Anxiety can often makes you feel very airy, detached, dissociated, scattered and panicky.

Here are Grounding techniques help to bring you back to the here and now, with an awareness of your physical body, they help you to be in the present moment.

Reassure yourself, you are feeling anxious and that is okay and normal.

Quite often anxiety can hit you at the moments you least expect, when you are beginning to relax maybe on the sofa watching tv or when you are about to go to sleep.

Orientating to your surroundings and your body

Bringing your awareness into your physical body, felt sensations and immediate surroundings help to take you out of the escalation of your mind.

• Open your eyes and put a light on if it's dark.

• Look around notice your environment the colors, the shapes of things.

• Listen to and really notice the sounds around you.

• Notice your body, the sensations and your senses, bring your attention to the boundary that is your skin, how do your clothes feel on your skin, how does it feel to move a little, sit up or stand, feel the floor supporting your feet, your legs, your body.

• Move about, have a stretch, stamp your feet, jump up and down, clap your hands, bring your attention to where you are right now.

• Getting strongly into your legs is another effective grounding tool. Get your back up against the wall and slowly lower yourself into a seated position as if sitting on an imaginary chair, this really works your legs and brings your energy down.

• Practice the pursed lip breath from the previous post because if you feel scared, you breathe quickly and shallowly and this can make you feel more panic. Breathing slower and deepening the exhale will slowdown the feeling of panic.

• Rub your arms and legs so you can feel where your body starts and ends, the boundary of you. Wrapping yourself in a heavy blanket sometimes can feel reassuring.

• Bring your attention into the present by paying attention to your body. Try walking around your space and really notice the way your body moves, how your feet move and feel as you walk, notice  your leg muscles, and the way your arms feel as they swing. Notice the sensations of breathing as you walk.

Another technique is Square Breathing you can imagine it as a red square

With your index finger, slowly trace the shape of a square in front of you, keeping your eyes on that finger.

With one side, breathe in for 3 seconds…

With the next side, hold your breathe for 1 second…

With the third side, breathe out for 3 seconds…

With the final side, hold for 1 second…

This visioning of the square relates also to your Root Chakra

The Root Chakra, your survival center, it is the first chakra located at the base of your spine around the tip of the tailbone and the pelvic floor, is connected to your groundedness and most basic stability. When in balance you feel steady. It is the root of your being and establishes the deepest connections with your physical body, your environment and with the Earth.

Words to repeat to yourself, out loud if possible 

• I feel deeply rooted

• I am connected to my body

• I feel safe and secure

• I feel grounded, stable, and standing on my own two feet

Once you are feeling more grounded you may feel like doing a calming relaxing practice

Meditation for a Calm Heart

This soothing breath practice (pranayama) relieves anxiety and promotes calmness and mental clarity.

Sit with your spine straight, cross legged on the floor or seated on a chair with your feet on the floor. 

Place the left hand on the center of the chest at the Heart Center. The palm is flat against the chest, and the fingers are parallel to the ground, pointing to the right.

Make Gyan Mudra with the right hand (touch the tip of the index [Jupiter] finger with the tip of the thumb). Raise the right hand up to the right side as if giving a pledge. The palm faces forward, the three fingers not in Gyan Mudra point up.

The elbow is relaxed near the side with the forearm perpendicular to the ground. 

Either close the eyes or look straight ahead with the eyes 1/10th open.

Inhale slowly and deeply through both nostrils. Then suspend the breath in and raise the chest. Retain it as long as possible. Then exhale smoothly, gradually, and completely. When the breath is totally out, lock the breath out for as long as possible comfortably and breathe back in and keep repeating this sequence. This is to be done gently no tusing a forced breath.

Sit in this meditation for 3 to 15 minutes

Concentrate on the flow of the breath. Regulate each bit of the breath consciously.

To end Inhale and exhale strongly 3 times. Relax.

The home of the subtle force of prana is in the lungs and heart. The left palm is placed at the natural home of prana and creates a deep stillness at that point. The right hand that brings you to action and analysis, is placed in a receptive, relaxed mudra in the position of peace. 

Next post we will be looking at a guided meditation to practice when you are not feeling anxious.

You can learn how to create your own grounding object, which can be imaginary or a real object you carry with you for instant grounding whenever you need.