Have you ever felt your heart racing, your thoughts running and a feeling that the world is closing in on you? In 2023, over a third of Americans reported symptoms related to anxiety. Anxiety can look different to all of us but it feels bad and we often want it to just go away! Grounding is a technique or activity that we can use to get out of our head and distract ourselves from intense thoughts and feelings. The idea behind it is to allow your “relaxation” nervous system to come back online and calm your body down. Here are 10 ground techniques you could try when you are feeling anxious.

1. Hold a piece of ice or put your hands in cold water
   A change in temperature can make your brain focus on the sensation and take the focus away from racing thoughts and feelings.
2. Breathe
   It sounds so simple because it can be! There are many breathing exercises out there to try. My favorite is box breathing. Draw a square and put the number four on each of the four sides. Breathe in for four counts and trace along the square. Hold your breath for four counts and trace along as you do so. Exhale for four counts and then hold for four counts. Again, this allows you to be in the present moment and focus on regulating your breathing.
3. Physical activity
   Walk, run, jump or whatever can get your heartrate up a bit. When you exercise, you produce the feel good endorphins which can flood your body with some good feelings. Some scientists are now saying a 10 minute walk can be just as good as a 45 minute workout for your emotional health.
4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
   There are a lot of scripts out there to do this and all of them are great! You can start at your head or your feet. Tense up a muscle for a few seconds and then relax it. Either go up or down your body. This brings awareness to your body and can help regulate the nervous system.
5. Listen to Music
   Turn up your music. Match the music to your emotion and sing away! There is research out there that humming and singing vibrates your vocal chords and can regulate your nervous system too. Channel your inner rock star.
6. Count Backwards
   You can do it by any increment you want but stay steady with the counting. This will divert your mind from your anxious feelings as it uses cognitive effort. It forces your brain to focus on a sequence and not on your anxious thoughts/feelings.
7. Categorize things
   Pick any topic like food, animals, sports and come up with different categories for each. You are shifting your focus, regulating your breathing and hopefully regulating your nervous system.
8. Awaken your taste buds
   Take some peppermint, cinnamon or ginger mints or gum. If you like sour, go for some sour candy. The spicy/sour sensation in your mouth will make your brain focus on the taste sensations and divert you away from your intense emotions.
9. Games/Puzzles
   Crosswords, number games or anything that you can shift your mental focus to can distract your brain from the anxiety.
10. Use the five senses technique or 5-4-3-2-1 method
    5: Identify five things you can see.
    4: Identify four things you can touch.
    3: Identify three things you can hear.
    2: Identify two things you can smell.
    1: Identify one thing you can taste.