Grounding Techniques for Anxiety and Overwhelm

Grounding techniques help when your thoughts are loud or your body feels far away. They return attention to what is tangible - sight, touch, sound, and breath. Here are several grounding practices you can try in under three minutes.

1) 5-4-3-2-1 grounding

Name:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can feel
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

The specificity anchors you in the room you're actually in.

2) Feet on the floor

Press your feet down gently. Notice the pressure in your heels and toes. Count down from 10 with each exhale. This is simple and surprisingly effective.

3) Temperature shift

Hold a cool glass or wash your hands with warm water. The clear sensation of temperature can break anxious loops.

4) Texture focus

Rub your thumb along a textured surface (fabric, wood grain, a phone case). Describe it quietly: "soft," "ridged," "smooth." Naming the sensation keeps attention in the body.

5) Breath + sight combo

Inhale for 4, exhale for 6 while looking at one steady object. The breath slows the nervous system, the sight anchor steadies attention.

When to use grounding

• During anxious spirals
• After intense conversations
• When you feel numb or unreal
• Before sleep

If you want a guided version, visit the grounding page or try guided breathing.

A gentle reminder

You don't need to "do it right." Grounding is about returning, not perfecting. Small and consistent is enough.