Grounding
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
When thoughts race or a feeling gets big, your senses can bring you back to right now. You’ll build a little stack of stones, one for each thing you notice. It takes about three minutes.
Start with one slow breath in... and out.
Step 1 of 5
5 things you can see
Look around slowly. Name five things, out loud or in your head. A door. The light on the wall. Your own hands. Tap a stone for each one.
Step 2 of 5
4 things you can touch
Notice what your body is resting on. Feel the fabric of your sleeve, the cool of a table, the ground under your feet. Four things.
Step 3 of 5
3 things you can hear
Close your eyes if that feels okay. Listen for the farthest sound, then the nearest. Your own breath counts. Three sounds.
Step 4 of 5
2 things you can smell
Take a breath in through your nose. Coffee, soap, fresh air, a book. If nothing comes, remember two smells you love. Two things.
Step 5 of 5
1 thing you can taste
What's in your mouth right now? Mint, coffee, nothing at all. Or take a sip of water and notice it. One thing.
You're here
Back in the room.
Look at what you built, one small thing at a time. Take one more slow breath. Notice if the feeling is a little smaller, or a little farther away, than it was a few minutes ago.
More calming tools
A calming exercise, not treatment. Nothing here is saved or sent anywhere. If you're in crisis, call or text 988.