Why don't grounding techniques always work for me?

Nothing works always. Sometimes you need to let your body be as it is, to feel what you feel. Give yourself a break and learn how to be ok with being ungrounded.

I've gone through periods of anxiety myself and have struggled with grounding myself on occasions. I believe grounding techniques like breathing exercises, mindfulness or even other CBT exercises, especially for people with severe anxiety and panic attack occurrences, are not easy to master. Those that struggle with these issues are prone to a lot of nervousness, restlessness and easily wandering minds and it can be difficult sometimes to bring yourself back to the present moment. So, I believe it takes a lot of practicing, and willingness to incorporate these techniques into your daily routine to get the hang of it. It won't be easy at first, but gradually as you become more familiar with it, it starts to become effortless. For example, practicing mindfulness for even 5 minutes per day, can go a long way in getting the hang of it, so you might be able to put it into practice more easily in times of anxiety. I also believe one needs to have faith that these techniques are going to work, before trying it. Anxiety and panic, especially if you've struggled with it for very long, can lead us down a road of negativity and make us want to believe that nothing can help us. So, having faith also goes a long way in practicing these techniques and getting the most out of them.

Everyone's coping is different, and it's okay if some techniques don't work. The best way to know what works for you is to experiment with visual, verbal, touch, and hearing grounding to see what might work for you. If you're still concerned, I suggest reaching out to a PTSD hotline or a trusted doctor/therapist on what could work instead.

Everything doesn't work for everyone. This isn't a one size fits all world. Find what works for you and stick with it.

Just because it's a technique that's proven to work doesn't mean that it will. The situations are entirely different, and even if it seems like they're similar the people involved are completely different.

The usual techniques aren't there for everyone, therefore, you have to be able to find what works for you, not what works for everyone else.

Not all parenting techniques are the same. Some find that grounding works and some don't. However, you are the parent. And that needs to be made known to your child. That its your rules that need to be followed. Sitting down with your child and letting them know what you expect from them could be a start. Talk over the rules and how they will be handled and dealt with. Perhaps you won't end up needing to ground them but if and when you do, they will know the reasons why and the consequences that follow.

Different techniques works for different people. Not everyone can relate to the same technique. If you think the technique does not work for you try other ways instead.

Everyone has a different way they needed to be grounded, and all situations have different needs, you might just need to try finding the right one. For example, if you broke up with someone, maybe you need to think about yourself and focus on using your own roots.

Mind over matter. There is no one size fits all for the human condition. I know many people with anxiety and not one uses the same techniques. If they don't wor for you don't feel discouraged. Research what others have tried, you might find new ideas. Typically the sooner you get to work on grounding yourself the better it works. For example you feel yourself starting to have an episode and you keep pushing it back, saying 'I'm fine' Four hours later when you are in full blown panic attack is not the time to start the grounding. I cant speak to your specific needs based on this post alone, but I do hope you find techniques that work for you.