👁🗨 54321 GROUNDING EXERCISE
Come Back to Now
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
💬 Why This Helps
When you're overwhelmed, anxious, or dissociated, your body might be stuck in a fight, flight, or freeze response.
This simple sensory grounding technique helps bring you back to the here and now using your five senses — it’s a fast, portable way to reconnect to your body and the present moment.
🛠 How to Use It
Take a slow breath. Look around. Say (out loud or in your head):
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
(e.g. feet on the floor, fabric on your skin)
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
*1 thing you can taste — or something you’re grateful for
Then take another breath. Repeat as needed.
🧠 Tips
🌿 Ashley’s Example
5 – The blue cup, a leaf outside, my socks, the lamp, a crack in the ceiling
4 – My back on the chair, my ring, the soft hoodie, warm hands
3 – A car outside, birds, the hum of the fridge
2 – Coffee, laundry powder
1 – I’m tasting toothpaste… and I’m grateful for the quiet.
🔁 Keep Practicing
This is a skill — not a magic trick. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to access when you're distressed.
Keep a copy on your phone or pinned somewhere visible.
📄 Download this as a printable PDF:
👉 54321 Grounding Exercise – Ashley Russell
🖋 This resource was created by Ashley Russell, EMDR therapist at emdrbristol.org.
Feel free to share it with others — just keep the credit and the care.
Come Back to Now
From Ashley Russell, EMDR Therapist | emdrbristol.org
💬 Why This Helps
When you're overwhelmed, anxious, or dissociated, your body might be stuck in a fight, flight, or freeze response.
This simple sensory grounding technique helps bring you back to the here and now using your five senses — it’s a fast, portable way to reconnect to your body and the present moment.
🛠 How to Use It
Take a slow breath. Look around. Say (out loud or in your head):
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
(e.g. feet on the floor, fabric on your skin)
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
*1 thing you can taste — or something you’re grateful for
Then take another breath. Repeat as needed.
🧠 Tips
- Say each item slowly. Out loud if you can.
- Don’t worry if you “get it wrong” — the point is engagement, not perfection.
- If one of the senses isn’t working for you (e.g. smell), skip or swap.
- You can do this while walking, sitting, lying down — even in the middle of a panic.
🌿 Ashley’s Example
5 – The blue cup, a leaf outside, my socks, the lamp, a crack in the ceiling
4 – My back on the chair, my ring, the soft hoodie, warm hands
3 – A car outside, birds, the hum of the fridge
2 – Coffee, laundry powder
1 – I’m tasting toothpaste… and I’m grateful for the quiet.
🔁 Keep Practicing
This is a skill — not a magic trick. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to access when you're distressed.
Keep a copy on your phone or pinned somewhere visible.
📄 Download this as a printable PDF:
👉 54321 Grounding Exercise – Ashley Russell
🖋 This resource was created by Ashley Russell, EMDR therapist at emdrbristol.org.
Feel free to share it with others — just keep the credit and the care.