Grounding Techniques Part 1
Grounding Techniques for Anchoring to the Present Moment Part 1
Complete with Pro Tips!
By James Cameron, LPC-S, LPC, MAC, LCDC
of CameronCounseling.com (not a replacement for therapy)
Licensed Therapist and Mental Health Advocate
In today’s fast-paced world, there are common mental health challenges. Whether it stems from trauma, stress, worry, or the overwhelming nature of daily life, often it disconnects us from the present moment, plunging us into a spiral of challenges, “what-ifs” and racing thoughts. Collectively these and other challenges are the storms of life. When we are caught in these storms it can be extremely hard to see the way out.
But what if you could pull yourself back from that spiral — not with medications or drastic interventions, but with simple, accessible tools that help you re-center in real time to this moment?
Welcome to the world of grounding techniques.
Grounding is the practice of bringing ourselves back to the here and now — anchoring us in the present to reduce emotional distress, panic, or even dissociation. It’s a set of tools that not only reduce the storm, yet also promote long-term resilience. In this blog, we will explore the concept of grounding, explain how it works, and provide a beginning toolkit of techniques we can use for our mental health anytime, anywhere.
How Come Grounding is a thing?
Great question. So glad we can discuss it! For the reals. It is likely good we all know that anything I say (or type) that sounds well thought out and put together was likely stolen from someone else. How does grounding work anyway?
These storms of life are likely triggered by the brain and/or body seeing a threat to our survival either real or perceived. At least none in the short term. Worst case the threat is real and now we are less able to think through it due to our ability to think through solutions being reduced. It used to be much easier to be a brain. See a saber tooth tiger and run or fight. It is so hard now that there are so few saber tooth tigers in America. Our poor brains have not all caught up to this fact.
To be clear, even the perception of such a threat still results in increased heart rate, heighten senses (things feel to loud or to bright), and prepares our confused bodies to act. Some examples of storms of life causing these things for us are work emails, relationship stress, traffic jams, or remembering the past examples of these things. My personal favorite, focusing on the future storms that might could possibly happen.
For those of us who are the lucky few we can know together these storms can actually become self growing and get bigger and bigger after they start with no real reason or threat. Just the idea of the threat. It can be our most powerless moments.
Grounding techniques work in the storms of life for us by allowing us to take small steps all in the same direction. Enough small steps equal a whole step. Feel free to skip the next session unless you want the scientific jargon.
The Scientific Jargon
If we search something like “scientific basis for grounding techniques for emotions” in our favorite search engine we get thousands of results in 0.27 seconds. This is due to the fact we have a large amount of growing information about how and how come these techniques work. Not just in the short term, yet in future events. We will discuss it very briefly here focusing on neuroplasticity.
What is that really long word? Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt its structure and function in response to experiences, learning, and environment stimuli. What? Basically, the brain has the ability to modify it's own connections and reorganize itself. This is great news for us together in the human race. What we used to be is no longer what we have to be.
You mean grow new brain cells? Not exactly. The ones we already have change based on the storms of life yet more based on how we handle those storms. This allows for ongoing adapting and growth for us the human race. These will either build or break our cognitive abilities and strength to manage our lives. In other words, RAWR!!
Specifically growing evidence tells us these techniques activate the “rest and digest” part of the nervous system. Also breaking thinking of the same thing over and over again at the expense of the moment. Not to mention plugging us back into our physical body in this moment. Allowing us to access our problem solving brain areas like the frontal and prefrontal cortex. Lastly, some report a sense of safety and control.
Here They Are in All Their Glory
Several examples will be listed here of techniques to take small steps in the storms of life we experience as part of the human condition. Each one will be given its own paragraph with some explanation of how to practice it. After we apply each one ask “how am I now?” Only three answers are aloud. They are:
1. “great, can think clearly again now” - in which case focus on solving the problem at hand if needed. 2. “better, yet need to keep going” - in which case do it again until reaching number one above
3. “this is not working and I need to switch grounding techniques” - in which case switch techniques
4. There is no number four. Meaning keep going until we get out of the storm our life is moving through. Giving up has the opposite of the intended result. Remember, we adapt and grow or break and fail. The choice is ours to make. In other words, RAWR!!
5-4-3-2-1
Likely the most popular grounding technique in modern history is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Some variation exist in this technique. Our crowd pleaser is to start at the top of our head and do a sensory check. In other words the top of our head can only touch. Moving down we see next. Then hear followed by smell and ending in taste.
Putting it all together, what are 5 things to be touched, 4 things you can see that are not those things, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. For some smell and taste are difficult. The idea is not to run around sniffing or licking things. Technically everything has a taste or smell. When we finish we will have named 15 things in our present moment by category.
This works due to categories not actually existing, we have to think our categories into existence forcing the problem solving brain areas to activate. Or forcing a small step in spite of the storm of life we are in at the moment.
Pro tip. If “better, yet need to keep going” is the answer to “how am I now” then start at the bottom, front, or back of the head next time. For example, from the front of the head the nose usually sticks out most. The order would be 5 things we can smell, 4 things for us to taste, 3 things we can see, 2 things we can touch (the space between eyes and ears), and 1 we can hear. Bottom up would be 5 things we can taste, 4 we might smell, 3 we hear, 2 that are seen, and 1 we can touch.
3x3x3
This one involves putting things around us in our moment into categories based on self imposed criteria. What? I know right. Talk about making a simple thing complicated! Name three things present in our life in this moment that fit a category. Then do this three times. Hence 3x3x3. Certain teens have renamed it the 27 thinking they were clever. Maybe they were 3x3x3=27. Your call.
This would like what are 3 things that use electricity. Then 3 things that are rectangular or square. Then 3 things that change temperature. The categories are fluid and changeable. Another example might be 3 things that are round, 3 things made of rubber, and 3 things that stretch. Could be a color, a shape, or any property of an object. For example; 3 plants, 3 cars, 3 light sources. As long as they are present in the moment they are fair game.
Advanced users will pick a category based on another category of the last thing they said. For example, if naming 3 things that are round and ending on tires. Tires are round they are also a part of a car, so our next category might be 3 parts of a car (not using tires again). Then ending on headlights which are a part of car yet also create light, so our last category might be 3 things that create light.
Pro tip. Pick your first category before this skill is needed. We are better off to pick something that is a very common category to ease the use of this brand new skill for us. For example, always start with 3 things that are round or 3 things that make noise or what ever. This stops us from having to think more complex thoughts when it is the absolutely most difficult. If this is brand new for us maybe pick all 3 categories before starting.
x7s (or 6s or 8s)
Math does not exist. Apologies if that is offensive to us at this point. There is a great debate about if mathematics was discovered, because it existed, or invented, because it did not exist before that moment in time. Either way, we can not touch it. We can not turn it around, clean it, or physically move it from one place to another. This means using it forces the parts of our brain that solve problems (pun intended) to get moving. When brain energy is flowing to those parts it flows less to the parts leading to needing grounding techniques to begin with in our storms of life.
Simply put look at the time. Specifically the minutes of the time. The it is 25 minutes after the hour part of the time. Then add 7 to it. Yep, that easy. In this example we start at 25+7 is 32, the 32+7 is 39. In sequence; 25+7=32, 32+7=39, 39+7=46, 46+7=53, 53+7=60, and so on. Or we say out loud or to ourselves as the setting allows “25, 32, 39, 46, 53, 60, 67, 74, 81, 88” and so on. When the minute changes we ask the question “how am I now” as described above and respond appropriately to our goal of reducing symptoms.
Or we can always start at 0 so the sequence is always the same. “7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42” and so on. If we use this method try to go faster at the beginning. Stop at 70 to ask “how am I now” then keep going at 70 on if that is the response based on the information in the first paragraph of this section. As we get more comfortable with this new skill we can always move to the minute as outlined above.
Pro tip. Some users of this skill find 7s either to ease or to difficult. Others find that “better, yet need to keep going” is less helpful if they stay with 7s. For these folks counting by 6s or 8s at those times can be helpful. For most people, counting by 5s, 9s, or 10s is to simple to engage the parts of the brain we are trying to target. Enjoy finding your most effective way.
Closing thoughts
Remember these are all new skills. As such the more we practice them the more effective they can become. Also, we likely drive, walk, write, type, or talk better now than the first time we tried. This is no different. As we change the ways our brain is used to functioning we not only have better moments, we have better odds of not having to deal with moments to begin with. Don't take my word for it, try it. Try it especially when we don't “need” it.
You mean I can think myself into a calmer, more peaceful state of problem solving. Maybe! Especially you can if you can think yourself into a stressed, worried, or even panicked state of mind.
This is not an all inclusive list. Watch for future blogs on this topic. Also, it is not likely an all inclusive list of all possible grounding techniques is out there. Need more assistance? Reach out at CameronCounseling.com
#Anxiety #GroundingTechniques #MentalHealthTools #SelfCare #Mindfulness #Therapy #PTSD #AnxietyRelief
