Grounding Techniques for Managing Anxiety: A Guide for Stressed Working Moms in the Helping Profession

If you’re a woman in the helping profession, like me, you’re likely no stranger to stress and anxiety.

Whether you’re a therapist, social worker, nurse, or caregiver, you spend your days taking care of others, holding space for their pain, and guiding them through difficult emotions. Then you come home to do it all again…unpaid! But constantly caring for others can leave you feeling depleted, overwhelmed, and anxious, especially when you’re juggling the demands of work, family, and your own emotional baggage — be it a santa sack, a backpack or a light fanny-pack. Managing your own anxiety becomes crucial — not just for your well-being but also for those you help.

The imposter syndrome, the liabilities in our work, the guilt of feeling like you can never be 100% to all things or all people, the fatigue, not to mention the potential for burnout, can leave you feeling like you’re on a constant hamster wheel, never getting a moment to slow down and breathe.

And then there’s the past. You know it’s still there — old wounds, unresolved trauma, insecurities that rear their heads when you’re already overwhelmed. We decide that maybe if we just keep going and keep working, these things will magically become non issues, not realizing we have put our nervous systems into a near constant state of hypervigilance or fight/flight response. All this weight and we are surprised people are leaving our professions? I’m not even going to mention salary and bureaucracy. Ok, I just did, but I digress.

Before we make a desperate shift in careers to lettuce washer at the A&P, or use doom-scrolling and wine to cope until we rinse and repeat the next day, let’s look at some low pressure, low energy drain techniques to help us manage anxiety, keep focused on the present, and gain some mental space to function through our daily responsibilities.

Grounding is about anchoring yourself in the here and now, rather than getting lost in worries about the future or old patterns from the past. It’s especially helpful when anxiety strikes unexpectedly, in the middle of a workday, a school pickup, or a busy meeting. By using grounding techniques, you can regain control over your thoughts and emotions, bringing calm to the chaos.

“You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne W. Dyer

How Trauma and the Past Influence Your Anxiety

It’s important to recognize how much your past experiences can shape your current anxiety. Many professional women, particularly those in helping roles, have unresolved trauma or past wounds that influence their ability to manage stress. You may have learned early on to put others first, often at the expense of your own needs. Perhaps you’ve experienced neglect, loss, or other forms of emotional trauma that still linger, making it harder to shake off feelings of self-doubt, overwhelm, or fear of failure.

Side note: it’s absolutely okay to have your own unresolved issues. We are not perfect, nor should we pretend we are. Most of us went into these professions because we had negative experiences that inspired a desire to help others who have also suffered.

These past experiences may contribute to why, as a busy professional mom, you feel like you have to do it all and be it all for everyone. The pressure to be a good mother, a capable professional, and emotionally strong may feel constant. But the truth is, you can’t pour from an empty cup. If anxiety is a daily battle for you, it’s likely that unresolved issues from your past are still at play, making it harder to manage the demands of your present.

“You are the sky. Everything else — it’s just the weather.” — Pema Chödrön

This is where grounding techniques come in. They can give you immediate relief from anxiety, even in the busiest moments, and help you start building a foundation for healing — one that allows you to balance your responsibilities while tending to your own mental and emotional well-being.

Three Grounding Techniques for Busy Professional Moms

Now that we understand why grounding is essential, here are three practical techniques that can be easily integrated into your day, no matter how busy or chaotic life gets.

1. 5–4–3–2–1 Exercise

The 5–4–3–2–1 grounding technique is a quick and simple way to bring your focus back to the present moment by engaging your senses. When anxiety starts to spiral, this exercise can help ground you in the physical world, interrupting anxious thoughts and promoting calm.

How to do it:
- Identify 5 things you can see around you. Look at your surroundings and notice small details you may not have paid attention to before — such as a picture on the wall, the texture of your desk, or the colors of the plants outside.
- Identify 4 things you can touch. Feel the fabric of your clothing, run your fingers over the surface of your desk, or notice the sensation of your feet on the floor.
- Identify 3 things you can hear. Focus on the hum of your computer, distant conversations, or the sound of birds outside.
- Identify 2 things you can smell. If you’re near something aromatic, take it in. If not, simply breathe in the air around you.
- Identify 1 thing you can taste. Sip water, chew gum, or simply notice the taste in your mouth.

This simple sensory exercise pulls your mind away from anxious thoughts and focuses it on the here and now. It takes just a couple of minutes, but it’s an effective way to quickly calm yourself during a stressful workday or when managing the chaos of family life.

2. Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing is one of the most powerful tools for calming the nervous system and reducing immediate anxiety. When you’re stressed, your breathing becomes shallow, which triggers your body’s stress response. Deep, intentional breathing slows down this process and signals to your brain that it’s time to relax.

How to do it:
- Find a quiet place (even your car or a bathroom stall can work).
- Inhale deeply for a count of 4 seconds, filling your lungs.
- Hold the breath for 4 seconds.
- Exhale slowly for 4 seconds, emptying your lungs completely.
- Repeat for 1–2 minutes, focusing entirely on the rhythm of your breath.

This simple technique can be practiced anywhere and anytime. It’s a perfect reset button when you’re feeling overwhelmed at work, during a meeting, or even when you’re running late to pick up the kids.

3. Grounding Object

Carrying a small grounding object with you is a tactile way to center yourself in moments of stress or anxiety. The object can be something meaningful, like a smooth stone, a piece of fabric, or a small token that represents calm for you.

How to do it:
- Keep the object in your pocket, purse, or desk drawer.
- When anxiety spikes, hold the object in your hand. Focus on its texture, temperature, and weight.
- Let the sensation of holding something physical bring your attention back to the present moment.

Having a physical object to touch during stressful moments can remind you to breathe, ground yourself, and regain your sense of control. It’s an easy, portable tool you can use throughout the day.

Integrating Grounding into Your Daily Life

The beauty of grounding techniques is that they don’t require large amounts of time or elaborate rituals. They’re quick, simple, and can be practiced anytime — while you’re preparing a presentation, sitting in traffic, or folding laundry. The key is consistency. The more often you use these techniques, the more natural they will feel, and the better you’ll become at managing anxiety before it spirals out of control.

As a helping professional and a mom, life is full of demands, but grounding gives you the power to stay anchored. You can’t control every aspect of your day, but you can control how you respond to it. Grounding techniques help you reconnect with the present, manage anxiety, and create space for healing from the past — allowing you to show up as the best version of yourself, both at work and at home.

I can help you learn more skills to manage anxiety and stress while juggling that job and family. Reach out to me at www.instarhealing.com