The 5-4-3-2-1 reset

Racing heart. Tight chest.

Nothing around you has changed. Your body has decided otherwise.

Anxiety never lives in the present

It's rehearsing a future that hasn't happened, or replaying a past you can't change.

Your senses only report one thing

What is happening right now. That is the whole mechanism.

5

Things you can see

Name them slowly. Out loud, if you can.

4

Things you can feel

The chair. Your feet on the floor. Fabric. Temperature.

3

Things you can hear

Traffic. A fan. Your own breathing.

2

Things you can smell

Most people stall here. The searching is itself grounding.

1

Thing you can taste

Coffee, toothpaste, a sip of water. One is enough.

That's a minute your attention spent somewhere other than the spiral

Grounding doesn't stop anxiety showing up. It gives you a reliable way back.