5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise for Anxiety and Stress Relief

in Mar 23, 2025
Have you ever felt so stressed and overwhelmed that you can not see anything around you? When every new life challenge feels like a threat... When anxious thoughts start their spinning dance… And it is difficult to focus…
I’ve been there many times. Every time, I am overwhelmed I know I should keep moving thorough my day. I should… but I am loosing connection to the ground.
A simple grounding exercise can help to relief stress and feel less overwhelmed and anxious.

The 5–4–3–2–1 Grounding Exercise

You can do the 5–4–3–2–1 exercise anytime and anywhere. This mindfulness technique helps you focus, calm mind, and reduce stress.

Notice 5 Things You Can See

  • Look around and notice 5 things in your surrounding.
    A sofa, a chair, a table, a chandelier, a plant, anything in your environment.
  • Pay attention to the object’s shape, colour, lighting, and other details.
    The sofa is red with colourful cushions on it. The chair is white and your cat is sitting on it. The wooden table has a unique pattern of veins. The silver chandelier has white lamps in it. The plant has long brown stems and small green leaves.

The goal is to focus on the details of your surrounding and shift your attention away from the overwhelming thoughts.

Notice 4 Things You Can Touch

  • Find 4 things you can touch or physically feel.
    The chair you are sitting on. The touch of sweater sleeves on your arms. The computer keyword under your fingers. The touch of your own hair on your face.
  • Notice your sensations. The hardness of the chair. The warmth of the sweater sleeves. The smoothness of the keyboard. How ticklish your hair is.

The goal is to focus your feelings on your current sensations here and now.

Notice 3 Things You Can Hear

  • Listen to sounds around you. Somebody closed a door of the car on the parking lot near your window. The sound of the birds. The noise of the received message on the mobile.
  • Think about the sounds. The sound of the car door was very loud. But this is so ordinary that is often unnoticeable. The sound of the birds is very distant. You should make an effort to hear it. The sound of the message on the mobile grabbed attention and invited to check the message.

The goal is to bring your hearing to the world around you.

Notice 2 Things You Can Smell

  • Find 2 thing you can smell.
    A book on the table. A cup of tea.
  • Think about what you like or dislike about this smell. The smell of the book is attractive and promises a new story. The cup of black tea relaxes and invites to make a sip.

The goal is to activate your sense of smell.

Focus on 1 Thing You Can Taste

  • Choose something you can taste. A cup of tea from the previous step may be a good choice. If you do not have anything around you to taste then you can focus on the current taste in your mouth.
  • Bring all your attention to the thing you are tasting. The refreshing bitterness of the black tea and its warmth.

The goal is to be mindful about this one thing you taste in your mouth.

Summary

The exercise helps you bring all your five senses to the present moment. The vicious cycle of overwhelming thoughts cannot continue when you are here and now.

The limited number of objects decreases with each step. This grounding activity trains focus and encourages setting priorities.

I use this exercise every time I am stressed or overwhelmed. This exercise takes very little time and brings grounding, clarity and stress relief.

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