5 Grounding Techniques You Can Use Anytime Anxiety Rises

Here are five grounding tools you can use anywhere:

1. The 5–4–3–2–1 Sensory Reset

Name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
It anchors your mind by shifting your focus to your senses.

2. Bare Feet on the Floor

Plant your feet firmly onto the ground. Notice the pressure, the temperature, the support beneath you.
Let your body remember: “I am here. I am safe.”

3. Box Breathing

Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
Repeat until your breath softens and your shoulders drop.

4. Temperature Shift

Hold a cool object, splash cold water on your wrists, or stand by an open window.
A gentle shift in temperature helps calm the nervous system.

5. Name Where It Lives

Place a hand on the part of your body holding tension.
Say, “I feel this in my chest,” or “I feel this in my shoulders.”
Naming it helps contain it.

Grounding isn’t about perfection — it’s about reminding your body that this moment is safe.