So, for example, you might say to yourself, I've had a rough time of
it recently, but I'm doing okay now. I'm doing the best I can.
All is well. Hello.
Today we're going to cover grounding techniques.
Grounding techniques are exercises that help to bring us back into the
here and now when we're struggling with anxiety or depression, with flashbacks,
low mood, and so on. Grounding techniques are particularly
useful if you're feeling anxious. And what I mean by that is.
Perhaps your thoughts are really ruminating running away with you, or
perhaps your mood's low and you really just don't know.
What to do with yourself. Somehow you're caught up in a cycle.
Of mood that's taking you lower or anxiety that's spiralling you higher.
These techniques will help to reset you into the present, bringing you into the.
Here and now, and enable you to carry on doing what you're doing in
your everyday life.
They really do help avoid assigning meaning.
Or values to your grounding techniques.
What I mean by that is, for.
Example, if you're using a grounding technique.
That focuses on your environment, don't think.
About how you feel about that environment.
Just notice your environment in detail as we go through the exercise.
It's a really great idea to practise, practise, practise with these techniques
well in advance if you actually needing them.
So practise one or two of these.
Techniques each day until you actually need them.
In that way, you're used to what.
You are expecting to do and you're not having to fumble around in the
middle of an anxiety attack.
I suggest that before you begin these exercises, you actually rate what your
mood.
Or anxiety or whatever the problem is for you is.
Out of ten, with zero being the least anxious, for example, and ten being
the most anxious you can imagine being, and then at the end, rerate yourself.
That way, after each exercise, you'll be able to tell whether that exercise is.
Particularly useful for you or not.
One idea for grounding techniques is to put your hands into water.
So run yourself a basin full of warm water or even slightly hot water
and put your hands in. Notice how the water feels on your
hands. Do you notice your fingers begin to
crinkle? How does it feel when you rub
soap over your hands, for example? And then take the water out and
run a sink full of cold water and see what that feels like.
How do your hands feel now? Can you feel the water on the
back of your hands? Does it feel different to when you
had warm water in the sink? Even better if you could put some
ice cubes in the water and hold the ice cube as it begins to
melt. Pick up or touch items that are
within reaching distance of you.
How do they feel?
Are they cool? Are they warm?
Do they feel heavy? Or are they light?
What are the textures? Do they feel rough under your fingertips
or smooth? Look at the colours.
Try to identify specific colours such as crimson or turquoise.
Rather than thinking in reds or blues, really notice the shape of what's in
front of you. In this exercise, we're going to inhale
slowly hold our breath and then breathe out to account.
The precise numbers really don't matter. What does matter is that you exhale
for longer than you inhale. And I'm going to count you through.
It now if you'd like to do it with me.
So.
Breathe in 54321 and
hold 54321 and
exhale 654321.
Exhaling for longer than you inhale means.
That you get rid of the carbon.
Dioxide in your body and it also.
Sets you up for a nice deep breath.
The next time, take a short walk outside, preferably in nature.
Really focus on your steps, counting them if possible.
Really notice your surroundings. Are there any trees?
What kind of tree is it? Do you know?
Notice the leaves. Notice how green things are.
Notice the buildings that are surrounding you.
Might even want to try walking barefoot and see how that feels.
Try moving your body. You could do some gentle exercises or
gentle stretches. For example, maybe doing some jumping
jacks or star jumps, or running up the stairs and walking back down.
Notice your muscle groups as you stretch and move.
Notice whether there's any tension or lightness in your muscles.
Pay attention to how your body feels as you move.
Do you feel easy and relaxed as you move?
Or do you feel stiff and tense? Notice how it feels when your hands
touch the floor. Notice how it feels when your feet
move. In this exercise, we're going to use
the senses to notice the world around us.
It's called 54321. So first, notice five things you can
see around you. Really look, really notice.
What can you see? What stands out for you?
Then notice four things you can hear. Perhaps you can hear a clock ticking.
Perhaps there's the of the computer in the background, maybe a plane going
overhead, a car backfiring, children laughing.
What can you hear? Then reach out and touch three things
around you.
How do they feel?
Are they warm or cool? Rough or smooth?
Then, two things that you can smell. What can you smell?
If you breathe in deeply, you'll catch scents that you were previously unaware
of. Take a really deep breath and let
it settle in your nose and identify. What can you smell?
And finally, one thing you can taste. How does your tongue feel in your
mouth? What can you taste?
Is there the remnants of a sandwich you've eaten for lunch?
A drink you've just had? What's on your tongue?
This next grinding technique is called feel your body.
It's basically a body scan and we.
Can do it quietly and privately.
No one need know you're doing this. You're going to go from the top
of your head to the tip of your toes, just noticing various body
parts.
Don't worry about how a particular body.
Part feels or changing how it feels. Just let it be.
As we go into this exercise, so imagine the top of your head.
Now, in your mind's eye, what can you feel there?
Is it tense or heavy? Light?
What can you feel? What can you feel as you move
down into your face and neck? Any tension there?
You what about your chest?
Does it feel heavy or light?
Restricted or free? Can you feel your chest expanding as
you breathe in and breathe out? Notice your tummy.
How does that feel? Is it gurgling from having eaten lunch
or dinner? Then your arms.
How do your arms and hands feel? Do they feel heavy and relaxed?
It doesn't matter. Don't worry about how it feels and
don't judge it. Just let it be.
And next, we're going to move to.
Our shoulder blades at the top of.
The back, just noticing how they are. Any tension?
Tightness heaviness? And then the hips.
How do they feel?
Your bum as you're sat on the chair, can you feel the heaviness of
the weight of your body on the chair?
What about the backs of your legs?
Again, don't worry about how it feels or try to change it.
Just notice that that's the sensation you're feeling.
Then the bottom of the legs.
How do they feel?
Your feet and toes. And maybe you want to wiggle your
toes. In this exercise, we're going to think
in categories. So choose one or two broad categories.
That you want to think about.
They might be ice cream flavours football teams, or two of my favourites, shoes
and cheese. Take a few minutes to mentally list
as many things as you can from each category.
In this exercise, we use an anchoring phrase.
It can be anything you like. My personal one is my name is
Adele Burden Bailey. I am 59 years old.
I live in Cheshire. It is Friday, the 2 June, and
all is well. In this exercise, we're going to visualise
a daily task. It can be anything you like or
don't mind doing. For example, cooking dinner, doing the
washing, making coffee. In this example, I'm going to take.
You through what it might be like.
To do the washing. So I'm sorting the washing into various
piles. I've got a colours pile and I've
got a cottons pile. I pick up the cottons pile and
take it to the washing machine. I put in the washing powder and
fabric conditioner and close the door. The wash runs its cycle and when
it ends, I take the washing out of the washer.
It's soft and warm and fragrant as I put it into the dryer and
set the dryer going onto spin. Practising Self kindness is a key
grounding technique. In self kindness, we want to be
compassionate to ourselves and to others too.
We can practise selfkindness by repeating compassionate phrases to ourselves.
So, for example, you might say to yourself I've had a rough time of
it recently, but I'm doing okay now. I'm doing the best I can.
All is well.