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Grounding Techniques

Quick-reference guide — use anytime, anywhere.

Grounding Techniques Card · Noor Psychology · BABCP Accredited

Noor Psychology Therapy · BABCP Accredited

Grounding Techniques Card

Quick-Reference Guide — Use Anytime, Anywhere

Grounding techniques help bring your attention back to the present moment. They are particularly helpful when feeling overwhelmed, dissociated, or caught in a spiral of anxious thinking.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique

This is the most widely used grounding technique. It works by engaging all five senses to anchor you in the present.

Sense	Your Turn — Name Them Now
5 things you can SEE	1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
4 things you can TOUCH	1. 2. 3. 4.
3 things you can HEAR	1. 2. 3.
2 things you can SMELL	1. 2.
1 thing you can TASTE	1.

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)

Slow breathing directly activates your parasympathetic nervous system — the "rest and digest" system that counteracts the stress response.

Step	Action
1. Inhale	Breathe in slowly for 4 counts
2. Hold	Hold at the top for 4 counts
3. Exhale	Breathe out slowly for 4 counts
4. Hold	Hold at the bottom for 4 counts
Repeat	4–6 cycles. Then breathe naturally.

The STOP Technique

Use when you notice you are overwhelmed mid-task.

Stop what you are doing, even briefly

Take a breath — slow, deliberate, through your nose

Observe — what are you thinking? Feeling? Where in your body?

Proceed with awareness — choose your next action consciously

Physical Grounding Methods

Body-Based

—Press your feet firmly into the floor
—Place both hands flat on a table and press down
—Run cool water over your wrists or splash your face
—Clench and release fists slowly
—Walk slowly and deliberately, noticing each footfall

Cognitive Grounding

—Say your full name aloud. Say the date and time.
—Name everything you see in one colour
—Count backwards from 100 in 7s
—Recite something you know by heart — a surah, a poem
—Describe your location in detail, as if to someone who cannot see it

My go-to grounding technique(s) & when I will use them:

Practise your chosen technique before you are overwhelmed, so it becomes automatic when you need it most.

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