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Grounding & anxiety handout

Grounding Techniques Card

A pocket-sized reference of fast, evidence-based grounding skills — for panic, anxiety, dissociation, flashbacks, or overwhelming urges. Print, cut out, and keep it where it's easy to reach.

Name or initialsDate

How to use this worksheet

Grounding brings attention back to the present moment and the bodywhen emotion or anxiety takes over. It doesn't solve the problem — it buys enough calm to think clearly and choose the next step. Practice these when calm, so they're familiar when they're needed. Print at 100%, fold or cut along the sections, and carry the card.
Prefer a guided on-screen version? Open the interactive grounding tool

5-4-3-2-1 · Come back to your senses

Move slowly through each sense, naming things out loud or in your head. Take your time — the goal is to notice, not to rush.

5

5 things I can see

Look around and name five things — colors, shapes, objects.

4

4 things I can feel

Notice four textures — the chair, your feet on the floor, clothing, air.

3

3 things I can hear

Listen for three sounds — near or far, quiet or loud.

2

2 things I can smell

Find two things you can smell (or two smells you like).

1

1 things I can taste

Notice one thing you can taste, or one you're grateful for.

Box breathing · Steady the body

Trace the four sides of a square with your breath. Repeat four or more times, until your body settles.

  1. 1. Breathe in through your nose for a slow count of 4.
  2. 2. Hold your breath for 4.
  3. 3. Breathe out through your mouth for 4.
  4. 4. Hold empty for 4. Repeat.

More grounding skills to try

Different skills work for different people and different moments. Circle the ones that help you.

Temperature. Hold an ice cube, or splash cold water on your face.

Feet on the floor. Press both feet down; notice the ground holding you.

Name it. Say today's date, where you are, and that you are safe right now.

Category game. List animals, cities, or colors A–Z to occupy the mind.

Move. Stretch, shake out your hands, or take a brisk short walk.

Anchor object. Hold something with texture and describe it in detail.

Soothing phrase. “This feeling is uncomfortable, but it will pass.”

Warm drink. Hold a warm mug; notice the heat, weight, and smell.

My personal grounding plan

Make it yours: the two skills that work best for you, and a reminder of where this card lives.

When I feel it starting, the first thing I'll try is
If that doesn't help, I'll try
A person I can reach out to

If grounding isn't enough — reach out

988— Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text, 24/7)

833-710-6477 — NH Rapid Response Access Point (24/7)

911 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger

The 5-4-3-2-1 technique and box breathing are widely used grounding and anxiety-management skills drawn from CBT, DBT distress-tolerance, and trauma-informed practice. Suitable as a general coping handout.

Meridian · New Hampshire mental health resources · This is a general clinical handout, not a substitute for professional judgment. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call or text 988 or NH Rapid Response at 833-710-6477.