Ways to Stay Grounded This Holiday Season
The Holidays are here. What commonly is a joyful time spent celebrating with family and friends, may be very unique this year due to COVID-19. Even if you are able to celebrate with loved ones, it’s still possible to feel irritated or stressed out. Could be due to financial strain or family conflict, truth be told there are millions of reasons to want to fast forward to the end of the year. If you find yourself wishing “could this year just be over and done with already”- keep reading!
Grounding techniques are extremely helpful tools to use when feeling overwhelmed and stressed. These strategies are commonly taught to individuals experiencing anxiety or symptoms of trauma because they are effective in regaining equilibrium in the body and mind. At the root of grounding exercises are tuning into your breathing and senses. This can be achieved in many different ways but here are some of my favorite techniques:
Body Scan
Body scans can be done many ways. When I work with clients I will typically take them through many different kinds of meditation like activities to see what style they prefer. What this means is that body scans can be creative! Try it now.
Start simple: sit comfortably or lie down. Make sure you are in a position that feels natural but engaged. Now, close your eyes. Take a deep inhale, pause, and think of where there may be tension in your body? Are your shoulders tight, or hands balled up? Exhale your breath and actively release any area of your body that may be tense. On the next inhale, think of your body’s experience. Are you cold? What do you smell? Can you taste something? Continue breathing while mindfully scanning your body and senses.
Create
Often we judge what we create. This can make being creative very difficult if you constantly judge or block emotional outlets like writing, drawing, and dancing. So, engaging in the opposite can have profound effects! Choose something you enjoy and set a timer. Depending on the amount of time this is an optional step. Then, unapologetically go for it! This exercise is meant to stimulate your body and brain without criticism or judgement. While engaging, make sure to practice the same breathing techniques as mentioned in the body scan. Once finished, reflect on how you feel.
5,4,3,2,1 Method
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
This is one of the methods used to teach grounding techniques because it targets all of the senses and actively challenges the individual to observe their environment. You can practice this by saying it out loud or by thinking it. Parenting tip: use this as a game! It will help your child learn to tune in to their senses and environment. This can help improve their ability to communicate about emotions.
Grounding Self Care
Self care and grounding techniques go hand in hand! Self care is the practice of habits that promote well being and restore or maintain your mental health. This may look like:
Taking a walk
Eating nutritious and delicious food
Calling a friend
Listening and dancing to music
Exercising
Everyone has their own preference and maybe you already are engaging in some form of a grounding techniques without knowing. Give these a try and let me know how they work for you during this Holiday Season!