The grounding technique as exercise to reduce anxiety

Anxiety may surprise you at any time and, of course, it will be useful for you to know some techniques to reduce it, wherever you are. The Grounding technique is, precisely, a strategy to reduce anxious states, easily and without more than pay attention to your sensations.

If you want to know how to easily reduce anxiety, stay reading this article. We will teach you everything you need to know about the grounding technique.

Content

• What is meant by grounding technique?
• An exercise to reduce anxiety
• The classic Grounding Technique
• Some variants
• Keep calm and decrease your anxiety
  • Bibliographic references

What is meant by grounding technique?

Anxiety occurs in the form of fear or concern about everyday life situations, in which hypothetical scenarios of the style are projected: “What would happen if… ?". These imaginary situations can lead someone to face feelings of great fear, even panic. For these circumstances, there are a number of techniques that can be applied in order to return the calm to whom it feels affected. Some professionals recommend counting back, starting from number 100 and slowly; others, bring happy memories to mind, in which they can find calm and compliance. The technique of Grounding It is one of the resources to which it can be resorted to regaining calm in a moment of deep anxiety.

Grounding is a word of English, which in Spanish can be translated as "connecting with the earth" or "return to earth". This technique consists of in this, both metaphorically and literally.

The grounding technique is available to everyone, and is extremely simple. This serves to reduce anxious states and relax in moments of stress, but has also demonstrated positive effects regarding confusion, sadness and anguish. The objective of this technique is to find a moment of connection with nature.

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An exercise to reduce anxiety

The idea to perform the grounding tenic is to "return" to reality and reconnect with the world, helping a person who feels anxious for the uncertainty that the future holds to remain in the present. It is really very easy to carry out, and the main action in it consists of placing bare feet on the ground.

When applying this technique, also known as Earthing ("Back to Planet Earth" in Spanish), try to prevent negative thoughts from taking over the person who is going through a picture of anxiety or deep sadness. The purpose is to focus on the present moment, without worrying excessively about what is yet to come, or could happen.

Grounding consists of following a series of simple steps to regain dominance over thought and stop the anguish that anxiety may be causing. There are several ways to carry out this strategy, and we will dedicate ourselves to developing them so that they can resort to any of them in case of considering it necessary.

The classic Grounding Technique

To carry out the grounding technique in a classic way you must make an effort to connect with nature in a moment of concern or emotional discomfort. On many occasions you have performed this technique spontaneously, that's safe. Walk barefoot on the grass, on the beach, sitting next to a tree. All these are actions that allow you to connect with a natural environment, and that is what this technique is treated at the time to reduce anxiety.

The first step to perform the grounding in a classical way will be take off your shoes and socks, in case you take them. Then, start walking on a surface that allows you to get in touch with the natural, could be the grass, the sand, or on stones. You just have to take steps, without much speed, but neither without stopping. Focus on the ground, and what you can feel on the surface.

It is always ideal to advise this exercise outdoors, thus contact with nature can be better. You must walk the time you consider necessary, whatever is enough until you feel calm again. Usually, ten minutes walking are usually enough. Although, of course, you might need something else, or it could reach you with less time.

You may be asking you how something as simple as walking on the grass could help you reduce an anxiety state. Well then, It has been proven that skin contact with Earth has relaxing effects.

The classic way to perform this technique is more than simple and, as you can see, it is not much more than will to carry it out.

Some variants

We have so far accounted for the classic grounding technique. However, over time, some variants have emerged, and we will realize two of them here.

One of the grounding variants takes the benefits of mindfulness and consists in performing this meditation technique sitting with your feet supported on a natural surface. In this position, you must breathe concentrating on the air route when entering and being expelled from your body. However, in these circumstances, you will also have to attend to the sensation of the soil in contact with your feet. It is considered that with three minutes of this exercise anxiety states can be regulated.

The other variant of the grounding technique that we will mention is also known as "5-4-3-2-1". It is especially useful to develop in the middle of an anxiety attack, and consists in following a series of steps, always with bare feet placed on a natural surface. To develop it you must list things following these slogans:

• 5 objects you have in sight. You just have to mention what you have within your visual field.
• 4 things you can feel your texture. It could be the fabric of your clothes or the fur of a cat or dog.
• 3 sounds that you can hear. Simply pay attention to the sounds of the environment.
• 2 smells you can perceive. For this, you will have to open your nostrils and identify what you stretch.
• 1 thing you can taste. Always, ideally, should be something you enjoy eating.

As you can see, each of these techniques consists of focusing your concentration on one of your senses, so you can get away from the state of anxiety that alters you and bring discomfort.

Keep calm and decrease your anxiety

You already know what the grounding technique implies. Also, we have given you three different variants to perform it. Therefore, the next time you feel anxiety, try some of them. Thus you will check its effects, and you will notice that nature will help you recover the calm you need.

Bibliographic references

• Chevalier, g., & Sinatra, S. T. (2011). Emotional Stress, Heart Rate Variation, Grounding, and Improved Autonomic Tone: Clinical Applications.
• Decker, J. T., Brown, j. L. C., Ashley, w., & Lipscomb, A. AND. (2019). Mindfulness, Meditation, and Breathing Exercises: Reduced Anxiety for Clients and Self-Care For Social Work Interns.
• MCDUFF, d. R. (2016). Adjustment and anxiety disorders (pp. 1-16). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Shukla, a. (2020). A 5-Step Mindfulness Grounding Technique to Ease Anxiety & Why Mindfulness Works. Cognition Today.