A Simple Grounding Practice for When the World Feels Like Too Much
Why does everything feel so hard?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed lately, you’re not broken, behind, or failing at “coping.” You’re responding to a world that is, objectively, a lot.
For highly sensitive people (and especially for many queer folks), the nervous system tends to take in more information, more emotion, more threat cues, and more nuance. Which means when the world is loud, chaotic, or cruel, it doesn’t only register intellectually but rather it lands in the body.
So if you’ve been thinking things like:
Why does everything feel like too much?
Why can’t I just tune this out like other people seem to?
Why am I exhausted by things that “shouldn’t” be exhausting?
Let me gently interrupt that spiral: your nervous system is doing exactly what it evolved to do. It’s just working overtime right now.
This is where grounding comes in, not as a way to “calm down” or bypass reality, but as a way to help your body understand that this moment, right here, is survivable.
First, a Reframe (I promise it’s important)
Grounding is not:
pretending things aren’t bad
forcing yourself to be positive
fixing the state of the world
Grounding is:
helping your nervous system come out of constant threat mode
reducing overwhelm so you can function, rest, and care
giving yourself a little more internal space to breathe
Think of it less like “self-care” and more like nervous-system hygiene. It isn’t glamorous unfortunately (neither is flossing) but it’s important.
A Simple Grounding Practice for Overwhelm
This practice is especially helpful if you’re highly sensitive, anxious, overstimulated, or feeling emotionally flooded. It takes about 1–2 minutes and can be done anywhere.
Step 1: Orient to the Present Moment
Slowly look around the space you’re in.
Name (silently or out loud):
3 things you can see that feel neutral or even slightly pleasant
1 sound that feels steady or predictable
Let your eyes move slowly. No scanning for danger. We’re just letting the body register: I’m here, and nothing is immediately threatening me.
This alone can reduce nervous-system activation more than you might expect.
Step 2: Soften the Body (I know it sounds weird)
Without forcing anything, gently:
drop your shoulders
unclench your jaw
let your tongue rest at the bottom of your mouth
If it feels okay, place a hand on your chest or stomach.
Remember the goal here isn’t to fix anything but just to offer contact.
You’re not trying to relax perfectly. You’re just signaling to your body, I’m allowed to take up space.
Step 3: Lengthen the Exhale
Take three rounds of breath:
Inhale through your nose for 4
Exhale through your mouth for 6
Longer exhales tell the nervous system that it’s safe enough to downshift. You don’t need to breathe deeply, just slowly
If you have time for something extra here’s a short loving-kindness meditation
Once you’re a little more settled, you can add this gentle loving-kindness practice. If meditation usually makes you feel worse, restless, or pressured then just skip!
Bring to mind yourself, exactly as you are today.
Silently offer these phrases, or adjust them so they feel true:
May I be safe enough in this moment.
May I be gentle with myself.
May I be held with care, even when things are hard.
May I find moments of ease, even now.
If it feels okay, widen your awareness slightly to others who are struggling too. You can think of a particular individual, a group of folks, a place, etc.
May you be safe.
May you be supported.
May you feel less alone.
No need to feel anything special. The practice works even if it feels neutral, awkward, or incomplete.
Why This Helps When the World Is Overwhelming
When the nervous system is constantly exposed to stress with the news cycles, political threats, systemic harm, personal grief it starts to treat everything as urgent.
Grounding brings you back to:
here instead of everywhere
now instead of always
manageable instead of catastrophic
For highly sensitive and queer folks, this isn’t indulgent - it’s protective.
If You’re Thinking, “This Isn’t Enough”
You’re probably right. One grounding practice won’t solve everything, and it’s not meant to. It’s just a starting point to build on.
If you find yourself needing more support, especially if overwhelm feels constant, body-based, or tied to trauma, that’s not a personal failure. It’s just information to take in.
Therapy that’s trauma-informed, LGBTQ+ affirming, and attuned to sensitive nervous systems can help you build more of these internal supports over time, so you’re not white-knuckling your way through the world alone.
And until then: small moments of steadiness still count.
