Grounding Toolkit: Techniques for Regulation

Feeling dysregulated can look like anything from being overactive and anxious to being underactive and dissociating. Whether you're feeling like "too much" is happening or "too little" is happening, grounding exercises can help you be in the present through engaging your senses and reminding your brain of where your body is!

Take Slow Breaths

• Deep breaths can help regulate our nervous system.

• You can use tools like square breathing, guided videos, or a timer to pace your breathing!

• Inhale through your nose….

• Hold the breath for a few seconds (or whatever feels comfortable for you)....

• Exhale slowly through your mouth, as if you’re pushing the air through a straw…

• Repeat…

Seek Texture 

• Seek texture and name it:

• What are your feet touching? If they’re in the air, connect them with a surface. Maybe it’s the ground beneath you, your socks, something fuzzy, or the carpet.

• Find a comforting object like a blanket or stuffed animal, feeling its texture.

• Seek a hug or grounding touch from a loved one.

Mental Encyclopedia

• Maybe your mind is racing or your mind feels blank. Consider regulating and attuning your mind to something by:

• Naming something from a category for each letter of the alphabet

  • E.g. Fruits: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe….

• Counting by a number:

  • E.g. Counting by 4’s: 0, 4, 8, 12, 16…

Change Temperature

• Notice your current body temperature, naming if different parts of your body feel colder or warmer. 

• Seek safe temperature changes: an ice pack, washing your hands with cold or warm water, a heat pack, or more. Consider adding or removing layers of clothing depending on your needs.

5-4-3-2-1 Technique

• Read about it here!

Practicing these grounding exercises even when you feel regulated can prepare you for using them in times of need. Consider additional needs that you may have if you are overstimulated (e.g. turn the lights off) or understimulated (e.g. pace or get a fidget toy). 

If these techniques are helping for you, consider exploring additional mindfulness techniques that can help ground you to the present!