Grounding is a coping strategy that is designed to “ground” you in the present moment. It is often used as a way of coping with flashbacks or dissociation. 

Guidelines 

1. Grounding can be done anywhere, any place and at any time and no one needs to know that you are doing it. 
2. Use grounding when you are experiencing a trigger, when you feel strong emotion, when you feel like using substances, are having a panic attack, or when you feel yourself dissociating. 
3. You can rate your mood before and after, on a 0-10 scale. 
4. Keep your eyes open to stay in touch with the present. 
5. No talking about negative feelings, you want to distract away from this. 
6. Focus on the here and now, not the past or future. 
7. Grounding is more than just a relaxation strategy; it is used to distract and help reduce extreme negative feelings. It is believed to be more effective for trauma than relaxation alone. 
8. Grounding takes practice and not all suggestions will work for you. Try some out and see which works the best for you.