Anxiety can be overwhelming. Stress is all around us, and sometimes it feels like there’s nothing else, making it hard to breathe, to think, to focus on anything.
When that happens, we practice what’s called grounding: connected and deliberate physical actions and mental exercises that help to focus on something external.
In times of stress, ground yourself
Breathe in deeply through your nose and out your mouth. Feel the air fill your lungs. Then find things around you, counting down from five to one:
Slowly look around you. Count five things you can see.
Count four things you can touch.
Count three things you can hear.
Count two things you can smell.
Think about one emotion you feel.
Of course, you can modify this process and any one of these steps to better fit you where you are. For example, when I need to ground myself at work, there isn’t a wide variety of smells (unless someone puts fish in the microwave).
The process of grounding will work differently for everyone. It’s not a miracle solution, but it has helped us with managing stress. We hope it can help you too. ♥
Love,
Paul, Jessica, & Namine
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