My Favorite Grounding Activity

When emotions are high, grounding is one of the most effective techniques to return to calm and balance. As someone who has suffered from anxiety for most of my life, this particular technique has come in handy. I use it often. It is also great to use with children. It is a technique that with practice they can easily use themselves.

It is often referred to as the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Here is how it works. The next time you are feeling stressed or your anxiety raising actively turn your focus to the following:

5 things you can see (right now, in front of you)

4 things you can feel (this is physical feeling, ex, your shirt on your back, your socks on your feet, the table in front of you)

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 thing you can taste

And then just breath. Continue to focus on your lists until you are able to find balance.

Try it now. It has a calming effect even when you are not at the peak of an anxiety mountain.

What strategies do you use to combat your anxiety?