5 Grounding Techniques for Anxiety That Helped Me Calm My Body (Even When My Thoughts Were Racing)

5 Grounding Techniques for Anxiety That Helped Me Calm My Body (Even When My Thoughts Were Racing)

When Anxiety Feels Like You’re Floating Out of Control

For me, anxiety wasn’t just about racing thoughts. It felt like my entire body was disconnected:

  • Heart pounding
  • Chest tightness
  • Muscles tense
  • Breathing shallow
  • Mind spinning

In those moments, I couldn’t just "think my way out of it." My body needed help first.

That’s when I discovered **grounding techniques** — simple physical practices that pull your mind back into the present moment by calming your nervous system directly.

Now they’re my first go-to tools whenever anxiety spikes. And many of these exercises come directly from my Somatic Therapy Exercise Cards and Cats Against Anxiety CBT Cards.

What Are Grounding Techniques for Anxiety?

When anxiety activates the fight-or-flight response, your body reacts as if you're facing real danger — even if you're simply stressed at work, overthinking a conversation, or stuck in traffic.

Grounding techniques interrupt this panic cycle by:

  • Redirecting focus away from fear-based thoughts
  • Anchoring your mind to physical sensations
  • Calming the nervous system
  • Helping you feel safe in your body again

They don’t require deep analysis or cognitive work. They simply help you **feel present and safe again.**

5 Grounding Techniques That Helped Me Calm Anxiety Fast

1️⃣ Power of Touch Grounding

✅ From my Power of Touch card (Cats Against Anxiety deck)

When my anxiety peaks, my hands often feel cold, restless, or shaky. The Power of Touch exercise helps bring my attention out of my head and into my hands.

How I do it:

  • Hold up one hand like a star.
  • Use your other index finger to trace each finger slowly, breathing in as you move up and out as you move down.
  • Feel the texture of your skin, the movement, and the rhythm of your breath.
  • Repeat until your breath slows and your muscles soften.

This simple technique interrupts racing thoughts almost instantly by anchoring my focus to my hands and breath.

2️⃣ Toe Tapping

✅ From my Toe Tapping card (Somatic Therapy deck)

Toe tapping helps discharge restless energy trapped in the legs and lower body during anxiety surges.

How I do it:

  • Sit comfortably with both feet flat on the floor.
  • Begin gently tapping your toes up and down in a steady rhythm.
  • Switch between feet or alternate both feet together.
  • Sync the tapping with slow breathing patterns.

Within minutes, I feel the physical restlessness drain away as my mind settles.

3️⃣ Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

✅ From my Progressive Muscle Relaxation card (Somatic Therapy deck)

PMR helps release muscle tension that feeds into anxiety’s physical symptoms.

How I do it:

  • Starting with my feet, I tense the muscles for 5-10 seconds.
  • Then I slowly release while exhaling fully.
  • I work my way up: calves, thighs, stomach, shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, forehead.

This trains my nervous system to recognize the difference between tension and relaxation — breaking anxiety's grip on my body.

4️⃣ Deep Breathing Reset

✅ From my Deep Breath card (Cats Against Anxiety deck)

Breath work directly regulates the autonomic nervous system, shifting it from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest mode.

How I do it:

  • Inhale deeply for 4 seconds.
  • Hold for 2 seconds.
  • Exhale slowly for 6 seconds.
  • Repeat for 3-5 minutes.

Every time I practice this, I feel my heart rate slow, my chest loosen, and my mind clear.

5️⃣ Butterfly Hug

✅ From my Butterfly Hug card (Somatic Therapy deck)

This bilateral tapping technique helps calm emotional surges during high anxiety moments.

How I do it:

  • Cross my arms over my chest, placing each hand on the opposite upper arm.
  • Gently tap alternately with each hand in a rhythmic pattern.
  • Maintain slow, steady breathing while tapping.

The gentle, rhythmic motion creates a soothing nervous system response that reduces emotional overwhelm quickly.

Why My CBT and Somatic Therapy Cards Make Grounding Easy

During anxiety, it’s hard to remember what to do. My mind races. My body freezes. That’s why I keep my Somatic Therapy Exercise Cards and Cats Against Anxiety CBT Cards nearby.

Instead of overthinking, I pull a card and follow one simple grounding prompt. No guessing. No research. Just action that works.

👉 See how my Somatic Therapy Exercise Cards help calm my nervous system here

👉 See how my Cats Against Anxiety CBT Cards guide my daily practice here

When I Use Grounding The Most

  • During panic attacks
  • Before public speaking or social events
  • At night to stop racing thoughts before bed
  • During medical appointments or test waiting periods
  • Any time anxiety spikes unexpectedly

Grounding Doesn’t Eliminate Anxiety — But It Breaks The Spiral

These techniques don’t erase anxiety completely. What they do is teach my brain: "I can feel anxiety AND stay present."

With practice, my anxious episodes grow shorter, less intense, and far more manageable.

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Final Thought

Grounding gave me something anxiety never offered: Control in the moment.

👉 See how my Somatic Therapy Exercise Cards help me practice grounding daily

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