7 Grounding Exercises for the Over-Thinker
We all get “stuck in our heads” from time to time. Over-thinking, analysis paralysis, rumination all can easily take over our mental space when we aren’t paying attention. Grounding is the act or practice of bringing your awareness back into the physical world. Basically, it takes your attention out of your thoughts and emotions and refocuses it on your body and the world around you. These types of exercises help you become more present in your life.
Whether you struggle with day-to-day stress and worry or you experience more severe anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns, grounding exercises can help you get unstuck from troublesome mental patterns. I have put together a list of 7 of my go-to grounding exercises that I teach my clients. This is not an exhaustive list, however, it is a great starting point for you to learn ways to get you out of your head and into your life.
*This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a commission on products or services purchased through those links. However, I do not promote any product or service that I do not fully support or believe in.
Spiritual Tools for Grounding
Before we get to that list, I first wanted to tell you about a few tools that could help enhance the exercises I talk about below. These are metaphysical tools that help to promote grounded feelings through their energetic properties. By no means are these tools required to have the benefit of these exercises; however, they can provide an extra boost to the experience.
If you are interested in learning more about how to use these tools, check out this post here!
Crystals for grounding
Red jasper
Black tourmaline
Hematite
Smoky quartz
Essential oils for grounding
Cedarwood
Frankincense
Patchouli
Black spruce
Count Your Senses
This grounding exercise is probably the most common grounding activity out there. A great way to get unstuck from your mind is to focus on your 5 senses. They bring you back into your physical body and the experience you are having at that moment.
In this exercise, you will simply acknowledge, either out loud or in your head, a certain number of experiences with each of your senses. So it looks like this:
I want you to name . . .
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Name objects in the Room
This exercise is pretty simple. All you have to do is name (either out loud or mentally) objects that are around you that you were not aware of before. I don’t necessarily mean things that you’ve never seen before, but that you weren’t actively aware of at that moment. So if you are in a space that you are very familiar with, name things that weren’t in your direct line of vision to force you to look around the room.
By looking for objects to bring awareness to, you will be forced out of the thoughts you were stuck in and back into the physical space you are occupying.
Sensory Shocking
Okay, I promise this exercise isn’t as painful as it sounds (actually it shouldn’t be painful at all). However, it can be intense, and that is pretty much the point of the exercise. The idea of this technique is to “shock” one of your 5 senses abruptly in order to force your attention to that sensation.
This particular exercise is best used for more severe mental experiences such as trauma flashbacks, dissociation, and severe panic attacks. The intensity of these exercises is not usually necessary for more mild occurrences of being stuck in your thoughts.
Here are a few examples of how to “shock” your senses
Put your face in a bowl of ice water
Place an ice pack on the back of your neck
Smell peppermint
Bite into a lemon
Play loud music
Only engage in these activities for 30 seconds or so. Just enough time to get your attention out of your head and back into the present moment.
Count Your Breath/Heartbeat
Sometimes having something specific to focus on can help to get us grounded. By counting either your breaths or heart beats, you are both bringing awareness to the physical sensations and focusing on something outside of your mind.
Make sure you are counting intentionally though. If you start counting and then continue mindlessly, it will defeat the purpose of the exercise. So stay present with each count, really feel the rhythm of the sensations.
Move Your Body
When you're stuck in your head, you are out of your physical body. So to wake yourself back up to the present moment, get your body moving! Go for a run, do some jumping jacks, dance around your room, anything to get the blood and energy flowing again.
Spend Time Outside
Spending time in nature is one of the most effective ways to get grounded. The energy of the plants, sun, and soil has an amazing ability to bring you balance and peace.
A specific grounding technique that you can do outside is called “earthing”. All you have to do is put your bare feet in the grass or soil and be present with the experience. Make it a sort of meditative experience where you fully experience the feeling of the ground below you.
Meditation and Mindfulness Practices
Practicing meditation and mindfulness on a consistent basis is a great way to keep yourself grounded. These are practices that have the sole purpose of keeping you present in the moment and out of your head. If you are new to meditation, you can search online for guided grounding meditations to get you started. Also, check out this post here where I go in depth on how to start mindfulness/meditation practice.
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