5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise during an anxiety attack

By focusing on your senses, you get out of your head and into your body. This works for anxiety attacks, intrusive thoughts, and any other time you are having a moment where you feel out of control. 

  • 5 things you can see:
    • Look around you. Name 5 different things that you see in the room 
  • 4 things you can touch:
    • Shift your focus to your hands. Notice 4 different things that you can touch and feel with your hands
  • 3 things you can hear:
    • Listen closely. Name 3 different noises that you can hear right now
  • 2 things you can smell:
    • Breathe through your nose. What are 2 different scents you smell?
  • 1 thing you can taste:
    • Focus on your mouth and your sense of taste. What is 1 thing you taste? 

After going through this exercise and shifting your focus to all of your senses, those intrusive thoughts should hopefully feel like a distant thought. 

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