5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique for panic and dissociation

This technique works by redirecting your attention from anxious thoughts to present-moment sensory experience, which interrupts the anxiety feedback loop.

The exercise

Look around you and name:

• 5 things you can see — describe them in detail (colour, shape, texture)
• 4 things you can physically feel — your feet on the floor, the chair under you
• 3 things you can hear — traffic, the hum of the fridge, your own breathing
• 2 things you can smell — if you can't smell anything, recall a favourite smell
• 1 thing you can taste

Repeat if needed. Most people feel a significant reduction in anxiety within 90 seconds.