6 Ways to Ground Yourself when You’re Having a Panic Attack

Panic attacks are the worst.  Read these 6 tips on how to ground yourself when anxiety is high.

1. 5 Senses Grounding

   Get in a comfortable place and focus on your 5 senses.  Say these out loud if you can:

   • 5 things you can see.  Choose objects in different areas of the room.  You can also name their color to further engage your thinking brain.

     I see a picture frame with a photo of my cats…I see a purple candle on my desk…I see my green bamboo plant…

   • 4 things you can feel.  This is my favorite.  Sometimes I’ll just focus on several things I can feel until I feel calmer.

     I feel the cool air of the room on my skin…I feel the carpet beneath my shoes…I feel the cushion of the chair I’m sitting on…I feel the sensation of my hands folded in my lap…

   • 3 things you can hear.  

     I hear a bird singing outside…I hear the sound of the AC kicking on…I hear a car passing by…

   • 2 gets split into two categories: 1 thing you can smell, and one thing you can taste.  You can get something that smells or tastes nice for this one if you want, like lavender essential oil or a piece of chocolate.

     I smell the inside of my face mask…I taste what I had for lunch earlier…

   • 1 thing you appreciate about yourself

     I appreciate that I am taking care of myself…I appreciate that I can do hard things…

2. Take deep breaths

   Inhale 6 counts, hold for 2 counts, exhale 8 counts.  Make your exhales longer than your inhales, this activates your parasympathetic nervous system to calm your body naturally.  Ask a partner or family member to take deep breaths with you for an added calming effect.

3. Play a grounding game

   Grounding games help your mind focus on something other than the anxious thoughts.  It engages our Thinking Brain to help it come back online when Emotion Brain is trying to take over.

   • Find the Rainbow: Look around the room and find one object of every color in the rainbow in order from Red to Violet.  No using actual rainbows, and try to find colors in different areas of the room, if possible.  You can also play by taking turns finding each color with a friend or with your partner.  Alternatively, find 7 things of one color.

   • Categories: Think of a category, like animals or musical artists.  Starting with the letter A, go through the alphabet and list examples from that category with each letter of the alphabet.  So, anteater, beluga whale, cat, etc. This can also be played with one or more other people.

4. Change up the temperature

   Use an ice pack, put cold water into a plastic bag, or use a cool, damp washcloth.

   • In your hand: Hold something cool in your hand (some people also like putting it up to their chest) and focus on that sensation of coolness.  This can be very grounding.

   • On your face: When we put something cool on our face, we stimulate our body’s Dive Response, which signals to our brain that we’re diving underwater.  This makes our brain slow down our heart rate and our breathing automatically.  Another alternative is putting your face in a bowlful of cool water…sounds messy I know, but it really works!

5. Focus on the basics

   Repeat, in your head or out loud, some facts about the situation right now.

   • My name is…Stephani

   • Today is…Tuesday October 4th

   • The time is…1:13pm

   • I’m at…home

   • I feel/I can feel…anxious/scared/nervous

   • And I am safe

   • And I can ask for help

6. Emotion surf

   Observe your emotions like you’re David Attenborough observing an interesting and loud exotic bird.  Don’t try to control or suppress the anxiety: sometimes this can make us feel more tense and anxious or lead us to act in ways that make anxiety worse (like impulse shopping or ruminating on the negative).  Allow the anxiety to exist.  It sucks, but it will pass.  You have survived every panic attack you’ve ever had.  This one will not last forever, even if it feels like it at the moment.

   Notice:

   • What sensations can you feel in your body?

   • What emotions are you feeling?

   • What thoughts are you having?  Notice them, and let them come and go.

   • Imagine watching the anxiety build and lessen, like waves on a beach. Rather than being engulfed, imagine surfing on that wave as it rises and falls, gradually bringing you back to shore.

   • Rate your anxiety on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being none and 10 being the worst anxiety you can imagine.  Check in with yourself periodically to see how the rating changes.  Where are you on the wave?

   • Notice if you’re having any urges.  What is the emotion making you want to do?  See what it’s like to notice the urge and not act on it.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”