Surviving Grief Storms
In the early days of grief, my mind had constant emotional storms! It was common for me to get swept up in unhelpful thinking, painful memories, and tricky grief feelings. It felt like I was being jerked around by grief, and I couldn't get my mind to settle. I really needed some tools to help ground me, especially at the end of the day when my mind was racing with grief anxiety.
If you're grieving, I'm sure you can relate! You probably have your version of grief anxiety and mental storms that are tricky to navigate. Like me, I'm sure you could use some tools to help calm the storm inside. Keep reading to learn some of my top tips for managing these mental storms, and connect with me for personalized grief support!
Grounding 101
First, I want to talk about what grounding is. You can think of grounding as a coping skill that helps bring you back to the present moment when you're swept up in a mental storm. I like to think of grounding as a way to soothe when my grief anxiety gets really intense. I needed this tool because the emotional storms were exhausting, and I was missing out on my life!
Top Grounding Techniques
Here are some of my favorite grounding exercises. I like these because they are easy to use and remember!
Pro tip: To get better at these exercises so they'd work when I really needed help, I practiced them when things were calm so I'd be ready when the storm came. Like a fire drill for my grief anxiety!
Connect to the present.
My favorite one to use when I was swept up in my mind was the 5-4-3-2-1. It helped me come back to reality and was simple to use. By connecting to my senses, I was forced to notice my surroundings and helped tune out the grief anxiety chatter in my head. If like me, you can go for entire days without even noticing any part of it, this exercise is for you!
Name 5 things you can see (objects in the room, small details in your surrounding)
Name 4 things you can feel (objects touching your body, textures of your clothing, the temperature on your skin)
Name 3 things you can hear (close and distant sounds, your voice as you speak)
Name 2 things you can smell (food or objects nearby, the air around you)
Name 1 thing you can taste (the taste of your mouth, flavors of food or candy)
Connect to your body.
Sometimes to shut my mind up, I'd do something physical in my body to change the focus. Any moment will work here; try a few until you find your favorites! Check out some of my favorites to help get you started. I love using movement to help me connect to my playful side when anxiety has me feeling all serious.
Hop on your right foot 5 times, and switch to your left for 4 hops. Back to your right foot for 3 hops, 2 hops on your left foot, then one big hop on both feet.
Take a deep belly breath and sweep your arms up over your head. Hold them up as you inhale. Then, exhale and let your arms fall heavily to your side. Repeat a few times.
Bend over for a forward fold, like you're trying to touch your feet. Let your arms and head hand heavy. Gently sway your upper body like tree limbs rocking in the breeze.
Another top favorite way I connect with my body is through gentle massage. Grab some nice lotion like peppermint or lavender and rub it on your body in a slow, circular motion. I like making little circles on my lower legs, from my ankles to my knees, when I'm restless at night. Remember to take deep breaths to breathe in the relaxing scent you picked!
Takeaway
Our grieving brains can get swept up in some painful and unhelpful thoughts! When this happens, use grounding to bring yourself back to the present moment. The storms of grief are tricky to navigate alone; connect with me for personalized support to help you find some peace no matter what grief sends your way.
