way, you’ll be equipped to deal with the situation.

E: Evaluate

Next, evaluate the situation. Ask yourself — what are the facts? What is happening in your body physically, mentally, and emotionally? By taking a simple inventory of the situation, you can better understand what's happening and how to move forward.

S: Set an intention

Now that you’ve evaluated the situation set an intention for what you will do next. Decide what the next step of action will be and focus on that one thing. If you get too far ahead of yourself, you'll be overwhelmed. So take it one step at a time, and trust that you can handle whatever comes your way.

T: Take action

Take action on the intention you set. Proceed mindfully, knowing that you're equipped to deal with the situation. By breaking down the crisis into manageable steps, you'll be able to move forward with confidence and clarity.

When you’re anxious or overwhelmed, knowing what to do next can be hard. The REST method helps you break down the situation into manageable steps.

It can be beneficial to attach a cue to the REST method to recognize when to implement it. For example, creating a personal mantra or affirmation associated with the REST technique can remind you to use it whenever you feel overwhelmed or stressed.

What I mean by this is to have a mantra or affirmation you’ve tied to the REST mechanism. It will trigger you to go through the process whenever you get stressed out.

My mantra is, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.”

It’s good if you can stay silly and lighthearted. It’s best to avoid anything that could be negative or detrimental to your well-being.

Feel free to borrow mine.

Every time you feel stressed, remind yourself to check it before you wreck yourself.

This will cue you to go through the REST process.

Now you’re all set to handle a crisis the next time it comes around.

Final thoughts

Remember, you’ve got this. These grounding techniques are your new secret weapons against anxiety. With practice, they can help you regain control and find your calm in even the most chaotic situations.

So the next time anxiety tries to get the best of you, show it who’s boss using these easy, quick, and effective methods. You’ll be able to quiet your mind, refocus your thoughts, and return to living your amazing life.

Ready to level yourself up and become the best version of yourself? Download my free journaling guide now.

Maggie Kelly is a freelance writer who writes about mental health, self-help, and psychology. Contact at maggiepkelly@gmail.com