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Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques are simple yet powerful tools that help you reconnect with your body and the present moment, especially when emotions feel overwhelming or memories become intrusive.
For people living with or healing from abuse, these methods can provide an immediate sense of safety and stability by bringing focus away from distressing thoughts and into the here and now.
Whether it’s through sensory awareness, breathing exercises, or gentle movement, grounding helps you regain control in moments of anxiety or emotional overwhelm — reminding you that you are present, safe, and supported.
Grounding Exercises
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5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise – A simple, sensory-based technique to calm anxiety and stay present by naming five things you see, four you can touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste. You don't have to do it out loud but the purpose of it is to draw your focus back to the present and away from whatever has caused the problem.
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Grounding Techniques PDF Sheet – A printable guide outlining a variety of quick grounding methods, including breathing exercises, sensory focus, and physical movements. Download PDF
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Breath Focus Grounding Meditation (Audio) – A calming guided meditation focusing on breath awareness to restore calm and presence. Listen/Watch here.
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Box Breathing Technique (Video) – A simple and effective breath-based grounding practice used by therapists, teachers, and even the military. Helps slow down racing thoughts and calm the nervous system.
Watch Box Breathing Exercise
Sensory Grounding
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Hands in Warm or Cool Water (without ice) – Gently place your hands in warm or cool running water, or alternate between the two. Notice how each temperature feels against your skin with attention to sensation and texture.
This method offers a calming way to reconnect physically without the intensity of ice.
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Earthing / Barefoot Connection – Walk barefoot on natural surfaces like grass, soil, or sand, and focus on the physical feel beneath your feet. This barefoot experience can foster a grounding connection to the earth, helping your nervous system settle and your mind become present. Read the article.
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Progressive Muscle Relaxation – A body-focused technique where you intentionally tense and then relax each muscle group, from toes to head. This simple sequence helps release physical tension and shifts focus into your body’s present sensations.
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Smells are an incredibly powerful way of bringing you back. If you are deliberately paying attention to a smell the you are truly back in the present moment. Its important to pick something that has positive associations for you whether that be something you enjoy or something reminiscent of someone you love.
Carry it with you and use it to bring yourself back if you get caught up within an unwanted memory.
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Carry something with you - almost like a talisman - that you can touch when you feel panic or anxiety. It can be anything. A necklace, a stone, a note to yourself. Whatever you choose, when you start to feel scared or anxious, hold the item and feel the positive energy that comes from it.
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Unwanted memories can make us mentally ‘time travel’ back to the trauma, and we can sometimes forget that we are safe in the present. It can be helpful to write a ‘grounding statement’ to remind yourself that you are safe.
Carry it around with you and read it if you become upset.