Grounding in Five Minutes

Sit with both feet flat on the floor and let your hands rest in your lap. You do not need a quiet room or a lot of time. This works in a car, at a desk, or in a waiting room.

Take one breath in through your nose and let the out-breath be slightly longer than the in-breath. A long exhale is the fastest signal of safety you can send your own body.

• Name five things you can see. Say them quietly to yourself, slowly, without judging them.

• Name four things you can feel: the chair beneath you, the fabric of your clothes, the air on your skin, your feet against the floor.

• Name three things you can hear. Let your attention move outwards rather than inwards.

• Name two things you can smell, or two smells you like if none are present.

• Name one thing you can taste, then place a hand on your chest and feel it rise and fall for three breaths.

Practise this when you are already calm, once a day for a week. The nervous system learns through repetition, and a familiar practice is far easier to reach for in a difficult moment.

There is also a shorter version for public places: press your feet into the floor, exhale slowly, and silently name three things in the room. That is enough to interrupt the spiral.