In today's fast-paced environment, we each face unique challenges that can escalate stress and anxiety. From academic and social responsibilities on students, to the endless emotional/physical/mental demands of parenting, to the crushing symptoms of burnout, emotional regulation is crucial for everyone. Grounding and relaxation exercises stand out as effective techniques for managing these overwhelming feelings in the moment. This post delves into these practices, highlighting their benefits and providing actionable steps to incorporate them into daily life.
What is Grounding?
Thoughts and emotions can take us on a journey of their own. Take anxiety for example, where someone is worrying about the future. Or unyielding guilt, holding someone in part of their past. Neither of the people in these examples are in the here-and-now, they are being flung into the past or future most of the time. Grounding is a psychological technique designed to help individuals stay more present in the moment. Using mental and/or physical grounding exercises, the goal is to redirect your focus away from distressing thoughts and allow the emotion to flow freely through you. Grounding exercises come in a wide variety of options, and are helpful in lowering the reaction of the body's nervous systems to emotional activation.

Benefits of Grounding Techniques for Emotion Regulation
Increased Awareness of the Present Moment
Grounding fosters mindfulness by enhancing your awareness of aspects of the present moment. By staying in the here and now, individuals are able to break the cycle that is increasing emotional dysregulation and allow more space for logic to be applied. Challenging unhelpful thoughts is essential in managing anxiety, and so being able to regulate emotions with grounding exercises can help lay the foundation for utilizing this additional cognitive skill.
Improved Focus and Concentration
With how chaotic life can get, remaining focused on tasks can be difficult. Grounding can be a helpful tool in effectively clearing some of the mental clutter by bringing the person back to the present moment, and allowing the person to reset themselves in the task at hand. While difficulty with concentration can be attributed to many causes, using grounding exercises can be beneficial in the moment when it comes to things like overwhelm, excitement, and anxiety.
Physical Health Benefits
When we experience elevated emotional activation, that leads to a number of reactions within the body. Its like an alarm going off in our brain that is signalling to the rest of our body that we are in danger and need to protect ourselves. This is a very important response in keeping us alive, but not always warranted. For example, receiving a 65% on a paper is not the same as being actively in physical danger, but they may both illicit similar physical responses. Grounding exercises can be helpful in bringing the person's attention back to the present moment (instead of continuing to escalate worry about future, for example), but can also directly address some of the physical responses to stress. Take deep breathing for example, it brings your focus to your breath in the present moment, brings in more oxygen to your body, slows your breathing, and slows heart rate, bringing you back to a state that allows for more logical thinking.
Examples of Grounding Techniques
Mindful Moments: Taking in multiple big or small mindful moments in a day can help to keep people grounded in the present moment. It involves taking people out of the emotional response of living in the past or future by noticing details about the world around them. In the example below, I also introduce an aspect of gratitude into this exercise as this can have an impact on overall outlook as well.
Each day, find 3 things in the world around you that bring you joy or that you're grateful for. It could be anything from the way that first sip of coffee tastes in the morning, to the beauty of nature around you, to the sound of loved ones around you. Whatever feels meaningful for you.
Tip: going for a walk with this grounding exercise can have the additional benefit of the physical movement our body's may need to release any pent up energy associated with heavy emotions.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Senses: Diverting focus to the senses in the present moment helps to ground individuals in the here-and-now.
Notice five things you can see.
Find four things you can touch.
What are three things you can hear?
Notice two things you can smell.
Find one thing you can taste.
Alphabet Categories: When you notice thoughts running away with you and need something to break the cycle, this exercise can help you to shift your attention onto something else for an extended period of time. Once you've completed this exercise, you can reset your attention back to the present moment and the task at hand.
Start by picking your category. It can be anything! Animals, book titles or characters, names, reality tv shows. Anything.
The goal is to match every letter of the alphabet to something within that category. For example, if the category is animals, A - aardvark... Z - zebra. You can repeat and change up categories as many times as you need.

Relaxation Exercises
Relaxation exercises complement grounding techniques, creating a comprehensive strategy for emotion regulation. Relaxation differs from grounding based on the goal of the exercise itself. Relaxation exercises aim to relax your mind and body, whereas grounding exercises aim to bring your focus to the present moment. Using exercises from both of these categories, together or on their own, has been shown to reduce the negative impact of stress. Below are some examples of each.
Examples of Relaxation Techniques
Deep Breathing: Involves inhaling slowly and deeply.
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so, or soften your gaze if not.
Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose until you feel your lungs fill to capacity (you should feel it in your abdomen).
Hold your breath for as long as is comfortable, and then slowly exhale through your mouth, letting your abdomen and chest fall.
While you inhale, notice what your breath feels like as it fills your body with what you need in that moment (i.e. energy, peace). With each exhale, notice your breath take with it what you need to release (i.e. heavy emotion, pain).
Repeat this for as long as you need. When you're ready, slowly re-enter your space.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This technique targets different muscle groups. By tensing and then relaxing them, you can release the physical tension that often accompanies stress.
Find somewhere comfortable, either sitting up or laying down. You can close your eyes if you're comfortable, or soften your gaze.
Next, take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, holding it for as long as possible, and exhaling slowly through your mouth. Continue this deep breathing throughout the exercise.
Start by tensing the muscles in your feet for a count of 5 or as long as you're able to hold it for. When you release the tension, notice how it flows from your body through your feet and into the floor (or whatever you are laying on).
Next, you'll tense the muscles in your calves for a count of 5 or as long as you're able to hold it for. When you release this tension, notice it flowing out of your body through your feet.
Moving to your thighs, tense your muscles for a count of 5 or as long as you're able to hold it for, releasing the tension through your feet.
Moving to your glutes, tense these muscles for a count of 5 or as long as you're able to hold it for, releasing this tension through your legs and out your feet as well.
Next, tense the muscles in your torso for a count of 5 or as long as you're able to hold it for, releasing this tension through your legs and feet also.
For the upper body, we'll move to the arms and hands. Tense the muscles in your arms and hands by making fists, holding this for a count of 5 or as long as you can. When you release this tension, notice how it flows out of your body through your finger tips.
Next, we'll slowly move your head from side to side or in a circle (depending on if you're lying down or sitting up). Continue this for a slow count of 5, noticing all the muscles in your neck loosen and release the tension that they have been holding.
Finally, tense all the muscles in your face by scrunching them into a silly face, holding this for a count of 5 or as long as you can, and releasing this tension through your neck, arms, and finger tips.
To end, take a few more mindful deep, slow breaths, slowly moving your fingers and toes to bring yourself back into the present space, opening your eyes when you're ready.
Guided Imagery: Visualizing a safe, calm space to direct your attention to and bring a sense of relaxation.
Find somewhere comfortable to sit or lay down, closing your eyes if you are comfortable doing so and softening your gaze if you would prefer to keep them open.
Start by taking a few mindful deep, slow breaths, noticing the new, fresh air entering your body and the exhale of unhelpful sensations.
Think of a place you feel safest in. Somewhere calm, that brings you peace. It could be a wide open space like a peaceful meadow, forest, or beach. Maybe its something closer to home, like your backyard or your bedroom.
Take some time to notice the sensations of this place. How does it smell? What sounds can you hear there? Is there any taste associated with it? Anything you can feel?
Stay in this space for as long as you'd like, taking all the time you need to recharge here and gather a feeling of relaxation from it.
When you're ready, take a few more slow, deep, mindful breaths before slowly moving your fingers and toes, and bringing yourself back into your present space.
Grounding and relaxation exercises are valuable tools for effective emotion regulation, especially for those with elevated stress levels like post-secondary students and new parents managing the complexities of life. These techniques not only provide immediate relief from anxiety and stress but also promote long-term emotional health. By incorporating grounding and relaxation into daily practices, individuals can start to build resilience as part of a foundation for moving through life.
I do want to point out, while grounding and relaxation exercises help to manage symptoms of stress and anxiety, they alone do not address the underlying factors maintaining these symptoms. They are very helpful tools to have on your healing journey, but successfully addressing these symptoms can only come through treatment. Whether its therapy, personal practices (like these exercises and a healthy lifestyle), and/or medication, treatment of symptoms looks different for everyone, and finding the combination that fits you is the key to mental wellness. As a starting point, consider setting aside time to explore some grounding and relaxation exercises! Remember that your mental health journey is unique to you. Embrace it with compassion and courage, knowing that every seemingly small step is a strong step toward a healthier you.