When you’re in the middle of a flashback, painful memories, or debilitating emotions, it can be hard to pull yourself out of it.
Luckily, over the years, mental health experts have developed grounding techniques to help people cope with PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health issues that have developed from trauma. These practices work to distract you from what you’re feeling, bringing you out of your head and into the present.
ere are six simple grounding techniques to help you cope with PTSD and panic.
Sensory grounding techniques
This type of technique uses physical sensations to stimulate your five senses and bring your mind back into the present moment. Here are some techniques you can try:
- Run your hands through water and make a mental note of the sensations you feel as you do it. Experiment with different temperatures and alternate between cold and warm water, observing how the changes affect the feeling in your hands.
- Go for a short five-minute walk. Step outside and walk around the neighborhood, your block, or even in your backyard. Breathe in and take in the scents around you. Notice how the sun and breeze feel against your skin. Take note of the sensations you feel as you put each foot to the floor.
Mental grounding techniques
Where sensory techniques activate your senses, mental grounding techniques exercise your mind to distract you from any distressing thoughts or emotions. Try these two practices:
- Play the category game. Choose one or two broad topics like “animals” or “restaurants,” and make a mental list of all the things that you can think of that fit in those categories. If you need additional distractions, you can make an alphabetical list instead and list at least one thing in that category for each letter of the alphabet.
- Describe your surroundings. You can do this mentally or out loud. Take a look around you and note what you see, but try to add as much description as you can. For example, “I’m sitting in my gray chair in front of my laptop. I feel my clothes brushing against my skin. Outside my window, the sun is shining. Cars drive by quickly, and my neighbor is laughing while she’s playing with her dog.”
Soothing grounding techniques
If you’re in the middle of a PTSD episode or anxiety attack, sometimes the best way to deal with it is to comfort yourself until the negative emotions pass. Soothing techniques work to bring up positive feelings and wash away the destructive ones. Keep these tips in mind:
- Create a playlist of your favorite uplifting songs. Add songs that never fail to lift your spirits whenever you listen to them, and play it whenever you need to. While each track plays, focus on the aspects that you like most about it — whether it’s the melody, the lyrics, or something else.
- If you have a pet, take some time to sit comfortably with them and enjoy their presence. If you can safely hold or pet them, notice how they feel against your hands. Talk to them like they were your (human) best friend. What would you say? How would they respond? You can use this talking exercise if you’re not at home as well.
Request your appointment today
If you’re looking for a virtual therapist offering mindful teletherapy and more, get in touch.
In addition to mindfulness and trauma therapy, I also offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), stress management, and assertiveness-skill building — all of which you can do from the comfort of your own home.
Please note that, due to state licensing guidelines, I can only work with you if you are located in Pennsylvania or Florida. Request an appointment today, or contact me through the form on my website to learn more about my services.
