Grounding Techniques Guide
Grounding techniques help bring your attention back to the present moment during intense distress or dissociation.
The 5-4-3-2-1 method
Name 5 things you see, 4 you feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, and 1 you taste, engaging your senses to anchor to the present.
Physical grounding
Pressing your feet firmly into the floor or holding a textured object can help reconnect you to your body.
When to use grounding
Particularly helpful during flashbacks, panic, or moments of feeling disconnected from reality.
Fidget tool set
Support grounding and focus during distress.
This content offers general coping skills and educational information, not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional crisis support or therapy. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or are in immediate danger, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line), or call 911 right now.