It’s natural to feel anxiety from time to time, especially in stressful situations like giving a presentation, interviewing for a job or moving to a new place. Anxiety usually subsides when a stressful situation passes. However, if your anxiety is persistent, occurs when there’s no clear cause or interferes with your life, these could be signs of a mental health disorder. In fact, approximately 19% of U.S. adults have an anxiety disorder, showing that it’s quite common. Fortunately, there are many strategies you can try to alleviate your anxiety.
At Lightfully, we’ve helped our clients ease their symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and panic disorders. Even if you feel your anxiety is through the roof and difficult to control, our compassionate licensed therapists can work with you to help manage it.
Keep reading to learn seven grounding techniques to soothe anxiety anytime and find relief when you need it.
7 grounding techniques to soothe anxiety anytime
These tips can help you shift your thoughts away from your anxiety to a state of calm. Whether you want to try visualization, positive self-talk or deep breathing, there are a variety of ways to help combat your anxious feelings. Here are seven techniques you can try:
1. Listen to the sounds around you.
Listening to calming sounds or music can activate the parasympathetic nervous system. It can lower the heart rate and reduce the levels of cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone. Music therapy research also shows that it can promote dopamine release, which helps improve mood and reduce feelings of anxiety. If you’re in a situation where you feel anxious and can’t play your favorite relaxing music, you can listen to the sounds around you. This simple strategy can shift your thoughts away from why you’re anxious, helping you feel more calm.
2. Hold an object.
Similarly, finding a grounding object to hold can also disrupt stressful thoughts, anchoring you in the present moment. When you hold this object, think about its weight, texture and temperature. Is it heavy or light? Does it feel smooth, soft or bumpy? Is it warm or cool? You can also focus on what it looks like and think about its color and shape. Gently rubbing this object may also feel relaxing. This object can be anything you choose, but some ideas include a stress ball, a fidget tool or a smooth stone.
3. Visualize calming imagery.
Picturing a peaceful scene in your mind can reduce stress hormones, slow your heart rate and deepen your breathing. As a result, this technique can counter your body’s fight-or-flight response, soothing you when you feel anxious. You can close your eyes and think of a real or imaginary place. Think about what it would be like if you were really there. What colors do you see? Can you feel the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the air? What do you smell and hear? This technique can break the cycle of worry and help you focus on something positive.
4. Describe your surroundings.
If you find it challenging to visualize a scene in your mind, you can try observing what’s around you instead. This strategy helps connect you to the present moment, which can stop anxiousness. With this strategy, you can think about what you see in the room by naming objects and thinking about where they are located. By focusing on concrete details in front of you, you can shift away from anxious thoughts and begin to feel more relaxed.
5. Engage in positive self-talk.
Reframing negative thoughts into positive ones can help decrease your anxiety and stress. Rather than thinking about worst-case scenarios or distressing possibilities, try to focus on hopeful possibilities. It’s also a great opportunity to help boost your self-esteem. For example, instead of saying, “I can’t handle this,” you can say, “I’ve made it through difficult times before, and I can handle this, too.” Positive self-talk can help you stay calm, practice self-compassion and build resilience.
6. Clench and release your fists.
This technique is a quick type of progressive muscle relaxation. To do it, inhale and tightly clench your fists for five to 10 seconds and then release them while exhaling. As this release reduces tension, think about how relaxing feels. By involving your senses and redirecting your focus, this technique can reduce anxiety.
7. Practice diaphragmatic breathing.
Taking slow, deep breaths is an effective way to reduce your heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. To do this, inhale slowly and deeply through your nose so your diaphragm can contract and your abdomen can expand. Then, hold your breath for a few seconds before exhaling slowly through your mouth, allowing your diaphragm to relax and your abdomen to flatten. Repeat these steps for a few minutes. No matter where you are, you can try this tip to feel more relaxed.
Get expert support easing your anxiety at Lightfully
You don’t have to let anxiety disrupt your life. With these proven grounding techniques, you have effective strategies to try to counter your body’s fight-or-flight response and feel better again. If you would like additional support, our licensed clinical therapists at Lightfully are here to guide you through coping strategies that can relieve your anxiety. We provide evidence-based, clearly defined, data-driven and whole-person-centered care to treat the underlying causes, not just the symptoms. This way, we can help you achieve the best outcome. Our four levels of care are Residential Treatment (RTC), Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Virtual Services (vPHP/vIOP). Together, we can ease your anxiety so you can find a path forward.
Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.
