When Your Mind Starts to Race, These Tips Can Help You Relax and Regain Control.

Many of us experience anxiety on a regular basis. Anxiety is a normal, adaptive system in the body that tells us when we are in danger, which means that dealing with your anxiety never involves eliminating it, but rather managing it. However, just because you are experiencing anxiety does not mean you are in a dangerous situation. Just because you think something, does not mean it is accurate. Thoughts are random and sometimes insignificant. Often, our minds can run wild creating situations of “what if” that may not have any factual basis at all. Suddenly our mind is running in the wrong direction, and our body begins to feel anxious. Then the “smoke detector” in our brain, which assesses levels of safety or threat, initiates a fight, flight or freeze response.

From Mind to Body

Panic attacks prompt catastrophic thinking with thoughts, which are most likely irrational and out of proportion to reality. However, the symptoms of a panic attack cannot be ignored and are no joke. Panic attacks can increase with time and prevent us from functioning well in everyday activities. To prevent anxiety from increasing and interfering with daily life, grounding exercises are recommended. These help us manage the symptoms of anxiety. As you feel your body becoming anxious, you can do these exercises to reduce the “spacey” feelings and prevent the spiral downward to a panic attack. One of the most common grounding techniques is the “5-4-3-2-1” exercise.

How it Works

Start with conscious breathing. Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 5 seconds. Continue this pattern until you find your thoughts slowing down.

5. Acknowledge 5 THINGS around you that you can SEE. Maybe it is a clock on the wall, carpet on the floor, a table or chair, clouds moving past, or a nearby tree. However big or small, recognize 5 items you can see with your eyes.

4.  Acknowledge 4 THINGS around you that you can TOUCH. Maybe it is your computer at work, the chair you are sitting on, your legs or hair, or your wallet or purse. Recognize 4 items you can feel with your hands or body.

3. Acknowledge 3 THINGS around you that you can HEAR. Maybe it is the sound of people talking or walking, the laughter of children, birds chirping. Use your fine tuning and see if you can hear ambient sounds you may not normally tune into – the hum of fans or the AC, clocks ticking, cars going by. Name 3 things that are audible to you.

2. Acknowledge 2 THINGS around you that you can SMELL. This one may be tricky if you are not in a stimulating environment, so if you cannot automatically sniff something out, walk nearby to find a scent. You might walk to a bathroom to smell soap, outside to smell something in nature, lean over and smell a pillow on the couch, a pencil on the desk, or check to see how your deodorant is working today. Whatever it may be, take in the smells around you.

1. Acknowledge 1 THING that you can TASTE. It might be the aftertaste of coffee, gum or your last meal. Or take a sip of water or grab a snack if it is handy. I also recommend taking an additional deep breath when done.

At the end of the exercise, celebrate your success! Recognize you were able to ground yourself and prevent the anxiety spiral, which will help you remember that coping with anxiety is possible and that you have successfully completed this exercise. The next time you feel anxiety returning, remind yourself of previous success.

If you are new to grounding and the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise, here are some tips:

TIPS FOR GROUNDING

• When doing grounding techniques, make sure to keep your eyes open so that you can see and focus on what is around you in that moment. It can also help to speak out loud, if appropriate to the situation, describing what you are seeing and doing.
• It is always helpful throughout this activity to root your feet into the floor, whether sitting or standing. Notice you are connected to the earth in this way.
• Practice: Like any other skill, it is important to practice grounding techniques. It will be most useful to use this skill when you are calm and practicing it often. That way, when you find yourself needing to use it, you already know how.