Grounding Techniques for Anxiety and Overwhelm: Practical Skills to Reconnect with the Present

Grounding Techniques: Practical Ways to Return to the Present Moment

In moments of stress, anxiety, or overwhelm, it’s common to feel disconnected from our surroundings, from others, or even from ourselves. Some people describe it as feeling “spaced out,” “numb,” or “like I’m existing but not living.” This can be particularly common for those who have experienced trauma or who live with anxiety, ADHD, or other mental health difficulties.

Grounding techniques are practical tools that help us return to the present moment. They work by gently bringing our focus back to our body, our environment, or the here-and-now, offering a sense of steadiness when things feel turbulent. These techniques can be simple and adaptable, and with practice, they can become a helpful part of your emotional toolkit.

In this post, I’ll outline a range of grounding methods. You might find some more effective than others, and that’s okay. What works can vary from person to person, and even from one day to the next.

1. Sensory Grounding

Sensory grounding uses your five senses to anchor you in the present moment. It can be particularly effective when you feel disconnected or overwhelmed.

Try:

• Name 5-4-3-2-1:
  Look around and 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
  Take your time with each step, and notice any sensations that arise.

• Temperature play:
  Hold an ice cube, splash your face with cold water, or hold a warm mug. Notice the sensations.

• Focus on one sense:
  Light a scented candle or listen closely to a piece of music. Let that one sense anchor your attention.

2. Physical Grounding

Physical grounding brings your attention back into your body. This can be helpful when you feel dissociated or “in your head.”

Try:

• Feel your feet on the floor:
  Stand or sit and press your feet firmly into the ground. Notice the contact, the pressure, the support underneath you.

• Stretch or move:
  Roll your shoulders, stretch your arms, or go for a short walk. Movement can remind you that you’re here, in your body.

• Hug yourself:
  Cross your arms and gently squeeze your upper arms or shoulders. This can create a sense of containment and safety.

3. Cognitive Grounding

This involves using your thoughts to reconnect with the present, often by engaging the thinking part of your brain.

Try:

• Describe your environment:
  Silently name what you see around you –  colours, shapes, objects.

• Do simple maths or spelling:
  Count backwards from 100 by sevens or spell your full name backwards. It gives the mind something concrete to focus on.

• Repeat a grounding statement:
  Try something like:
  “I am safe. This feeling will pass. I am in the present, and I can get through this.”

• Buzzy bees:

Name a thing for each letter of the alphabet.

“A for Ant, B for Baboon, C for Cat… and so on”

4. Creative and Expressive Grounding

Sometimes, grounding can come through expression or distraction — doing something that brings comfort or absorbs your focus.

Try:

• Draw, colour or doodle:
  Let yourself create freely, without needing it to “look good.”

• Play with texture:
  Use modelling clay, a stress ball, or textured fabric. Focus on the tactile sensations.

• Sing or hum:
  The vibrations can be calming and help you regulate your breathing.

5. Breath-Based Grounding

Our breath can be a powerful anchor. Slowing and deepening your breath helps signal safety to your nervous system.

Try:

• Box breathing:
  Inhale for 4 counts → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 4 → Hold for 4. Repeat slowly.

• Hand tracing breath:
  Spread one hand like a star. Use the other hand to trace up and down your fingers. Inhale as you trace up, exhale as you trace down.

6. TIPP: A DBT Skill for Intense Emotions

TIPP is a grounding skill taught in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for managing intense emotional states. It’s especially useful when you feel like your emotions are too strong to tolerate or you’re about to be overwhelmed. TIPP uses the body’s physiology to help regulate your nervous system quickly.

TIPP stands for:

• T – Temperature
  Change your body temperature quickly to activate the dive reflex, which slows the heart rate. Try:

• Splashing cold water on your face

• Holding an ice pack or frozen orange on your cheeks

• Submerging your face in a bowl of cold water (only if safe to do so)
  This can help reduce acute distress within moments.

• I – Intense exercise
  Do something vigorous for 30 seconds to a few minutes:

• Star jumps

• Running on the spot

• Fast-paced walking
  Moving your body quickly burns off adrenaline and helps reset your system.

• P – Paced breathing
  Slow, controlled breathing helps calm the body. Aim for:

• Inhale for 4 counts

• Exhale for 6–8 counts
  You might place a hand on your chest or stomach to feel the rhythm of your breath.

• P – Paired muscle relaxation
  Tense and release different muscle groups to relieve physical tension. For example:

• Clench your fists, hold for a few seconds, then release

• Shrug your shoulders up, hold, then let them drop
  Pairing this with slow breathing enhances the calming effect.

• It is useful to work your way through your muscles from bottom to top or top to bottom.

TIPP is most effective when emotions are very heightened. It’s a short-term skill to help you return to a place where you can think clearly again. With practice, it can become a reliable part of your crisis response plan.

A Scripted Body Scan Meditation

To close, here is a gentle, trauma-sensitive body scan meditation you can try. This can be read aloud or recorded in your own voice, if you wish.

Body Scan for Grounding (5–7 minutes)

Begin by finding a comfortable position — sitting or lying down. Let your hands rest where they feel most at ease. Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Take a moment to notice your breathing. There’s no need to change it — just observe. Let your attention settle here for a few breaths.

Now, begin to bring your awareness to the top of your head. You might notice sensations, or you might notice nothing at all — either is okay.

Slowly guide your attention down to your forehead… your eyes… your jaw. Let your jaw soften if you can. Notice any tension or ease.

Bring your focus to your neck and shoulders. If you feel tension, see if it wants to release — but there’s no need to force it.

Move your attention down through your arms — upper arms, elbows, forearms, hands, and fingers. Notice any sensations, warmth, tingling, or stillness.

Now return to the chest. Notice the rise and fall of your breath. Feel your ribs expand, then soften.

Let your attention move down to your stomach and lower back. Simply noticing what’s here.

Continue downward — to your hips, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, and toes. Pause at each area, noticing contact with the floor or any sensation you can feel.

When you're ready, expand your awareness to your whole body. You might picture your body held by the ground beneath you. You are here, now.

Take a final breath, and when you're ready, gently open your eyes or lift your gaze.

Final Thoughts

Grounding techniques offer small but meaningful ways to care for yourself, especially when the world feels too much. They are not about making difficult feelings disappear, but about helping you stay connected and supported as they pass.

If you’d like support with these techniques — or if they bring up difficult feelings — therapy can provide a safe place to explore them.  There are also lots of free guided and scripted meditations available online for free.