3-2-1 Orienting To Ground Yourself When Overwhelmed

A sensory grounding practice for overwhelm, anxious thought loops, or the slightly unreal feeling of mild dissociation. You begin by feeling the weight of your legs and feet and the points of contact with the ground, then orient to the room: three things you can see or hear, two things you can feel with your hands or feet, and one deep breath released as a sigh. Coming back into the senses is one of the most reliable ways to return to a calm, grounded presence. This is also a lovely practice to teach children and teenagers who feel anxious or overwhelmed.

Transcript

Welcome to this orienting practice. This downshift session is designed to bring you back into your senses. Let's begin. With your eyes open. Label three things that you can see in your environment. Really notice them and invite them into your awareness. Now closing down the eyes if you wish. Tune into two specific sounds that you can hear. And really listen to both of these sounds. Now I'd like you to notice the specific contact point. That your feet have with the ground. Notice the contact point. Between your feet and the ground. And now that we're firmly connected to our sensors. We're going to explore expanding our awareness to create even more ease and spaciousness in the system. Begin by noticing the space behind you. Perhaps two to three feet behind. Be aware of the space behind you. And now notice the space above the crown of your head. Notice the space above you. Notice the space to the sides of you. The left and to the right. Perhaps letting out a sigh if that feels natural. And notice the space beneath your feet. Notice the space beneath you. And finally expand your awareness in all directions. A few feet around you. And from here see if you can relax 10% more into this spaciousness. Remaining physically completely still. But using one-tenth of the effort. Surrendering into the spaciousness. The practice of orienting, Is now complete.