Have you ever felt stuck in an unwanted thought loop? Maybe you find yourself ruminating about something that happened in the past, or worrying about something coming up in the future. You might also notice your thoughts moving at warp speed - your mind jumping from one thought to the next, trying to keep up with competing demands or to-do lists. While these thought loops are normal; they can be exhausting and overwhelming. Over this past year we have been especially vulnerable to getting hooked by our thoughts, as our worlds have significantly narrowed to work and/or home, with far fewer opportunities for social and leisure activities. Activities like visiting a museum, attending a dinner party, or going to see live music can help to physically and emotionally take us out of our thoughts and engage us in the present moment of our lives. With increased stress, and decreased access to stress-relieving activities, however, it is important to cultivate a practice of taking ourselves outside of our thoughts and into our present experiences- even for just a few minutes.
Present moment grounding (Kabat-Zinn, 1994) is a valuable mindfulness practice because it acts as a “reset” button for our thinking patterns, interrupting the loops of thinking that keep us hyper-focused on a situation; whether it be replaying something that occured in the past or becoming preoccupied with the future. It helps us to mindfully and intentionally experience ourselves in the here and now. While present moment grounding is not designed to solve problems or erase worries, it does provide several other benefits that improve mental health:
Allows our brain and body to shift awareness to what we are currently experiencing, rather than analyzing past or future events in a loop
Reminds us that we have agency over how we experience moments in our life.
Provides us with moments of peace and calm away from exhausting thought loops.
There are many different ways to practice present moment grounding. The key is to develop a practice that feels right and realistic for you. Here are some tips for developing a daily present moment grounding routine:
Choose an activity.
Intentionally pick an activity to practice present moment grounding. This can be an activity that you already routinely do, like brushing your teeth or eating a meal. You can also add an activity to your daily routine, such as taking a walk. Make sure to consistently schedule this activity into your day, rather than loosely planning to get to it at some point. Even if we have the best of intentions, the day can get away from us! Choosing something that is realistic, doable, and within a timeframe that works in your daily life is key. This activity can be as short or as long as you would like, as long as you practice being present in the activity!
Rid yourself of unnecessary distractions.
Set yourself up for success by separating from anything that is likely to distract you from experiencing the activity. For example, if you are practicing present moment grounding during your lunch break at work, having your email browser open in front of you could tempt you into working, and distract you from being present with your meal.
Anchor your awareness in the present.
The therapeutic effects of present moment grounding come from focusing your awareness mindfully on the activity. For example, if you choose to practice being present while brushing your teeth, you want to focus on noticing and telling yourself what this experience feels like, smells like, tastes like, and looks like. Name what you notice about your teeth, gums, and tongue. If you notice your awareness slipping to something else, briefly notice the thoughts that are trying to hook you, and consciously pull your awareness back to brushing your teeth. It is called ‘a practice’ because that is what it requires - we are not aiming to have perfect awareness at all times, rather to have the ability to bring our awareness back to the present when it shifts! It is like training a muscle in this sense.
We hope that is a helpful exercise to try out. If you notice that you struggle with managing stress, become easily distracted during situations you’d prefer to be present, or simply want to learn more about how to incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily life, our team of highly skilled clinicians are here to help!