Is anxiety all in your head?

The short answer is yes, anxiety is all in your head, but the long answer is much more complex. Anxiety is a primal human capacity to anticipate and prepare for threats, so at its pure form it is beneficial. However, at a certain frequency and intensity, anxiety becomes a mental illness that can disrupt and negatively affect your habits, job performance, and relationships. Anxiety floods your body with stress targeting hormones that can make you feel physically sick over long exposures, you can also experience an anxiety attack. Grounding techniques are helpful to relieve your anxiety In this case, it is important that you acknowledge how you feel and know how to react to your bodily stress.

Grounding, also known as earthing, is when humans make an electrical connection to the earth’s energies. The simplest form involves walking barefoot in the grass, dirt, or sand. Some people take a more technical approach using grounding matts and other devices. More on that in a second. As radical as it seems, grounding is simple science. Humans are bioelectrical beings that carry a positive charge, which can build up in our bodies. Earth has a negative charge. When we make contact through grounding, we discharge our excess energy, producing a healing effect at the cellular level.

Grounding helps to:

• Reduce inflammation
• Reduce cortisol
• Increase energy
• Increase healing speed
• Decrease pain
• Restore balance to the body

Grounding techniques can help switch off that “fight, flight, or freeze” portion of the brain. These natural instincts often kick in when it comes to anxiety, panic disorders, and PTSD. But feeling disconnected can apply to other disorders, too, such as depression, which can make one feel fuzzy and cut off from reality. Filidor adds that these methods can really help anyone, saying, “Grounding techniques can be used for day-to-day stressors. Anyone can benefit from these.”

Ways to Ground

• Find a hobby or activity you love
  Finding a hobby that you love is crucial to grounding because it guarantees you will set aside time to do something for you that fills you with joy. Anything counts, whether that hobby is yoga, drawing, playing a sport, going to the gym, or calligraphy.
  
• Get outside regardless of the weather
  The more time we spend in nature, the more we remember we are nature. Getting outside to breathe fresh air is a great and easy way to ground and reconnect with yourself and your surroundings. It’s so easy to make excuses about not wanting to go outside due to weather conditions, but at the end of the day, they are exactly that, excuses.
  
• Practice Breathing exercises
  My favorite breathing exercise for grounding and centering is Breathing with a pause. Find a tall seat, and slowly inhale through your nose for 4-6 seconds. At the top of your breath hold for 4 seconds, then exhale through your nose for 4-6 seconds, holding at the bottom.
  
• Move your bodyWe are energetic beings at our core, and when that energy gets pent up it can lead to anxiety, restlessness, and even over-exhaustion. With movement, we are able to move through any stagnant or stuck energy reconnecting to our bodies and making it easier to ground ourselves.
  
• Create a morning routine
  Starting your day with a routine that is intentional will set the tone for the entire day. Need help with your self-discipline; check out the digital mindfulness program ‘Plant Your Roots’. It has amazing worksheets, daily action steps, and meditations for you!
  
• Meditation
  Meditating is the act of becoming so present that you can be an observer of your thoughts and maybe eventually release any thoughts. Try our Sunday first free Meditation Class!
  
• Sleep
  Getting a good night’s sleep is important for grounding as well. Check out our blog post here to learn more about how to optimize your sleep.

Grounding techniques provide powerful methods for increasing your awareness of your body. It’s all about daily practice and you will see a huge positive balance in your life.

Love and light,

Manali