Grounding Techniques for Times of Upheaval

Simple ways to steady your nervous system when the world feels unsteady

Periods of collective upheaval, political unrest, war, social fragmentation, and environmental crises don’t just live “out there.” They land in our bodies, our sleep, our relationships, and our sense of meaning. Even when we’re functioning on the surface, something inside often feels braced, alert, or quietly exhausted.

Grounding is not about pretending everything is okay. It’s about helping your nervous system register that in this moment, you are safe enough to breathe, think, and choose your next step.

Below is a menu of grounding practices, not a prescription. Different methods work for different people, ages, cultures, bodies, and circumstances. You don’t need special tools, money, training, or perfect consistency. You just need curiosity and permission to experiment.

1. Body-Based Grounding

For people who feel stuck in their heads or overwhelmed by emotion

When the world feels chaotic, the mind often tries to regain control through overthinking. Grounding through the body helps restore balance without requiring insight or analysis.

Simple options:

• Press your feet firmly into the floor and notice the pressure for 30 seconds

• Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly; breathe slowly into both

• Gently tense and release your shoulders, jaw, or hands

• Splash cool water on your face or hold a warm mug

These practices work well for all ages and can be done almost anywhere. They’re especially helpful when words feel inadequate.

2. Sensory Anchors

For moments of acute anxiety or emotional flooding

Our brains are wired to respond to sensory input faster than logic. Engaging the senses can interrupt spirals of fear or helplessness.

Try one sense at a time:

• Sight: Name five things you can see around you

• Sound: Focus on the farthest sound you can hear, then the closest

• Touch: Hold something textured (fabric, stone, paper)

• Smell: Notice a familiar scent, soap, spice, coffee, or the air outside

• Taste: Slowly chew something and track its flavor

This approach is particularly useful for children, elders, and anyone who struggles with traditional “sit and breathe” practices.

3. Rhythmic Grounding

For restless bodies and anxious energy

Repetitive, rhythmic movement signals safety to the nervous system.

Accessible examples:

• Walking at a steady pace

• Rocking gently while seated

• Repeating a short prayer, phrase, or mantra

• Knitting, washing dishes, sweeping, and drumming lightly on a table

Across cultures, rhythm has always been a stabilizing force — especially during uncertainty.

4. Cognitive Grounding

For minds pulled toward worst-case scenarios

In times of upheaval, our brains naturally seek certainty. As you explored in your post on how the human brain gravitates toward simplicity in complex situations, anything that offers a clear story or explanation can feel soothing, even if it’s incomplete or misleading.

Cognitive grounding isn’t about forcing positive thinking. It’s about gently returning to what is actually known.

Helpful questions:

• What do I know for certain right now?

• What am I assuming?

• What is within my control today — even in a small way?

This kind of mental grounding restores agency without denying reality.

5. Creative Grounding

For those who process through expression rather than stillness

As you’ve written before, creativity can be a powerful antidote to anxiety, not because it distracts us, but because it allows emotion to move.

Creative grounding doesn’t require talent or productivity:

• Doodling or coloring

• Writing without editing

• Singing quietly to yourself

• Rearranging a space

• Cooking something familiar

Creative acts help the nervous system discharge energy and reestablish flow.

6. Relational Grounding

For people who ground best through connection

Humans are wired for co-regulation. Being witnessed, even briefly, can calm the nervous system.

Low-pressure options:

• Sit near someone, even without talking

• Make eye contact with a trusted person

• Send a message that says, “Thinking of you”

• Spend time with animals

You don’t need deep conversations. Presence alone can be stabilizing.

7. Meaning-Based Grounding

For moments when safety is intertwined with grief or guilt

During crises, many people experience a quiet form of distress: Why am I okay when others are suffering? As you explored in your writing on survivor’s guilt, this emotional complexity is deeply human.

Grounding here isn’t about minimizing pain; it’s about holding it with integrity.

Gentle practices:

• Lighting a candle or observing a moment of silence

• Dedicating a small act of care to someone who is suffering

• Naming gratitude without erasing grief

• Allowing both sorrow and steadiness to coexist

Meaning can ground us when certainty cannot.

Invitation to Notice

You don’t need to do all of these. You don’t need to do them “right.” Grounding is not a performance; it’s a relationship with your nervous system.

In times of upheaval, returning to the body, the senses, creativity, connection, and meaning isn’t weakness. It’s how humans have survived uncertainty for generations.

If you notice that your system is asking for deeper support, not to be fixed, but to be met, that’s not a failure. It’s information. And it’s worth listening to.

Coaching Connection

As an Iranian-American life coach, I use practical frameworks and grounding techniques to help clients gain control over the intense emotions, create space that allows for untangling the root cause and return to clarity.

Through coaching, we explore your current circumstances, identify thought patterns, and find new ways of responding that align with your calm, grounded self.

Book a discovery session to learn how to use this framework to reduce stress and reclaim your personal power in any situation.