Save this

From my own experience struggling with anxiety, I’ve found that adopting creative grounding techniques can make a big difference. One that really helps me is "naming and shaming" my anxiety—giving it a silly name and talking to it aloud. It may sound funny, but this shifts anxiety from something scary to something you can laugh at and control. I also practice left nostril breathing, which involves closing the right nostril and breathing slowly through the left. This simple breathing exercise has a calming effect on your nervous system and is something I do every day, especially during stressful moments. There’s even an app called Groundly that guides you through this breathing when anxiety feels overwhelming. Another interesting trick is narrating your panic attack like a nature documentary. By becoming the observer rather than the subject, it helps you detach from the intensity of the moment and often even brings a smile. I stick to the "worry window" strategy as well, allowing myself only 15 minutes each day to focus on worries. If anxious thoughts come up outside this time, I acknowledge them but tell myself to save them for the designated worry window. This teaches the brain to listen and manage anxiety within limits. Lastly, emotional dumping by journaling everything as it builds up is a powerful release. Writing down your feelings helps rationalize what’s happening and can be a helpful tool to discuss with your therapist. These holistic and practical grounding hacks are easy to incorporate into daily life and have helped me gain control over anxiety rather than feeling overwhelmed by it. I encourage anyone struggling with anxiety to try these and see what resonates best with their own experience.