Grounding Into Our Bodies

Many of us notice when young people in our programs (and in our personal lives) are dysregulated and look to implement strategies to bring them back into their body and regulate their systems. One of the greatest tools we can offer young people is to show up for them ourselves in a regulated state. Practicing small strategies regularly, when we are not dysregulated, increases the likelihood we will notice and implement them when we notice ourselves being activated. Here are a few somatic strategies we can use to ground ourselves and regulate our systems so we can show up as our best selves for the youth we serve. The work you do is beautiful, rewarding, stressful and challenging…take care of yourself and what you need!
 
If you want to go deeper in learning about regulating your nervous system and more tools and resources…check out this article from Unyte.
 
Here are a few grounding techniques to try:

• Run water over your hands

• Move your body in ways that feel most comfortable to you

• Focus on your breathing while you control how you inhale and exhale

• Tense and relax different parts of your body

• Play a “categories” game with yourself