My Top 5 Grounding Exercises To Help Me Calm My Mind And Ease Anxiety
Calm your chaos – these are my top 5 grounding exercises that help me calm my mind, ease anxiety, and reconnect with the present. Whether you are dealing with the stress of everyday life or looking for ways to help you feel more present and centred, these grounding techniques are simple, effective and life-changing.
Table of Contents
Before we start, please note that I am not you, I am not a counsellor, and what helped me might not necessarily work for you. This is my truth, and I believe that truth is different for everyone. Yet I also believe in the power of sharing experiences, and if you read this and know that you are not alone, or it helps you to get a different perspective, I think this is all that matters.
Anxiety is something I have been dealing with for pretty much all my life. It has always been part of me and to be completely honest with you, even though my anxiety attacks became much less frequent in the past years, I don’t think anxiety will ever leave me for good.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to be negative here, but I am a bit of an overthinker by nature which always allows room for anxiety.
But over the years I have learned to work with my anxiety more consciously and I have built a foundation for myself that helps to keep me more rooted and grounded in my daily life.
In addition to this, I use certain mindfulness and grounding techniques to support me whenever anxiety arises.
Whether it is the weight of a stressful day or an unstable sense of unease, anxiety has a way of creeping in and for these moments, it is good to have a few tools on hand that can help give you some grounding when you most need it.
Grounding exercises are powerful tools to help gently anchor your mind back in the present moment, allowing you to breathe a little easier and feel a little lighter.
Today I am sharing my 5 got-to grounding exercises that support me in moments when anxiety creeps up on me. All 5 grounding exercises are easily accessible to you and will help soothe your mind, bring back a sense of balance and root yourself back to the present moment.
Benefits of grounding exercises
Anxiety affects everyone in different ways. It can appear as racing thoughts, tightness in the chest, rapid breathing, feeling on edge, biting your fingernails, nervously scratching your skin, etc.
Grounding exercises offer a way to step out of this whirlwind of thoughts and can help to anchor ourselves back in the present moment.
The benefits of grounding exercises are as follows:
- promote physical relaxation
- calm the nervous system
- create a sense of emotional balance
- promotes mindfulness, encourages to be more present
In short, grounding exercises bring you from the extreme back to reality, allowing you to take a deep breath and begin anew.
5 Grounding techniques that will change your life
Below are my 5 go-to grounding techniques that I have used in the past and still use today to help me ease my mind whenever anxiety creeps up on me.
Some of these grounding exercises have also become part of my daily routine, helping me stay more grounded and rooted in life overall, but I will tell you more about this a bit later.
As mentioned before, anxiety affects everyone differently, hence I suggest you take a look at all the grounding techniques below and then pick the ones that resonate most with you and give these a try.
1. Breathwork
When it comes to dealing with anxiety, learning how to breathe was a real game-changer for me.
I came to breathwork via yoga. Yoga starts with the breath and the breath is a super powerful tool that can help ground you and bring you back to the present moment almost instantly.
By directing your attention to the rhythmic flow of your breath, you can shift your energy within seconds.
Conscious breathing soothes the nervous system and over time the mind becomes clear and free from any distracting thoughts allowing you to create a sense of inner balance and calmness from deep within.
But try it yourself. The below exercise is called 4-fold-breath. Give yourself 5 – 10 minutes without distraction and try this exercise to feel the effects first hand.
4-Fold-Breath
- come to a comfortable seat
- close your eyes and connect with your breath
- notice how your breath travels in and out of your body
- when you feel ready slowly move into 4-fold-breath
- inhale to the count of 4
- hold your breath to the count of 4
- exhale to the count of 4
- hold your exhale to the count of 4
- repeat as many times as it feels comfortable for you
- once you finished your breathwork exercise sit for a few moments in silence
Conscious breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system helping the muscles to relax. The oxygen boost and muscle relaxation help to bring back a sense of control, clarity, and a grounded, centred state of being.
Learning how to use my breath and how to work with my breath completely transformed my anxiety. Knowing that I have this tool available to support me whenever I feel anxiety crawling up gave me the strength and courage to work with my anxiety in a much more conscious way.
Instead of letting anxiety take over my body and thoughts, I found a way to calm my mind, ease my nerves and take me back to the present moment.
Any emotions that might be arising with the anxiety wave, I no longer push away. Breathwork helped me to offer space for these emotions to be and with space comes a feeling of ease and acceptance which over time helps to release and let go of these emotions.
2. Connect with nature
We tend to forget that we are nature and going back to nature can be a super grounding experience on many different levels.
Reconnecting with nature is a sensory experience that activates and involves all your senses.
- see – appreciate all the beauty that surrounds you, trees, flowers, etc.
- hear – be open to all the noises along the way, birds, wind, etc.
- smell – pay attention to the smell around you, grass, earth, etc.
- feel – hug a tree, feel the grass, pick up a stone and hold it in your hand, etc.
- taste – imagine the different flavours of nature, maybe feel that earthy taste in your mouth, etc.
By engaging in activities like walking, hiking, or simply spending time in a park, you get the chance to step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, restore a sense of balance within, and recharge your batteries at the same time.
In addition to this, nature has a lot of therapeutic benefits such as e.g. reduced stress levels, improved mood, sharpened attention and focus, and contributes to better holistic well-being physically and mentally.
By fostering a profound appreciation for the natural world around us, you can cultivate a deeper bond with your origin and open yourself up to a deeper and more connected understanding of life.
Whenever I feel on edge, which for me is a sign that an anxiety attack might be arising, I head out for a walk in the forest or a walk along the beach. When I feel overwhelmed with racing thoughts, the forest is my go-to. When I feel lost and uninspired, you can find me walking along the beach.
Again, find what is right for you and allow nature to help you relax and recharge from life.
3. Meditate
Meditation is something I have always felt drawn to, but I have to admit that it took me a bit of time to get into meditation.
Sitting still has never been my strength, but my daily meditation practice has totally changed my life and made a huge difference to my anxieties overall.
Meditation is a wonderful way to support muscle relaxation and destress from daily life. In addition to this, meditation helps you detach yourself from distracting thoughts which helps to promote mental clarity and a sense of emotional balance.
If you are curious about meditation but unsure how to start, there are a lot of free resources out there that you can access at any time. Insight Timer, Calm, Headspace and of course, YouTube offer a lot of free resources.
When it comes to meditation, allow the following points to help you find what works for you:
- pick a voice that you trust
- pick a meditation style that resonates with you (guided meditation, body scan, etc.)
- make yourself comfortable and create a relaxing environment for yourself
- allow yourself time to ease into meditation in general
Guided meditations are a great way to start. I recommend trying the Love and Kindness Meditation and this Body Scan Mediation to begin with.
4. Yoga
As a certified yoga teacher, I can easily write a 10-page love letter to yoga, but similar to meditation, having a regular yoga practice has radically changed my life for the better.
Yoga is a super powerful mindfulness and grounding technique that helps you relax your body and mind.
The yoga postures are designed to help you open your body and as you open your body, you create space within, allowing the energy to flow, releasing any stagnant energies and muscle tension out of your body.
Remember what we talked about earlier about yoga and the breath? Yoga starts with the breath and by linking breath with movement you create a heightened sense of awareness, helping you to connect with the present moment, let go of any distracting thoughts and cultivate a deeper sense of introspection, clarity and focus.
If you are ready to give yoga a try, join me for this beginner-friendly yoga flow in magical Costa Rica.
If you enjoyed this yoga flow, make sure to check out all my current services and yoga offerings. I look forward to seeing you on the mat.
5. Get creative
Yes, let’s get creative my friends! Engaging in creative endeavour is a powerful mindfulness and grounding activity that encourages you to connect with your inner world playfully.
Through artistic expression, such as painting, writing, pottery, knitting, crafting, etc. you take yourself out of the busy hustle and bustle of daily life and enter a state of flow that brings you back to the present moment.
Doing something creative is a form of self-expression and enables individuals to cultivate a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence creating joy and a renewed sense of purpose.
Whether through the use of colours, words, or textures, the creative process can serve as a therapeutic outlet for emotional catharsis and introspection, fostering a profound sense of grounding that nurtures the mind, body, and soul at the same time.
Before we head to the next point, there is one more grounding activity that you might enjoy, journaling. If journaling is your cup of tea, I recommend you to check out my blog post on How To Start Journaling, specifically the part about Journaling For Anxiety.
3 Tips for incorporating grounding exercises into your daily life
Grounding for anxiety attacks is possible, but what I have learned over the years of dealing with anxiety, integrating grounding exercises into your daily life will allow you to build a stronger foundation for yourself, helping you to keep you more balanced and calm as you go through life leaving less room for anxiety to creep up on you.
For example, morning yoga can help you set a peaceful tone for the day, while evening meditation can help you unwind and relax before bed.
And no, these techniques don’t need much time either. I get it, we all have busy schedules, but already 5 – 10 minutes every day can make a huge difference to your daily life and mental well-being.
Below are three tips on how you can incorporate grounding exercises into your daily life:
- Combine grounding exercises with daily habits – for example, practice deep breathing, yoga or meditation while you wait for your morning coffee to be ready, take your lunchtime walk in the park to reconnect with nature, etc.
- Use grounding techniques as a transition tool – for example, do a body scan meditation to help you unwind and relax before you go to bed
- Use grounding techniques when stressed – be aware when you are stressed and in moments of stress, use the fourfold breath, go for a walk in nature, step on your yoga mat, etc.
When I started to get more into grounding exercises, I went full in and implemented a morning as well as an evening routine with mindfulness and grounding techniques I knew felt good in my body and helped to ease my mind.
My morning routine consists of meditation, yoga and journaling and my evening routine is all about sensual experiences using aromatherapy, and candles, drinking a cup of tea and enjoying my daily skincare night routine before going to bed.
The words morning routine and evening routine might sound overwhelming, but let me tell you, these routines don’t have to be long. Pick the exercises or techniques that resonate with you and begin to implement them into your daily habits, over time, they will become part of your routine without you even noticing it.
But I also have to say that consistency is key. Every time I get sloppy with my routines, I fall back into old habits and anxiety is more likely to creep up on me.
So my recommendation to you is to find what works for you, make it yours and be consistent with your practices. The real magic happens when you commit to these practices long-term.
And keep in mind that you are doing this for yourself and your well-being first and foremost!
Last tip from my end before we wrap this up for the week, consistency is one thing, patience is the other. All these grounding exercises will require a bit of practice before they become your anxiety relief habit, so hang in there my friends, it is worth it in the long run – you got this!
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Stay wild,
Nicolle
Featured image: Photo by Nadia Jamnik on Unsplash
Hi, I am Nicolle, a Senior Marketing professional, certified Yoga Teacher and Wellness Blogger. I am the founder of Let Your Shadow Shine Yoga and this blog. I am here to support you along your self-discovery journey, offering empowering tools like yoga, holistic well-being tips and transformative personal growth strategies.
