Grounding through the five senses

Introduction

Grounding exercises They can help you reconnect with the here and now. By consciously using your senses and focusing your attention on what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste, you ‘ground’ your system back into the present. That helps you stress system calm down, and to be more present in your body and the present moment. 

This is how you do the exercise

1. Preferably find a place where you can sit or stand quietly with your feet firmly on the ground. If that’s not possible, you can just stay where you are.
   
   
2. Watch: Look around you and name five things you see. For example, choose 5 things of a certain color, or a certain shape.
   
   
3. FeelTouch four things and consciously feel how they feel: hard, soft, warm, cold, rough or smooth?
   
   
4. Listen: Listen for three sounds around you. Can you hear the difference between a sound close by and a sound further away?
   
   
5. SmellNotice two scents, however subtle they may be.
   
   
6. Experiments: focus your attention on one thing you taste, for example a sip of water or the taste in your mouth.

Take your time and breathe calmly while you do this. Often you will notice that you feel more present in your body and less overwhelmed. You can easily repeat the exercise if that feels comfortable.