Grounding Techniques for Eating Disorder Recovery
Written by CCTC Staff Writer
When you are in the grips of an eating disorder, it can feel like nothing else in the world matters. In difficult moments, you may feel disconnected from your body, your emotions, and your thoughts. It is essential during recovery to find grounding techniques that help you reconnect with yourself.
In this blog post, we will discuss grounding techniques for those in eating disorder recovery. We will explore how to use these techniques to connect with your body, manage your emotions, and stay grounded in the present moment.
Read on to learn more about:
What grounding is
How grounding techniques work
Why grounding is important for those in recovery
Examples of when grounding may be helpful in eating disorder recovery
5 examples of grounding techniques
How to find what works for you
What is grounding?
Grounding is a set of techniques that can be used to bring yourself back to the present moment and connect with your body. These techniques can be helpful when you are feeling disconnected or overwhelmed. Grounding techniques can help you feel more centered, calm, and in control.
How do grounding techniques work?
Grounding techniques are typically a go-to strategy for managing PTSD and anxiety as it helps to distract from feelings and thoughts that are disruptive and overwhelming. For those in recovery any type of distress, traumatic flashbacks, difficult emotions and/or anxiety can all lead to returning to disordered behaviors.
Why is grounding an important tool for those in recovery from an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is typically relied on to help numb out or avoid difficult emotions. This can lead to a disconnection from the self and from the present moment. Grounding techniques can help you reconnect with your body and your emotions. They can also help you stay present in difficult moments, which can prevent you from turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms.
For those with an eating disorder, learning mindfulness is important because it allows you to be more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. It helps you to become more attuned to your body and learn to respond to your hunger cues. Additionally, mindfulness can help reduce anxiety and stress. Grounding techniques are a form of mindfulness that can help you stay present in the moment and connect with your body.
Related: Using Affirmations & Intentions In Eating Disorder Recovery
Examples of when grounding may be helpful in eating disorder recovery
Life can be unpredictable and stressful for all of us, whether we are in recovery or not. These difficult moments can arise at the least expected moment challenging our recovery from disordered habits. Here are a few examples of situations where grounding could be useful to stop that eating disorder voice from taking control of the present moment:
You are meeting a friend for lunch that you have not seen for a while. You begin to think about whether or not she will think you've gained weight. You start looking at the menu and begin to get anxious about the options and notice this restaurant has calories listed. What can you get? Will you have to purge after? Will you have to exercise after? Can you get away with not telling your treatment team?
You get into a disagreement with your partner or family member trying to have a conversation and you are unable to stop thinking about it afterwards. You question your relationship with this person, the fight itself, what you said, what they said. The anxiety begins to increase and you feel the urge to binge and purge.
You are trying on clothes at a store and begin to get overwhelmed by your body and noticing changes in the way certain sizes fit. Your thoughts begin to spiral about how recovery is ruining everything, that you need to go on a diet, that your body is a problem.
You see a family member that brings up traumatic memories and thoughts from when you were younger. Those emotions and feelings overwhelm you and you are no longer able to stay present in the moment. You begin to think that the only way to soothe yourself is to binge.
You wake up overwhelmed by the to do list looming in your mind. You realize it will be a busy and stressful day, and you start to debate whether or not you need to make time to have breakfast and pack lunch and snacks for the day. You begin to wonder if restricting "just this once" will be okay since it would make things a lot easier.
Examples of grounding techniques
Here are some examples of grounding techniques that you can try the next time you are struggling to stay in the present moment:
Sensory count down: 5-4-3-2-1
This exercise is intended to help you connect with your senses. This helps you to focus on the here and now.
Start by finding a comfortable place to sit or stand. Close your eyes and begin to notice your breath. Once you have settled into your breath, begin to notice all the things you can sense in the environment around you and name them starting with:
5 things you see
4 things you feel
3 things you hear
2 things you smell
1 thing you taste
Hold an ice cube or ice pack
Holding an ice cube or ice pack is a great and easy way to connect with your senses and the physical sensation of cold can help to ground you in the present moment.
Start by holding an ice cube in your hand for a few minutes. Notice the coldness on your skin and how it feels to hold something so frozen. As you focus on the physical sensation, begin to notice your breath
Box breathing
Box breathing is a technique that can help you to focus on your breath and slow down your heart rate.
Start by finding a comfortable place to sit or stand. Place one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Begin to breathe in for a count of four, then hold your breath for a count of four. Breathe out for a count of four and hold for another four seconds. Repeat this several times until you feel your emotions shift.
Create a grounding box
A grounding box is a box that you can fill with things that make you feel calm, safe, and connected to the present moment. This is a great tool to have on hand for when you are feeling triggered and need to ground yourself quickly.
Inside, you will gather items dedicated to each of the five senses. Here are some examples:
Smell: candles, essential oils, lotion or body butter, dry flowers such as lavender
Touch: silly putty, fidget toys, stuffed animal, a soft blanket
Taste: mint, gum, sour candy, tea
Sight: collect photos of your loved ones, your favorite poems or quotes, your favorite paintings or artwork, religious passages
Sound: have a playlist saved of your favorite songs, a sound machine with soothing sounds, or playlist of relaxing music
Move your body
Whether it is going for a walk, stretching, jumping around or dancing, moving our bodies is a way to bring us back to our bodies. Pay attention to how your body feels with each movement. How does the air feel on your skin? How does the floor feel against your hands or feet? What sound do your shoes make when they hit the pavement?
Finding what works for you
Discovering what grounding techniques work for you may take some time. Recovery is all about learning what works for you to begin coping in a healthier way. Be patient with yourself and know that you are not alone in this. If you are in need of support to help you work through triggers and find grounding techniques that work best for you, you can always ask your treatment team for ideas and help.
What are some of your favorite grounding techniques? Share them with us in the comments below!
If you are looking to strengthen you or your loved ones recovery and are seeking support, the team at Central Coast Treatment Center would love to support you. To learn more about our unique eating disorder recovery programming, reach out to us today.