If you’ve ever spent hours worrying about what the future holds or dwelling on past mistakes, you know how deep and unsettling anxiety can be. When you’re caught in the tight grip of anxiety, it can seem impossible to center yourself — but there are, in fact, ways to shift your focus back to the present and calm your mind. POPSUGAR spoke with mindfulness experts to find out how exactly you can ground yourself when you start to feel overwhelmed. The next time you’re feeling uneasy, try one of the 25 grounding techniques listed here. But first, let’s talk about why they’re so helpful.

What Is Grounding, and Why Is It Beneficial?

Being grounded means being aware of the present moment. In mindfulness practice, grounding techniques are widely used to center yourself through stillness and staying present. When anxiety strikes, you may feel restless or overwhelmed, and focusing on anything else can be challenging. In order to ground yourself, you might take a few deep breaths, count to 10, or find a quiet place to collect yourself through meditation.

“Grounding is a way to turn one’s attention away from thoughts and emotions that cause physiological arousal responses in response to stress. For example, when someone has experienced trauma, they can have flashbacks, anxiety, and other symptoms that may be difficult to endure,” Anandhi Narasimhan, MD, a double board-certified adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist, told POPSUGAR. “Grounding is a way to reduce the physiological responses associated with those symptoms such as elevated heart rate, sweating, and a sense of impending doom.”

Grounding is also a great stress reliever and has other health benefits as well. “Grounding can help reduce anxiety, depression, and even pain symptoms,” Dr. Narasimhan explained. “The body’s stress response is dialed down, and this can ultimately benefit not only your mental health, but also cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure.” When you make these rituals part of your routine, you can train yourself to stay centered in moments when you’re experiencing anxiety and feel good knowing that it may benefit your health in the long run.