Grounding Exercises for Anxiety and Overwhelm

Written by Dr Richard Pomfret, Counselling Psychologist & EMDR Therapist · Last updated 22 October 2026

Grounding exercises help you come back to the present when anxiety, overwhelm or numbness pulls you away. This guide helps you choose one that fits how you feel right now.

What grounding is

Grounding is a group of simple skills that use your senses, your body and your surroundings to bring your attention back to the here and now. They do not remove difficult feelings. They give you a steadier place to stand while those feelings pass.

Different skills do different jobs. Some calm a body that is racing. Others gently wake a body that has gone quiet. Choosing the right kind matters more than choosing the best one.

Choose by how you feel

When you feel wired, anxious or shaky

• Cold water grounding: a gentle cool contact reset
• Peripheral vision: a soft, wide gaze
• Rooting press: press your feet into the floor, then release
• Humming reset: a long, quiet hum on the exhale
• Butterfly Hug: bilateral self-tapping used in EMDR
• 5-4-3-2-1 grounding: sensory anchoring through the five senses

When you feel flat, numb or shut down

• Squeeze and release: a gentle wake-up for numb moments
• Micro-movement: tiny movements to reconnect with your body
• Orienting walk: a slow, curious look around the room

When you feel disconnected or unreal

• Room Anchor: orient to the date, the place and solid objects near you
• Drop Anchor: an ACT exercise to acknowledge, connect and engage
• 5-4-3-2-1 grounding: sensory anchoring through the five senses

When you want to let tension go

• Progressive muscle relaxation: tensing and releasing muscle groups one by one
• Rooting press: press your feet into the floor, then release

How to practise

• Start small. One to two minutes is enough. You can always do another round.
• Practise when you are calm. A skill you have tried before is easier to reach for when things are hard.
• Match the skill to how you feel. A calming skill can feel flat when you are already shut down, and an activating skill can feel like too much when you are wired.
• Stop if it makes things worse. Every guide lists signs to stop. Trust them and try something else.
• Keep it low pressure. There is no score, no streak and no right number of times. If a skill helps a little, that is enough.

When grounding is not enough

Grounding skills are self-help tools, not treatment. If you often feel disconnected, if difficult memories keep intruding or if anxiety is getting in the way of daily life, please speak to a therapist or doctor. If you are in crisis or feel unsafe, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line.

Breathing and understanding your state

• The Window of Tolerance: the model behind choosing a skill by how you feel
• Box breathing: a 4-4-4-4 pattern that calms the nervous system
• Physiological sigh: a double inhale and a long exhale
• Triangle breathing: a gentle three-part rhythm
• Coherence breathing: a steady five-in, five-out rhythm