Ground Yourself When You Feel Overwhelmed: 5 Effective Techniques

The world is a busy place with lots of distractions. This makes it very easy to feel overwhelmed on a regular basis.

Once you feel overwhelmed it’s not easy to move yourself to a better mental space without the knowledge of how to do so.

However, learning to deal with overstimulation and anxiety is a skill that you can learn and develop.

With enough practice, you can quickly get yourself back on track from any negative emotional state.

Know how to ground yourself under any circumstances! Follow these strategies:

1. Hold something in your hand. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, pick up an object. The more interesting the object, the better it will work for this exercise. Nearly anything will work: A pen, a flashlight, saltshaker, paper weight, a even a shoe are all fine.

• Hold the object in your hand and focus on the texture. Avoid looking at the object. Just feel it in your hand.
• Move the object around in your hand and imagine the shape of the object as you’re feeling it. Try to form a mental picture based on what you’re feeling.
• Describe the texture and shape to yourself.