How to Use Grounding Techniques to Navigate Intense Emotions (+ Different Types to Try)
We all experience intense emotions. They’re uncomfortable, but they’re an unavoidable part of the human experience.
“Intense emotions” could be anything from panic, fear, or anxiety to anger, rage, sadness, hopelessness, or even loneliness — and so many things in between. Of course, intense emotions can also be positive emotions, but we usually don’t need to help ourselves regulate through those. So we’ll be focusing on the more unpleasant spectrum of intense emotions. (Notice I didn’t say “bad” or “negative” emotions. Our feelings aren’t good or bad, they just are. It’s about what we do with those feelings.)
What happens when we experience intense emotions?
First, it’s important to understand how the brain works. The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for reasoning, decision-making, impulse control, and most of the brain’s logistical processes. When you’re calm or neutral, the frontal lobe is able to perform normally and you can make clear, intentional choices.
The limbic system, on the other hand, is the brain’s emotional epicenter, responsible for feelings like joy, fear, anger, and the whole emotional smorgasbord. The amygdala lives here and is constantly scanning for potential threats or rewards. When it senses something intense — such as conflict or a trigger for a past trauma — it presses the panic button and the intense emotions become overwhelming.
So, when you experience an intense emotion, the frontal lobe essentially goes out to lunch, and the limbic system takes over. What happens then is that the brain typically “time-travels” either to the past (reliving a traumatic past experience or thinking that a negative past experience happening again) or to a perceived future (with a negative or unwanted outcome) — taking you out of the present moment and feeling unable to cope.
While this is happening in the brain, the autonomic nervous system in the body is also transforming, with the parasympathetic nervous system shutting down (the part that is responsible for calmness and relaxation in the body) and your fight/flight/freeze response being activated. This is why it’s so difficult to think straight or make rational decisions when you’re feeling a strong emotion; that part of the brain literally shuts down in favor of the well-intentioned protective mechanism of your fight/flight/freeze response.
So what does grounding have to do with any of this?
Grounding is a great tool for these moments, especially for anxiety, because it helps to bring you — both your mind and body — back to the present moment. By bringing you back to center, grounding helps you detach from whatever emotional pain you’re experiencing, and it also restores equilibrium into your parasympathetic nervous system. It’s important to know that grounding doesn’t necessarily mean you’re suddenly unaffected or that you feel great, but you can take a step back, soothe your nervous system, look at the bigger picture, and, ultimately, take space to respond how you want to (rather than react in a way that’s impulsive or driven by panic).
Because there are so many different varieties of grounding, it can be done from virtually anywhere, making it easily accessible in many different situations. If one grounding exercise isn’t helpful for you, there are so many others to choose from.
Let’s dive in!
Breathwork grounding
Breathwork grounding refers to grounding techniques that incorporate mindful, deep breathing. The key with breathwork is to intentionally take your time with the deep breaths. Instead of the usual or more natural way we breathe, with shallow breaths that originate in the lungs, deep breathing involves engaging your diaphragm (a dome-shaped muscle down near the stomach). This helps you breathe more slowly, soothing your nervous system and helping your lungs receive more oxygen. If you need help identifying your diaphragm, place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Take a deep inhale and imagine your belly filling up with air like a balloon, while keeping the hand on your chest as still as possible.
Box breathing: Simple, but effective. Imagine a box with 4 equal sides. Each side represents a 4-second count. Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale through your nose or mouth for 4 seconds, and hold for another 4 seconds. I recommend repeating this pattern at least 3 times. It can be helpful to place a hand on your belly to really focus on the breathing pattern.
4-7-8 breathing: This is a similar exercise, just with a different counting pattern. You’ll inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. For an added effect in soothing your nervous system, try adding a low “hum” on the exhale.
Sensory grounding
Sensory grounding involves utilizing your five senses (sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste) to ground yourself. The best part about this type of grounding is that you’re forced to stay present (rather than time-traveling, like we talked about earlier) because you’re using your immediate environment as context. This type of grounding also serves as a distraction, which can be helpful during intense or unpleasant emotions. This can come in so many forms, but I’ll name a few of my favorite ways to ground under each sense.
5-4-3-2-1 grounding: This is a simple tool that incorporates all of your senses and can be done anywhere. In your immediate surroundings, identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. If you’re in a space that allows it, name those things out loud or engage in the sense associated (so if you can touch a nearby blanket, for example, try to actually reach out and touch it, noticing the sensations you feel).
Engage your sense of sight: Look around you, and start naming everything you see. Or everything you see in a particular color. Or everything you see with some other particular trait. Notice everything you can notice about each thing — size, texture, shape, color, shadows, whatever.
Engage your sense of hearing: Put on some soothing music, whether that’s a chill lo-fi playlist, acoustic coffee shop playlist, or whatever your favorite genre is. Mindfully listen to the melody, the rhythms, and any lyrics that you hear. Binaural beats also work great for this. If music feels too passive, try listening to an interesting audiobook or podcast. You can also go outside and listen to the natural sounds of your environment, observing any birds chirping, winds whistling, or leaves rustling.
Engage your sense of touch: This can truly be anything! Maybe you wrap yourself in a fuzzy blanket or wear a pair of silk pajamas, noticing how each one feels on your skin. Maybe you take a shower or bath, noticing the temperature and water pressure as you do. Putting your hands under cold water can be a helpful reset tool during intense emotions. This can even look like petting your cat and noticing how her fur feels on your fingers. Try squeezing yourself in a hug for a moment and observing what that feels like as you hold yourself. Or finding a grounding object, such as a pebble or marble, and noticing how it feels in your hand. Whatever you decide to use, be sure to mindfully notice the sensations, textures, temperatures, and all other aspects. Grounding relies on fully integrating yourself into the experience.
Engage your sense of smell: Aromatherapy has been found to be incredibly helpful in self-soothing. Try lighting a candle (or even sniffing one, if lighting isn’t an option) or washing your hands with a scented soap. Find a nicely-scented lotion, essential oil, or perfume and put a little on your hands, letting yourself smell the scent while taking a deep breath. You could even bake a favorite treat and savor the smell of it cooking in the oven, or make some coffee and enjoy the scent of it brewing.
Engage your sense of taste: We want to be careful about relying on food as a resource, but in moderation, enjoying a treat can be a great way to ground yourself. If you’d like to avoid utilizing food in this way, try sucking on a cough drop or hard candy, especially one that is sour or a little spicy. Make a cup of a beverage you enjoy, like tea, lemonade, or hot chocolate, and mindfully notice the flavors in your mouth. You can also try chewing gum and noticing the strong minty taste in your mouth.
Physical grounding
Physical grounding involves noticing your physical body and observing the different sensations that you feel throughout and across your body. This is especially helpful for intense emotions — especially fear, anxiety, or panic — because physical grounding helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and slow down the limbic system response.
Do a body scan: Starting from the top of your head, notice any sensations occurring throughout your body. You may choose to add small movements, such as stretching your face or rolling your shoulders, to release tension or bring awareness to that part of the body. Move from your head and face down to your throat and then your shoulders. From here, begin to notice your arms and hands. Feel free to gently roll your wrists or wiggle your fingers, or simply notice the feeling of your hands resting wherever they’re resting. Begin to notice your chest, your back, and your gut, acknowledging and/or releasing any tension or discomfort in those areas. Notice your butt in the chair if you’re sitting. Move down to your legs and observe. When you reach your ankles and feet, you may choose to wiggle your toes or gently press your feet into the ground. Notice whatever you notice as you move through your entire body. If you want something more guided, check out YouTube to find body scans anywhere from 1 minute to 30 minutes!
Notice your feet: If you’re sitting in a chair, notice the feeling of your feet on the ground and your butt in the chair. Notice where you feel pressure as you gently push onto the ground, taking a few deep breaths as you do so. If you’re standing or walking, notice the feel of your feet on the ground as you take each step. Notice the minute details, such as which part of your foot touches the ground first, or where you feel stretching in your foot as you move.
Ground yourself on the floor: Sometimes, literally grounding yourself on the floor is the best thing to do. Lay down on the floor and scan the different parts of your body as you breathe. What does it feel like to have your back solid against the ground? What are your arms and hands doing? Experiment with gently pushing different parts of your body against the floor and see how that feels. Notice the sensations throughout your body: the feeling of the pressure against the ground, any tension in your muscles, textures and temperatures of the carpet, tile, or grass, and whatever other things you can notice.
Engage in intentional movement: This can be anything from going for a walk outside, to stretching in bed, to doing yoga on a mat, to running, to a weightlifting session, and anything in between. The key is to release the endorphins that come with movement, while consciously and intentionally noticing what your body feels like as you move. Even just 5 minutes can be an opportunity to release emotion.
Mental grounding
Mental grounding can be harder to do in moments of intense emotion because of the overactive limbic system taking over our frontal lobe, but it’s not impossible. This can be helpful if you’re somewhere where you don’t feel safe or comfortable trying some of the other options, because these can all be done in your head.
Think of your thoughts as clouds: Imagine your thoughts or feelings as clouds passing by. Try not to judge them or latch onto them, but rather, observe them passing. Instead of fighting them, accept that they’re there, and allow them to pass. Sometimes, intense emotions come because of the stories we attach to our feelings; in this practice, we aren’t attaching at all. They’re just there, passing by.
Visualize a calm or safe place: Picture a place, real or imagined, where you feel safe, calm, or comfortable. Then, imagine your 5 senses interacting with this place. What do you see around you? What sounds do you hear? Are there things you can touch, or anything you’re sitting on, or a temperature that you feel? Are there any smells? Really let yourself engage with this place as you take a few deep breaths.
Focus your attention on something: This could, quite literally, be anything — as long as it’s neutral or not associated with strong emotion. Maybe you decide to count backwards from 20. If you’re in public, maybe you do some people-watching and assign a random backstory to everyone you see. Maybe you choose a category (like animals, or cereal names) and try to name as many of those as you can. Maybe you play “I spy.” Whatever it is, this is a mental distraction tool to refocus your attention away from the distressing emotion or thought.
Rehearse a positive mantra: In moments of calm, think of an affirmation or mantra that you want to remind yourself of during difficult moments. Write it in your phone or somewhere you will see it often. Then, when an intense emotion comes on, practice rehearsing this mantra to yourself.
Remember, grounding is not about avoiding your feelings, making them go away, or dissociating from them. Rather, grounding teaches us how to navigate moments of distress — and the heightened emotional responses that come with them. As we discussed earlier, intense emotions often lead us to time-travel to another place or time, and that’s where a lot of the dysregulation happens. By keeping us anchored in the present moment, grounding helps you build awareness of your emotional experience and stay centered enough to approach it in a way that is helpful, sustainable, and healthy.
Which grounding technique is your favorite?
