These are some of my preferred trauma-informed grounding techniques that I use with clients. These utilize mental distractions to help redirect your thoughts away from distressed feelings and back to being in the present. Which one is your favorite?
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method-
Acknowledge 5 things you see around you, Acknowledge 4 things you can touch around you, Acknowledge 3 things you hear, Acknowledge 2 things you can smell, Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste.Make an effort to observe the things you normally wouldn’t notice.
Imagine yourself leaving the painful feelings behind-
Picture yourself gathering up the difficult emotions and putting them into a container or simply walking away from them.
Use Math and Numbers-
Counting backward from 100, Random addition of numbers or doing times tables in your head
Hold a piece of ice-
What does it feel like? How long does it take to melt?Notice the sensation when it does start to melt.
Put your hands in water-
Notice the temperature of the water and how it feels on various parts of your hands.Use warm first then try cold. Then switch and try cold first, then warm.What do you notice?
