Anxiety Grounding Techniques

Why does grief and anxiety go together? Since anxiety is a stress response and grief is certainly a stress, it makes sense that they can go together. In fact, Claire Bidwell Smith proposes in her book, Anxiety: The Missing stage of Grief, that as our world is turned upside down when someone we love dies, all the feelings of fear and dread that creates anxiety is certainly present. Your loss may be recent or many years ago, but anxiety can become an expression of grief that you may not realize.

Some Ways to Get Control

Notice and Interrupt Your Anxious Thought Patterns

Grounding Techniques – Overview

 The purpose of grounding is to connect with our body and calm the nervous system. When anxious we need to interrupt the racing thoughts and overwhelming feelings.  Here are some general approaches that help:

1.Practice these techniques to become comfortable and confident in their effectiveness

2.Start at early signs of distress

3. Be kind to yourself. No judgment

4.Check in with yourself…. Rate how calm you are before and after grounding.

5.Keep your eyes open. 

 Strategies to Get Grounded

 1.Yoga is excellent but to interrupt racing thoughts try standing in the Tree Pose. Your brain cannot try to balance your body and increase panic at the same time. The Body wins every time. 

 2.Guerilla Glue: Stand with legs apart and pretend the bottom of feet is glued to floor. You cannot move your legs. Focus attention on feeling stuck to the floor. Stand tall. Stand firm.  Now sway slowly and intentionally from side to side. Like a tree swaying in the breeze.

 3.Mountain Meditation Your body is attached to the earth like a mountain. Your thoughts and feelings are like a weather system that comes and goes over or around the mountain. The mountain is permanent and watches the weather system. The clouds and wind and rain are always temporary. 

 4. Clap your hands and stomp your feet ( march)

 5.Mindfulness practice

 6.Walk barefoot in grass or sand. Lean against tree in the winter. 

In these times of increased stress or your are in the midst of grieving, anxiety is certainly a common expression that can cause further distress. There are simple ways to handle the situation and help you feel in control once again.

Yours in living and loss, Brenda