Stressed about the Pandemic? Here's how “Grounding” will help you

When there's a crisis, our mind is programmed to use fear and anxiety as a safety mechanism to make us more alert and protect us from danger. Our thoughts and actions might be a little irrational and exaggerated and it will mentally exhaust you, making you even more stressed out about the situation and constantly overthink. Living in such a mentally exhausting environent is not healthy at all which is why it is important to find ways to stay grounded.

What is Grounding?

Grounding is a therapeutic technique that helps your mind connect to your senses and the environment in order to get stability and is used to reduce stress and anxiety, in order to allow you to find calm in the chaos. Numerous studies have also shown that grounding therapies therapy can significantly improve your mood and help you relax. At times such as the one we are living now, we can all benefit from a little bit of grounding as everyone is affected by the pandemic in one way or another so it is important to restore a sense of stability and calmness.

Grounding techniques

There are many grounding techniques that can help you, and they can be done individually or together with your loved ones. It's time we start making use of these techniques to improve our mental health and find some calmness in the storm that is the world today.

Deep breathing

The first technique that we will be using is to practice deep breathing. This can be done by allowing yourself time at the start and the end of your day to simply breathe. You should find yourself a comfortable spot to sit or lie down and just breathe in and out for 6 long counts. Make sure you do not rush this, you should take your time. If you want to advance it further, you can also visualize roots growing from your feet down deep into the earth, we know it might sound strange but it works. You can confort yourself by saying things such as “I am safe” “nothing is going to happen to me” or “it will all be fine.” This will help you start your day with a clear mind and also help you fall asleep at night.

Describe your feelings to your partner

A good grounding technique for couples is to describe your feelings about the pandemic and the virus to your partner. Describe things such as how your anxiety surounding the virus is like, and describe the reasons why you are stressed out. Social interactions are crucial for us to function at our best so this will be a good way for you and your partner to release tension by describing how each of you feel. Social distancing doesn’t mean that you should isolate yourself from people, make sure you still connect with your loved ones and let them know what's on your mind and share your fears and frustrations. This technique might sound simple, but it is often abandoned because when we are stressed out, we tend to avoid simplicity.

Have some fun at home

If you have kids or family, you are likely to spend alot of time with them because you might have to work from home and your children might have to study at home. Therefore, it is a good opportunity to let loose and have some fun with your family when youre stuck together at home. It’s a good time to pull out those board games collecting dust or even explore new ones. Playing games such as trivia or memory games will help keep your brains active and focused so that it will help distract you from your stress.

Be more active

Physical distractions are also a great way to help you stay grounded. Lockdowns and curfews are a good excuse for you to start working out. You can even challenge others in push up or sit up contests in order to make it more interesting. You could also involve your kids as well and play musical chairs, this will allow your kids a chance to have some physical activity and enjoy themselves at the same time. If you wan’t to be adventurous, you can also try doing TikTok videos with your kids. This will definitely bring about lots of laughs and it will help distract you from stress and clear up your mind.

Because of the worldwide pandemic, our minds are always on edge, eagerly waiting to see what happens next, and wandering when it’s all going to be over. By grounding ourselves, we are focusing ourselves to live in the moment and to slow down and reconnect with other people and with your environment. If you need any help or advice to deal with your anxiety and stress or for suggestions to ground yourself, please contact Dr. Narindr at one of the links below.