  We introduce a simple, physically-motivated variational ground state for the
quantum Rabi model, and demonstrate that it provides a high-fidelity
approximation of the true ground state in all parameter regimes (including
intermediate and strong coupling regimes). Our variational state is constructed
using Gaussian cavity states and nonorthogonal qubit pointer states, and
contains only three variational parameters. We use our state to develop a
heuristic understanding of how the ground state evolves with increasing
coupling, and find a previously unexplored regime where the ground state
corresponds to the cavity being in a nearly pure Schr\"odinger cat state.
