Grounding with your five senses

When worry takes over, the mind runs into the future or back into the past. Grounding gently brings attention to the present, using your senses. It is simple enough to do anywhere, even in a busy kitchen or a hostel corridor.

The five senses steps

1. Name 5 things you can see. A steel tumbler, the crack in the wall, your own hands.
2. Name 4 things you can feel. Your feet on the floor, the cloth of your dupatta or shirt, the chair.
3. Name 3 things you can hear. A pressure cooker, traffic, a fan.
4. Name 2 things you can smell. Soap, tea, rain on dust.
5. Name 1 thing you can taste, or take one slow sip of water.

You can say the words in your head or quietly aloud. Take your time. If a sense is hard to use, skip it.

Grounding helps a hard moment pass. It is not a treatment for ongoing anxiety. If these feelings come often or get in the way of school, work or sleep, speak to a school counsellor, a doctor, or call Tele-MANAS on 14416.