Breathing, Bears, and the Brain

Here’s a pop-psychology buzzword for you: grounding. As in, “5 quick grounding techniques to get you through the day,” “why grounding is what you're missing in your morning routine,” and “laying on the floor to ground.” These were a few of the first results when I searched the word on TikTok.

Many of us have probably come across the popular grounding techniques: breathing slowly, using your five senses to notice your environment, drinking ice-cold water, etc., etc.

Well, I’m a therapist who believes it’s important to understand why something is helpful. So here’s a quick science moment for you! Still working on a catchy segment title. What do we all think about Tasha Tackles Therapy Theory? It’s not great—I’ll work on it.

The main part of our brain that is activated when we are experiencing anxiety is called the amygdala. This little almond-shaped part of our brain is in charge of keeping us safe. It isn’t really in the business of discerning what kind of danger we are in—as long as it can get us safe.

Meaning: whether you’re being chased by a bear, swerving out of the way of a merging car (Utah drivers, am I right?), or being mocked in front of your crush for the way you mispronounced a word, all the amygdala knows is that you’re in perceived danger. It’ll make this judgment call based on your past experiences.

Is it making sense why our reactions to something seemingly small can sometimes feel huge and disproportional?

Okay, so back to grounding. Why does it work to ease anxiety?

Let’s pretend you’re running from a bear. What are some things you wouldn’t do in that scenario? I’m betting you wouldn’t pause mid-stride to touch and smell a leaf. Would you take a moment to hydrate and focus on the cool feeling of water moving down your throat? Would you slow down your breathing? If you do, you’re as good as bear dinner.

But what about when our anxiety is produced by non-life-threatening sources?

By intentionally grounding, we are giving our body physical signals that counteract the messages the amygdala is sending to our nervous system. Essentially, the amygdala has to say, “Wait a minute... why are we slowing down? Why are we eating something delicious? Why are we listening to calming lo-fi music?! Maybe we aren’t being chased by a bear after all…”

Once we’ve got him on board, we’re in good shape to start feeling more regulated.

Of course, doing your trauma work will help clear up the triggers that get your body all worked up in the first place—but I think it’s a great idea to have some of these tools in your back pocket.

Grounding! It’s science!

-Tasha Worth, CSW