15 Grounding Techniques for Anxiety You Can Use Right Now

When anxiety causes sensations like chest tightness, racing thoughts, and restlessness, it can be overwhelming and difficult to feel grounded. However, grounding techniques for anxiety can help you feel more aware of the present moment, which can create distance from the anxious thoughts and sensations. This can help you feel more comfortable as the anxious feelings and thoughts pass. 

In this article, we’ll explain what grounding techniques are, when they can help, and how to ground yourself using a range of practical techniques you can try right now.  

What are grounding techniques?

Grounding techniques are coping strategies that can help you reconnect with the present moment and shift your attention away from distressing thoughts, situations, or sensations. By redirecting your attention, they may help interrupt the body’s fight-or-flight response, reduce distress, and promote a greater sense of calm.

Many grounding techniques for anxiety engage your five senses–sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell– to anchor you in your immediate surroundings. They can also involve simple mental exercises that help redirect your thoughts. Grounding techniques are often quick, practical, and easy to use in a variety of settings.

When to use grounding techniques

Grounding techniques can help when you're anxious, panicked, overwhelmed, or disconnected. Some examples include:

• During a panic attack: When symptoms like a racing heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and intense fear become overwhelming.
• During post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) flashbacks: When it feels as though you're reliving a past traumatic experience. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), grounding can help people separate what's happening now from what happened in the past. 
• When experiencing overwhelming emotions: Difficult feelings like anger, sadness, or guilt can make it hard to stay present. Grounding techniques can also help to interrupt moments of impulsivity. 
• When you’re experiencing sensory overload: When triggers such as bright lights, noise, and busyness start to feel like too much.
• When experiencing depersonalization or derealization: When you feel disconnected from yourself (depersonalization) or your surroundings (derealization).
• When you’re feeling numb: When you feel as though you’re just going through the motions or have trouble connecting with your emotions. Grounding strategies can also help when emotional or physical numbness makes it hard to concentrate.
• When you’re feeling on edge or can’t calm down: When stress and anxiety become overwhelming and aren’t passing on their own or with other self-care strategies. 

When using grounding techniques, it’s best to start using them earlier rather than later. This means trying them when you start to feel uncomfortable, rather than waiting for sensations or thoughts to become distressing.

Physical grounding techniques

Physical grounding techniques, such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, help to draw your attention back into your body. However, some people, especially those with a history of trauma, find that focusing on their body feels uncomfortable. If that's you, try an external sensory technique instead. 

Cold water on your hands or face

Cold water on your face can help calm your body quickly. This technique comes from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of therapy that teaches skills for managing intense emotions. To try it, splash cold water on your face or hold a cold, wet cloth or an ice pack wrapped in a towel against your cheeks and forehead for about 30 seconds. According to a 2006 study in Circulation Journal, cold water on the face can slow your heart rate, which may help your body shift out of fight-or-flight mode.

If putting your face in cold water isn't practical, running your hands under cold water can still help. Focus on how the water feels against your skin, its temperature, and how it moves.

Because cold water can slow your heart rate, check with your doctor before trying this if you have a heart condition.

Feet on the floor/body scan

Pressing your feet firmly into the floor can help ground you in the present moment. This technique helps because you can do it anywhere, sitting or standing. As you press your feet fully into the floor, notice how firm and supportive it feels beneath you. 

Another option is the body scan. During a body scan, sit or lie down comfortably and take a few deep breaths. Then, let your attention move from your head to your toes, focusing on how each area of your body feels. Try to remain neutral as you notice different sensations, rather than attaching a feeling to them. 

Paced breathing

When your body is in fight-or-flight mode, breathing can become rapid and shallow. Paced breathing helps to slow and even out your breath, which can promote relaxation. A 2018 review of research found that slow breathing was linked to lower anxiety, depression, and anger. 

To do paced breathing, place a hand on your belly. As you inhale, feel your belly inflate, and then as you exhale, feel your belly deflate. Try to focus on making your exhale as long as or longer than your inhale. There are a few different patterns that you can follow: 

• 4-7-8 method: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds.
• 4-6 method: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, then exhale through your mouth for 6 seconds. 
• Box breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and pause with empty lungs for 4 seconds before repeating.

Progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation helps release tension by consciously tensing and then releasing your muscles. Start by getting comfortable. Then tense your feet and toes for 5 seconds, then release, noticing the feeling of relaxation in the area. Move up your body, through your legs, stomach and back, hands and arms, and shoulders and neck, and finish with your face 

Movement and stretching

Gentle movement and stretching help you connect with your body and return to the present moment. This might include a walk or simple movements, such as rocking, stomping your feet, or swinging your arms. 

Sensory grounding techniques

Sensory grounding techniques use your five senses to help bring you back to the present.

The 5-4-3-2-1 technique

The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique engages your 5 senses by noticing what's around you.

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

Some people carry mints or gum so they can do the tasting part of this exercise. If you’re not in an area where this is practical, you can simply leave the tasting part out of the exercise. 

Naming what you can touch

To do this technique, look around your space and identify things that you can touch and feel. Then, reach out to touch them, noticing the texture and temperature. For example, you might notice how the chair you are sitting in feels underneath you or the texture of the fabric on the shirt you are wearing.

Strong scents and tastes

Strong scents and tastes can help to draw you back to the present moment. This might include smelling a scented lotion, lighting a scented candle, or sniffing some dried lavender. For taste, you might sip a warm beverage or suck on a peppermint candy. No matter what you choose to smell or taste, try to notice the different qualities. For example, in a tea, you might notice sweetness, citrus notes, and a slight bitterness.

Sound anchoring

Sound anchoring uses focused listening to ground you. To do this, try naming three sounds you can hear in your environment. You can also put on some calming music. If you listen to music, focus on one aspect to draw your attention. For example, you might focus on the lyrics or a single instrument.

Mental grounding techniques

Mental grounding techniques occupy your mind and require focus, which can interrupt anxiety and overwhelming or racing thoughts.  

Categories and counting

Categories and counting are neutral tasks that help to focus your mind. For categories, pick a broad topic and name as many examples as you can in 30 to 60 seconds. For example, you might name countries or types of fruit. For counting, count numbers in a challenging pattern. For example, count backward from 100 by 7.

Describing an object in detail

Pick an object that you can see or hold. For example, a pen or a water bottle. Then, describe the object. This can include its color, texture, and weight. You can also use other senses, such as listening to the sound it makes when you tap it on a table.

Orienting to time and place 

Naming the time and place can help bring you back to where you are. Start by naming the time, including the time of day, date, month, and year. Then, name the physical location you are in. For example, “It’s a Tuesday afternoon in March, and I am in the living room of my house, sitting on the couch.”

Repeating a grounding phrase

Repeating a grounding phrase helps to interrupt looping thoughts. This might include:

• “I am safe now”
• “I feel uncomfortable right now, but it will pass”
• “I have been here before, and I have gotten through it”

Grounding techniques for panic attacks

During a panic attack, sensations can become overwhelming and frightening. Grounding techniques can help draw your focus away from those sensations and back into the present moment.

When using grounding exercises for panic attacks, remember that your comfort is key. Some techniques work better for some people, and the goal is to bring yourself back to the present, not to do each technique perfectly. For example, some people find paced breathing makes them too aware of their breath. They might try other methods, such as pushing their feet into the floor or using the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique. Practicing grounding techniques when you’re not feeling anxious or panicked can also make them easier to access when a panic attack is coming on. 

While anxiety grounding methods can be helpful for panic attacks, they’re not a substitute for professional treatment. If you're having new panic attacks, or they're getting worse, it's a good idea to talk with a doctor or mental health professional. The same goes for panic attacks that are affecting your daily life. 

What to do if grounding isn’t working

Different grounding techniques work better for different people. If one grounding technique isn’t working, try another. You might try using one from a different category. For example, if a sensory grounding technique isn’t working, a mental grounding technique might help more. 

In a difficult moment, it can be hard to tell what's helping and what isn’t. Rating your level of distress before and after using a specific technique can help you learn more about which techniques work best for you. You can also practice grounding techniques when you’re not feeling distressed to learn which anxiety grounding methods resonate with you the most. 

While grounding techniques can be helpful for anxiety, they’re just one tool. If grounding techniques aren't working for you, or if anxiety is affecting your daily life, sleep, or relationships, it may be time to seek more support. A licensed mental health professional can help you develop a more well-rounded anxiety treatment plan, which may include talk therapy, medication, or more intensive outpatient treatment, such as a virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) for anxiety. If emotions are currently overwhelming and you’re in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. You can also call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for support anytime.

How Willow Health can support your mental health journey

If anxiety is interfering with your daily life, Willow Health can help. Willow Health offers intake appointments within 48 hours to create a personalized care plan that may include 24/7 crisis support, therapy, medication, and coaching. Your care team might also suggest virtual group therapy. This can help you learn mindfulness and relaxation exercises in a group setting, alongside other stress management and self-care techniques. 

Sources

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services (Treatment Improvement Protocol [TIP] Series, No. 57). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207188/ 

Kinoshita, T., Nagata, S., Baba, R., Kohmoto, T., & Iwagaki, S. (2006). Cold-water face immersion per se elicits cardiac parasympathetic activity. Circulation Journal, 70(6), 773–776. https://doi.org/10.1253/circj.70.773 

Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. 

Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, Article 353. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353