Types of Grounding

There are many different types of grounding exercises that can help us feel more calm when we face stressful situations or triggers.

Grounding strategies help us cope with overwhelming emotions (i.e., anger, sadness). We can detach from the emotions we are feeling to gain a sense of control. Grounding uses outside sources to help “anchor” you to the present and to reality. These three types of grounding listed here all work to achieve the same goal of regaining mental focus, feeling stable, and feeling able to manage our emotions. 

Many people with PTSD or those who are struggling with feeling overwhelming emotions and memories, or those feeling numb with dissociation, benefit from grounding.

Types of grounding can include mental strategies, physical strategies, and soothing strategies. Having a list of various different grounding strategies is helpful, as some techniques may work better for some people, or some techniques may work better for certain situations we are in. It can be overwhelming in the moment to remember grounding strategies, so having a physical list or one in your phone can help you try out various strategies whenever you need them. Grounding can be done anywhere and no one around you needs to know you’re using grounding strategies! 

Grounding is a skill, and like any skill it requires practice to get used to. Try practicing these types of grounding techniques even when you don’t need them so that you get used to them and get a sense of which techniques you like and which you don’t enjoy as much. Try to start using these grounding strategies right when you start to feel your emotions getting bigger- it’s much easier to get into the habit of grounding when we still feel okay, rather than when our emotions feel too overwhelming to manage.