- Hey everybody, today we're gonna talk
about grounding techniques and how to use them.
But before we jump into this topic,
are you new to my channel?
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Now as always, let's start by defining grounding.
I know I mention it all the time,
but I don't actually know if I've ever
taken the time to define it.
So grounding is a technique that helps
keep someone in the present, instead of dissociating,
spacing out, or shutting down.
These techniques can help reorient a person
to the here and now, and in reality.
Grounding skills can be helpful
in managing overwhelming feelings or intense anxiety,
and I created a video about grounding techniques
with Alexa a while back, so I'll also link
that in the description if you wanna learn more.
The most common grounding techniques
I've talked about are snapping rubber bands
on your arm, using fidget toys,
and counting colors, but those don't work for everyone,
and I know that many of you have said
that you have a history of self injury
and snapping rubber bands can lead
to more urges to self harm, also fidget toys
don't work for everybody, and counting colors
can help once, but then what do we do?
Well thanks to fellow Kinion Sarah,
who got some help from her therapist Rebecca
and her clinical pain coordinator Jenny,
she shared some more ideas that will hopefully
help you stay present and grounded when you need to.
And also just because I think it's important to mention,
we do need to be grounded and present
whenever we're doing trauma work,
otherwise it's like our brain is on a mini vacation
and it isn't given the chance to reprocess anything.
So all the work that we may be trying to do
in therapy or EMDR just isn't really helping,
and it's kind of a waste of time and money.
And that's why these techniques are important and helpful.
Oh, and it's also important that you do all of these
while practicing your yoga breathing.
If you haven't done yoga, this really just means
that you breathe in for three to four seconds,
hold it at the top, and breathe out
for four to five seconds, and then pause,
and do it again.
It's kind of breaking our breathing into chunks
versus just mindlessly breathing in and out.
And yoga breathing helps us to calm our system down
and focus our energy into our breath,
kinda like meditation right?
And how the breath moves through our body,
paying attention to that can be really important.
And you should also keep your eyes closed
while you do these, or at least softly gaze somewhere.
And last, leave your judgment at the door.
There is no room for judgment about how well
these work for you or how many you're able to complete,
all you have to do is try.
Okay, now let's get into them.
Number one, clapping our hands,
so that you can feel the sensation of that clap,
as it moves through your fingertips,
into your fingers, hands, arms, down your back, et cetera.
Notice the tingling sensation this creates,
and even pay attention to how long it lasts.
How long do you feel it as your eyes are closed
and you're experiencing this sensation?
And wait to open your eyes until it's all gone.
So all those tingles that you maybe felt
aren't there anymore.
This can keep you in the here and now,
and by initiating this intense sensation,
right, clapping, we could clap pretty hard,
hopefully it can pull you back out of
a potential flashback, dissociation,
or urge to shut down.
Number two, stomping your feet
and feeling that sensation, again,
like in your hands, you're going through
your tips of your toes, all the way
through your toes into your feet,
your legs, your back, how ever it moves through your body.
I know certain areas in our body
can be easier to focus on than others,
so picking one that isn't so emotionally charged,
or even attached to your self injury,
if you struggle with that, is best.
And just like the clapping option,
make sure you wait until the sensation
has left to notice where that tingly feeling
traveled in your body, and then open your eyes.
Number three, rubbing your hands together.
I know this sounds kinda weird,
but you can feel the warmth that builds up
between them as you rub them together,
and feel the heat move from your hands,
maybe it goes up your arms, maybe even as your hands
are all warmed up, you place them on your legs
or your arms and you feel that heat sensation
move through you.
And again, just like the others,
wait until it's completely gone to regain your focus
by opening your eyes and looking back
at your therapist or whatever it is
you were working on.
Number four, using a worry stone
or silly putty to move around in your hand.
Close your eyes and feel its temperature,
texture, and its firmness.
You may wanna keep these things with you
when you're going to therapy or going in
to some situation that may be stressful.
You can play with it in your pocket,
and it can help keep you present
and more calm while you go about your day.
Remember though, you need to focus your energy
onto that one object and try to take mental notes
about how it feels, what you feel in your body
when you touch it, and all the stuff like that.
That's what makes it a grounding technique.
Number five, we're gonna use your sense of smell.
Essential oils can help with this a lot.
You can keep them in a rollerball applicator,
you can buy these, I've seen 'em online on Amazon,
or any health food store, I've seen 'em
even at Whole Foods, or have an oil diffuser
going in your home or when you're in therapy.
Smells like citrus, lavender, jasmine,
peppermint, and cinnamon, there's a lot of 'em
are all known to help us focus.
So keeping these scents with you
and closing your eyes while you smell it,
maybe notice how it makes you feel,
is it a strong smell?
Does it remind you of a calming place,
or perhaps a happy memory?
Pay attention to that scent, and notice how long
you can smell it, even though you maybe
already put the oil away.
Just like we'd wait to open our eyes
until that tingly sensation from clapping
or stomping goes away, do the same
with the oil, wait until that scent
is completely gone before we open our eyes and reengage.
Six, we're gonna utilize our sense of taste.
Now I know this can be harder for those of us
who struggle with eating disorders,
but that's why it's important to find grounding techniques
that help you most and work for you specifically.
So for sense of taste, you can keep peppermints with you,
ginger chews or tea, or even gum.
Notice the texture and the taste.
Does it tingle on your tongue?
Pay attention to how long you taste it.
Is it spicy?
Salty?
Sweet?
Does it bring up fond memories?
Does it make you salivate?
I know this can sound really weird,
but we have to pay attention to all of these things
and hopefully by doing that, it'll bring
us back to the present.
And the seventh and final option I'm gonna talk about
goes back to our sense of touch,
and this is creating a sensory bowl.
You can place various items into it,
things like sand, or marbles, different shapes
and sizes of beads, raw pasta shells,
fidget toys, coins, you name it.
Whatever has a different texture, temperature,
et cetera, 'cause you know how metals
can be a little colder than things
that aren't metal?
Just throwin' that out there.
You can add it in there and use it
to keep you grounded.
I've had clients who keep theirs in Tupperware containers
so they put the lid on it, and they bring it with them
to therapy, or on vacation, or wherever they need it.
So make sure that yours can travel with you,
or have a travel one, and then one
that stays at home or at your therapist's office.
Those can be really, really helpful
to have different textures and things
you can just feel around in when you're really
struggling to stay present.
And again, just remember that staying grounded
and present is vital to our recovery from trauma,
and can even help us better manage
our anxiety or any overwhelming feeling.
This video has been brought to you by
the Kinions on Patreon.
If you would like to support the creation
of these mental health videos,
click the link in the description and check it out.
And I hope these grounding techniques
can help you better manage what you may be going through.
But as always, what do you do to stay grounded?
Are there other tools and techniques
I didn't mention?
Please share those in the comments down below
and I will see you next time, bye.
(upbeat music)