Grounding exercises

Grounding is a technique that can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress when they feel overwhelming.

Grounding aims to take your mind off of uncomfortable symptoms or thoughts.

Exercise 1

You can use the 5,4,3,2,1 method to ground yourself.

To start, sit in a comfortable position and take a deep breath.

Next, try to focus on:

• 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

Exercise 2

To start exercise 2, sit or stand in a comfortable position.

Next:

1. Imagine you have an empty balloon in your stomach.
2. Try to inflate the balloon by breathing through your nose – breathe in while counting to 3.
3. Now slowly deflate the balloon by breathing out through your mouth.
4. Inflate and deflate the balloon a few times until you feel calmer.

Grounding techniques for panic

Learn about grounding and relaxation methods from the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub team.