Grounding techniques bring your attention firmly into the present moment, which is particularly useful when anxiety is pulling you into catastrophic futures or when you're experiencing dissociation, panic attacks, depersonalisation, or a sense of being overwhelmed.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique

This is the most widely used grounding exercise, and it works by systematically engaging all five senses:

Name 5 things you can see. Look around deliberately. Notice details: the grain of the wood on your desk, the shadow on the wall, the colour of someone's jacket.

Name 4 things you can touch. Feel the texture of your clothing, the weight of your phone in your hand, the temperature of the air on your skin, the firmness of the chair beneath you.

Name 3 things you can hear. Listen carefully: the hum of a refrigerator, distant traffic, birdsong, your own breathing.

Name 2 things you can smell. This might require moving — notice the scent of your coffee, the soap on your hands, the air outside.

Name 1 thing you can taste. The residual taste of toothpaste, a recent drink, or simply the taste of your own mouth.

By the time you've worked through all five senses, your attention has been pulled out of the anxious spiral and anchored in the physical reality of the present moment.

Sit or lie comfortably and bring your attention slowly through each part of your body, from your toes to the top of your head. Don't try to change anything — just notice. What sensations are present? Warmth, coolness, tingling, tightness, numbness, heaviness? Simply observing your body without judgement shifts your attention from anxious thinking to physical awareness, which naturally calms the nervous system.