SELF HARM RESOURCES

Grounding Techniques

 

Grounding techniques are skills to use in the moment you are feeling distressed.  You might use these when you are overwhelmed with an emotion, thoughts, memories, or disassociating.  One of the benefits of Grounding techniques is that they are simple, discrete, and don't require much/any supplies.  They can be done anywhere, any time, without anyone noticing.  

 

Some examples of grounding techniques:

• Looking around you and labeling everything you see in objective terms (no emotions or judgements!).  This technique helps to anchor you in the present moment and distract yourself from your thoughts and remind you where you are.

  • ​​An example: You are experiencing a high level of distress and feel overwhelmed.  You are looking at your hands.  You begin to label things to yourself (mentally or outloud).  You would NOT say: "I see my hands; they are ugly.  The walls are green and depressing.  The chair is nice and comfy."  Those sentences involve judgements and emotions.  Instead you'd say: "I see my hands.  The walls are green.  The chair has four legs and is wooden."  You list as much detail as you can in the room and continue labeling everything you see until you feel calmer and ready to stop.

• A safety Statement:  My name is ___.  I am safe right now.  I am in the present, not the past.

• Running your hands over something near you and paying close attention to how it feels.  You might stroke the leg of your pants, thumb a rough area on a desk, touch the cold surface of a window, rub a small stone in your hand...  

• Say a coping statement:  "I can get through this."  "It's going to be okay."  "I won't feel this way forever."

 

There is a great discription of what Grounding is and a long list of ideas here: http://www.bcbhr.org/Articles.aspx?7

 

Grounding techniques can be hard to use sometimes because the situations that call for them tend to be really intense and difficult already.  It's hard to remember what to do when you're so overwhelmed, let alone be able to do it.  It can help to practice Grounding when you are not in distress, that way you'll be more comfortable with the skill when you need it.  Consider choosing 1-3 Grounding techniques to try practicing for 2-3 minutes a couple times a day.  

 

Remember, you can do these any time any where!  You might practice Grounding:

• while walking to school/work/anywhere,

• while waiting in line,

• in the car,

• before bed,

• in the shower,

• while cooking a meal...