Grief has a jarring way of stirring up emotions when you least expect it, and often throws you off your course. This can lead to overthinking, intrusive or racing thoughts, and throw you into a spiral of despair. Using an ice cube and a few sensory techniques, there are some grounding opportunities that can be used in times when you feel out of control. This uses a form of cold exposure that works with the body's natural response to stress and turns your attention from overthinking.

How the Ice Cube Grounding Works:
Start with an Ice Cube: Take an ice cube from the freezer (or just use something else cold if you don't have one available).
Hold it in Your Hand: Hold the ice cube in the palm of your hand, or in your fingers. Feel it - notice the coldness, the hardness, the shape - and let your focus shift from the swirling, spiraling thoughts in your mind to the sensation of cold in your hand.
Focus on the Sensation: As the ice cube melts, turn your attention to how it feels. Notice how the temperature changes as the ice begins to melt. Feel the texture, the pressure in your fingers of holding it, and the way your body reacts to the cold. Pass the ice from one hand to the other, taking note of the cold shifting between each hand and how the other hand warms up after the ice cube leaves it.
Notice Your Breathing: While holding the ice cube, take slow, deep breaths. This further helps to ground you and move your awareness away from your overthinking. Slowing down your breath can allow you to also slow down your thoughts.
Let Go of the Ice Cube: Once the ice cube has melted, or after a minute or so, let go of the cube and let the sensation linger for a moment. Take notice to how your fingers and palms feel as they warm up, and the feeling of warmth and normalcy as it returns to your hands.
Why It Helps:
Interrupts the Cycle: Exposure to the cold temperature can interrupt the loop of overthinking by forcing your attention onto something immediate and tangible. Bringing this to the front of your thoughts can press pause on what you're worried about, and shift your attention to something else.
Activates the Nervous System: The shock of cold activates your sympathetic nervous system, temporarily reducing stress or anxiety, which can help break the cycle of anxious or overactive thoughts. While your feelings of grief will likely remain after the ice cube grounding is over, your thoughts may be more calmed and controlled after being interrupted.
Grounding: This technique helps you focus on physical sensations, bringing you out of your mind and back into your body and the environment, which is often very effective when you're stuck in your thoughts. After noticing the cold of the ice cube, you might then turn your attention to the drops of water that have melted off of your ice cube, and give you a new focus.
It’s a quick and accessible way to help reduce or calm overthinking in moments when you feel overwhelmed or caught in a cycle of anxious thoughts or spiraling. No matter which grounding technique you try, your grief is not forgotten.
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