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.

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.

Training yourself to stay grounded takes effort, but it isn't as intimidating as it sounds. "Grounding can be done at any time and any place, and I think that's what can make it so beneficial for those experiencing anxiety and also for folks who aren't," explained Dora Kamau, a registered psychiatric nurse, mindfulness teacher, and host of Sunday Scaries by Headspace. Even something as simple as taking a deep breath or connecting with your surroundings can help you feel more grounded, Kamau added. So the next time you start to feel yourself spiraling into a fit of anxiety, try to find the time and space to practice one of these grounding techniques. You may be surprised at just how quickly you begin to feel calmer.

"A classic grounding technique that's often used for anxiety is reconnecting to our five senses as a way to destimulate and recenter the mind and body," Kamau told POPSUGAR. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is even recommended for those who experience panic attacks. To try it for yourself, "list five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste," Dr. Narasimhan said.

Deep breathing is a staple in meditation, and focusing on those intentional breaths can be an effective way to bring yourself back to the present. "By breathing deeply into the stomach, you can stimulate the vagus nerve, which cues the 'rest and digest' part of the brain that calms the body and mind," Kamau explained. "It's as simple as bringing your attention to the breath and breathing deeply into the abdomen."

Take your deep, mindful breathing to another level. "Bee breath or 'humming breath' is a breathing technique that helps to soothe and calm the body. You breathe in through the nose and exhale making a buzzing or humming sound," Kamau said. This sensation can help redirect your attention to your body and away from whatever's causing you anxiety.

Practicing meditation as part of your morning or nightly routine can help you feel more prepared to use it in a stressful situation. Dr. Narasimhan suggests practicing mindfulness meditation, where you focus on one thing (such as your breath or a mantra), and try to gently push other thoughts out of your mind.

Getting some fresh air and sun really can have an impact. "Physically putting ourselves in a different space helps to also put ourselves in a different mental and emotional space," explained William Chum, LMHC, a licensed psychotherapist.

If you've ever owned a stress ball or found comfort in keeping your hands busy, you may want to give this technique a try the next time you start to feel anxious. "Progressive muscle relaxation helps to ease the body when it's tense or rigid," Kamau told POPSUGAR. Try this: "Squeeze the hands and gently release them," she said. "Squeezing the hands is one way to try this technique, but you can do this throughout the entire body."

Being aware of your body is key to remaining mindful and present. "Mindfully stretching the body to let go of any tension or tightness can invite more presence into the areas of the body that hold anxiety," Kamau said.

If you're struggling to stay focused on the present, try using your imagination to transport yourself somewhere else. "Practice visualizing yourself in a calming place, such as near the ocean or elsewhere that you find relaxing," Dr. Narasimhan said. It's a good way to redirect your focus.

"If you have a furry friend, connecting with them helps to create a sense of connection and comfort, which is helpful for bringing the mind and body to a calm, centered place," Kamau explained. "If you don't have a pet, you can opt for a fuzzy or soft blanket, which is quite soothing as well!"

"It sounds counterintuitive, but taking ice-cold showers or even splashing the face with cold water can definitely help to redirect our thoughts, and it can also boost our moods," Kamau said. In fact, research suggests that being immersed in cold water may lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Being vulnerable may feel scary, but voicing what's on your mind can be cathartic. "People are the best emotional equalizers," Chum told POPSUGAR. "Talking to a trusted friend or family member that we feel safe with helps us to reconnect with our reality."

When you can't drown out your thoughts, it could help to change the tone in the room by listening to artists who comfort you. "Playing your favorite songs can help with shifting the mind away from any ruminating thought patterns and even evoke uplifting feelings in the body," Kamau said.

Picking up a creative project like drawing or painting can help bring you back to the present. "You don't have to be Picasso, but a favorite art practice of mine is taking a pen and paper and, as you breathe in and out, tracing the breath on the paper," Kamau said. "Try drawing mountains or waves and using different colors!"

"Dancing to your favorite music helps to shake and release tension in the body and ease your mood," Kamau said. "Notice the different movements of the body parts, and take your time exploring different bends and shapes."

"Gratitude can help us shift our mind from focusing on what we don't have to what we do have, and this is another soothing way to ground," Kamau explained. She suggests writing down some things you're grateful for. (You might even consider keeping a regular gratitude journal.)

If you're struggling to stay present, it might do you good to engage in a chore, such as washing dishes, Dr. Narasimhan explained. Doing anything mechanical can help you feel more grounded.

In meditation, one powerful way to stay focused is to do a body scan, which helps make you more aware of how you're feeling physically. "By mindfully bringing attention to different areas of the body, you can strengthen your mind-body connection," Kamau said. "As you scan the body from head to toe, just notice the different sensations in and throughout the body as if you're exploring something you've never seen before."

Directing your awareness to an object, especially one that has a special meaning to you, can help get your mind and heart in the right place. "Holding something like a rock, crystal, or sentimental item and focusing on it is a great way to ground yourself," Dr. Narasimhan said.

This is a common practice in meditation. "Holding a raisin, or candy, in your hand, put all your focus on all the details of the raisin, paying attention to the texture, color, shape, etc.," Chum said, adding that this will redirect your focus from any unwanted thoughts to what's right in front of you.

Taking a relaxing bath can help quiet those racing thoughts. "Having a warm bath helps to soothe the body and mind. I love adding eucalyptus or lavender to my baths to help with calming the nervous system," Kamau explained.

When you're feeling overwhelmed, try this simple activity to train your mind on something else. "Naming things in a category colors, fruits, animals helps to redirect the thoughts," Chum said.

A great way to stay grounded is to become one with it. "Laying down on the bed or the floor and relaxing every muscle, as if to feel like you are sinking, is a way of physically grounding the emotions in the body," Chum explained.

"Finding a mantra that one believes in and brings comfort is helpful to ground any unwelcome thoughts," Chum told POPSUGAR. Try listing some self-affirmations you can repeat to yourself anytime you start to feel anxiety creep in.

"Counting backwards from 100 can help ground you. It's something that uses a lot of brainpower, and paying attention helps redirect the focus from the emotional thoughts," Chum said.

"You can do this indoors or outdoors! As you walk, notice the movement of the body, pay attention to your surroundings, or even try syncing the breath with each footstep," Kamau said. "This helps to focus our attention away from any racing or ruminating thoughts."

Read more:
25 Grounding Techniques That Can Help Instantly Ease Anxiety - POPSUGAR

Just as The Beatles used their timeless songs in the 1960s to take millions of listeners across the universe on a magical musical mystery tour, Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson has taken millions of viewers worldwide on a magical cinematic mystery tour in this century.

So what happens when these two worlds and creative forces intersect, 51 years after The Beatles acrimoniously split up in 1970?

"It'll blow your mind!" said Jackson, a lifelong fan of the most famous and influential band in rock 'n' roll history.

And what happens when that unlikely intersection which has resulted in Jackson's engrossing new film documentary, "The Beatles: Get Back" comprehensively chronicles the month of January 1969?

That was when the fabled band simultaneously made its penultimate album, "Let It Be," and an identically titled film documentary.

The four Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr undertook both projects in spite of the rapidly rising tensions that soon led to them permanently disband. They had no way of knowing the film crew they had hired to capture the creation of their new album and final concert would end up documenting what many regard as The Beatles' painful on-screen divorce.

Why would fans want to revisit such a downward spiral on film again, even with three-time Oscar winner Jackson at the helm? Why would Jackson devote four years of his life to it?

These questionsare answeredas the Jackson-directed "Get Back" has debuted exclusively on Disney+. Itis shown in three installments that, together, total more than six hours.

The original "Let It Be" film clocked in at a fleeting 80 minutes and included just 21 minutes of The Beatles' final public performance, an impromptu winter gig on a London rooftop. "Get Back" boasts the entire 42-minute performance by the band and guest keyboardist Billy Preston, who all but joined the band as "Let It Be" was being filmed.

Jackson's documentary follows the October release of the 240-page book, "The Beatles: Get Back," and a new "Let It Be Special Edition" box set. The latter includes five CDs with 57 songs, one Blu-ray disc and a 100-page book. It is also available in a vinyl edition and in smaller CD iterations.

"Get Back" was originally set to open in theaters last year as a two-and-a-half-hour feature film but was pushed back by the COVID-19 pandemic. With more time unexpectedly on his hands, Jackson transformed his feature film into the expanded, six-hour epic seen on Disney+.

"The pandemic has been devastating, but it was absolutely a silver lining for 'Get Back' (growing) into a three-part presentation," said Clare Olssen, the film's producer.

Jackson culled "Get Back" from nearly 60 hours of previously unseen footage that was shot in January 1969 for director Michael Lindsay-Hogg's briefly released and widely criticized "Let It Be" documentary.

Providing added intrigue, shortly after the 1969 filming, many of the original reels of footage were stolen by a former employee of The Beatles' Apple Studio, Nigel Oliver. He sold it to two Dutch music traders for about $60,000. Interpol recovered the purloined reels during a 2003 raid in Holland.

With few exceptions, while making "Get Back," Jackson deliberately avoided using any of the footage that was featured in Lindsay-Hogg's film the better to provide viewers a captivating new experience with one of the most documented rock bands of all time.

"I tried to make a very honest movie," said Jackson, who based on preview footage provided to interviewers appears to have achieved his goal.

The differences between "Get Back" and "Let It Be" are profound, even though they use the same source material. "Get Back" also draws from nearly 120 hours of previously unheard audio recordings.

"The footage was shot in January 1969, and The Beatles didn't really break up until September of that year," Jackson noted during a recent Zoom interview from his home in the New Zealand capital of Wellington.

"So it's not that the band breaks up then (in January), even though there are ups and downs in that month. I didn't have to manipulate the story. Because, fortunately, the story was built into the (existing footage) the story of how they set out to do a recording and a live show, and have 14 new songs written in two weeks. ... I was lucky the film already had enough drama from the real events that took place."

Jackson and his team started work in 2017 on "Get Back." They carefully restored, upgraded and enlarged the grainy original 16-millimeter 1969 "Let It Be" film footage so that it now pops with vibrant color.

They also developed a new form of AI audio engineering a sort of sonic forensics they dubbed "MAL" (a play on the AI super computer "HAL" in the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey"). The name "MAL" is in honor of The Beatles' beloved road manager and principal assistant, Mal Evans, who shares some screen time with the band in "Get Back."

Using "MAL," Jackson and his colleagues were able to painstakingly and precisely isolate each and every audio track be it musical instrumentation, singing or studio chatter from the original mono recordings made for most of "Let It Be."

Released in 1970, "Let It Be" seemed to be shrouded in literal and figurative darkness apart from the truncated scenes of the rousing London rooftop concert that marked The Beatles' final public performance on Jan. 30, 1969.

"Get Back" balances "Let It Be's" gloomy, downhill-and-shadows tone with scenes of lightness and levity with The Beatles. It also takes a deep dive into the complex human emotions and egos that drove the four members of the legendary band.

Those emotions and egos ultimately drove The Beatles apart for good, after they recorded their final album, "Abbey Road," later in 1969. (Because "Abbey Road" was released before "Let It Be," many fans at the time understandably thought "Let It Be" which was recorded first was the last album the band made.)

For some viewers, then, "Let It Be" almost qualifies as a real-time wake for The Beatles, starring The Beatles.

Poignancy is one of the most vital components in Jackson's "Get Back." Even more crucially, he also provides much-needed context a quality largely missing from "Let It Be" thanks to the trove of previously unseen footage and careful editing.

"Get Back" doesn't shy away from the tense and uncomfortable scenes that presaged the implosion of the already splintering Beatles. But it also opens a welcome new lens that is far richer, more nuanced and intimate than "Let It Be." And "Get Back" offers both lighthearted and moving moments to illustrate the deep bonds that united the four Beatles, even as their band neared its demise.

What results is not a remake or recasting of history, but a broadening of it. "Get Back" doesn't paint a brand-new picture, but it greatly expands upon the often bleak one "Let It Be" painted.

It has already proven eye-opening for McCartney, 79, and Starr, 81. (Lennon was killed by a gunman in 1980; Harrison died of cancer in 2001.)

"I had always thought the original film 'Let It Be' was pretty sad as it dealt with the break-up of our band, but the new film shows the camaraderie and love the four of us had," McCartney writes in his foreword for the "Let It Be Special Edition" box set's book.

"It also shows the wonderful times we had together, and combined with the newly remastered 'Let It Be' album, stands as a powerful reminder of this time. It's how I want to remember The Beatles."

Speaking now of McCartney and Starr's reaction to "Get Back," Jackson said: "It's not the story the way they remember parts of it, because they don't remember it; it was more than 50 years ago. They lived through it, but they can't remember it except the miserable part of breaking up in 1970 and all the acrimony.

"But they thought it was a very accurate portrayal of the band and that made me think: 'I've achieved my goal.' We could balance things and add context, which is critically important in this film."

Because the first "Get Back" preview released last year was so upbeat, some observers worried Jackson was sanitizing an undeniably messy and bitter period in The Beatles' storied history. It's a notion he is quick to dispute.

"There are a lot of things in 'Get Back' that are actually tougher and more raw and honest than in 'Let It Be,'" the bearded director noted.

"For example, Michael Lindsay-Hogg wasn't allowed in 1969 to show George (Harrison) leaving the band and walking out for a few days. He filmed that and has scenes of George announcing he's quitting (the band). Michael wasn't allowed to show that, but we do. We had no restrictions."

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The Beatles meet 'The Lord of the Rings' in 'Get Back': 'It'll blow your mind,' says director Peter Jackson - theday.com

The Indian edtech giant Byjus keeps getting bigger, having raised more than $4.5 billion since it was founded 10 years ago. This month the company made clear its ambitious research agenda: to achieve the science-fiction dream of building next-generation teaching aids with artificial intelligence.

Specifically, the company announced a new research-and-development hub, with offices in Silicon Valley, London and Bangalore, that will work on applying the latest findings from artificial intelligence and machine learning to new edtech products. The new hub, called Byjus Lab, will also work on moonshots of developing new forms of digital tutoring technology, said Dev Roy, chief innovation and learning officer for BYJUs, in a recent interview with EdSurge.

Edtech is one of the slowest adopters of AI so far, compared to some of the other industries out there, Roy said. Even in health care, what DeepMind has done with mapping the proteins of DNAnobody's doing that in the education sector.

One exception, he said, has been the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, founded by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. There arent that many people trying to solve education on a deep level, he argued. Weve not had an edtech company that has the scale and the size that Byjus has that has said, We are going to solve these problems.

Chinese edtech companies including Squirrel AI have announced grand efforts to revolutionize AI in education, but Roy notes that those ambitions may be muted by recent regulations in China limiting the activities of edtech companies.

A lot of that will come to a halt, and someone has to pick up the baton and pick up some of the work that they did, said Roy, who made clear that Byjus wants to be the company that runs with it. We want to be thought leaders.

The lab is just getting started, and as a result, much of the specifics are still being worked out, Roy said.

One of the things were looking to solve is, Can we build systems that can assess what the child has written? And the child should be able to write in freehandthey shouldn't need access to a computer.

When might this R&D lab get a product into the hands of users? Roy said that could come as soon as three years from now.

One potential hangup Byjus may face in its ambitious pursuits is that education may be so different from other fields that AI may not be as helpful or transformative, said Phil Hill, a longtime edtech consultant.

The biggest mistake is in thinking that AI will have similar influences in different markets, he said in an email interview. AI having amazing success with DNA mapping [at DeepMind] means almost nothing in the education context. Learning is very difficult to measure and to categorize. DNA has a known set of components, and an understandable set of rules. Education has neither.

Even so, Hill added, there is always room to innovate in education, and AI is clearly an area that has not been solved or commoditized. So in a sense, Byju's could succeed, and they have deeper pockets with more patience than was the case for VC-backed Knewton and some others. Knewton attracted hype a few years ago and raised some $180 million before fizzling to an eventual sale of less than $17 million to Wiley in 2019.

Roy said his focus right now is hiring engineers for Byjus Lab who are passionate about education and the unique challenges of bringing AI to classrooms. He said the goal is to build tools that he will want his own kids to use.

If its not good enough for my children, he said, we shouldnt be putting it out there.

Byjus made waves in the U.S. edtech market earlier this year when it acquired the kids digital book platform Epic for $500 million.

Hill said the Indian company could become a formidable competitor in the U.S. K-12 edtech market.

I could see Byju's impacting the K-12 edtech market, which is already consolidating and favoring multi-product bundled solution providers, he said. But I wonder if they have a willingness to address boring but essential problems in the same way that PowerSchool has with its administrative systems. PowerSchool, which has a valuation of $3.6 billion, went public earlier this year.

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One of the Worlds Best-Funded Edtech Companies Is Investing In AI Moonshots. Can It Work? - EdSurge

Lin Wood - Credit: AP

Right-wing darling Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen acquitted of murder for killing two people at a racial justice protest, sent the QAnon world into a tailspin when he said in interviews that Lin Wood, a leading QAnon believer and Trump attorney who briefly represented Rittenhouse, was insane and had taken advantage of him.

That prompted right-wing Trump allies including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, alt-right activist Jack Posobiec and former Trump White House aide Sebastian Gorka to come out against Wood. In response, Wood has been posting through it, making wild claims without evidence. Over the past few days, he has shared increasingly outrageous claims on his Telegram and turned on pro-Trumpers who used to be his allies, including Sidney Powell, Sebastian Gorka and Michael Flynn.

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After doing the research and connecting the dots, I have reached the conclusion that the Stop the Steal organization is a Deep State organization to raise money for purposes other than to FIX 2020. WATCH OUT for anyone affiliated with Stop the Steal. Every lie will be revealed, Wood posted on Friday.

Wood then posted a recording of a phone call between himself and millionaire Trump supporter and former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. During the call, Wood questioned where the money raised to overturn the election is going and accused Powell of being a scammer.

Im not sure where all this money is going, but I think somebody owes to the American public a full accounting, Wood told Byrne.

Byrne replied, saying that in March, Powell and Flynn invited him to move to Florida to help overturn the election. But Byrne only lasted 11 days with Powell until he, Flynn and others walked out on her in March, he said. Byrne added that he hasnt spoken to her since, but he compared their working together as The Devil Wears Prada and claimed that someone told him Powell wanted to bed him.

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I have texts. Some of it has to do with Sidney wanting to bed me, and I said no. We have texts and witnesses to that, and thats how she became a woman scorned, Byrne said, later claiming that Powell was in love with him and sent him love letters.

I havent spoken a word to to Sidney since April 6, and I never will again, Byrne said.

He continued, I gave her a laundry list of things she had to clean up and told her she had to get an auditor She refused to let me look at any well, I cant tell you more. But we walked out after about 17 days there You can infer what you want from that.

Later in the conversation, Wood and Powell both said they believe Powell is currently under federal investigation, and Wood claimed that Powell signed my name to certain lawsuits without my knowledge or permission, and she hasnt been honest about that. He added, Im not happy about it, I think I was set up by Sidney Powell.

The men then discussed how much money Powell had raised, allegedly to fund her attempts to overturn the election, which they said ranged anywhere from $15 million to $70 million.

Back to the topic of Rittenhouse, Wood and Byrne agreed that Rittenhouse must have been coached by someone to disparage Wood in his interview with Fox News Tucker Carlson. Rittenhouse told Carlson that when Wood was his attorney, he had taken advantage of him and held me in jail for 87 days.

Its a lie, Wood claimed, adding that Flynn has abandoned him since the teen made those claims. Old Mike Flynn got out of the fox hole and ran, Wood said.

On his Telegram, Wood continued to post rambling updates. I admit Mike and Sidney played me for a few months, he said on Friday. I had no experience in military psychological operations.

The posting continued on Saturday after he took a six hour overnight break. Wood accused Trump-endorsed Vernon Jones, who is running Georgias lieutenant governor, of being a career Democrat, racist [and] sexual predator.

Wood also promised, More Deep State players will be revealed to you.

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Lin Wood Goes Off the Deep State Deep End, Accuses Trump Lawyer Sidney Powell and Stop the Steal of Grifting - Yahoo Entertainment