Grounding techniques are simple exercises that bring your attention back to the present moment, often using your physical senses, used to help manage overwhelming feelings like anxiety, panic or distress.
When anxiety or panic takes hold, attention often spirals into anxious thoughts or physical sensations. Grounding interrupts this by deliberately redirecting focus to concrete, present-moment sensory experience — what you can see, hear, touch — which can help reduce the intensity of distress in the moment.
A widely-used grounding exercise: name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Working through the senses in order gives the mind a concrete, present-focused task.
Grounding is a widely-shared general coping technique, not a medical treatment, and works differently for different people. Our free grounding techniques sheet and panic attack toolkit set these out as a quick reference. If anxiety or panic is a regular part of your life, please speak to your GP.