Grounding Techniques to Practice When You’re Anxious in Public

Anxiety can creep in at the most inconvenient times—like when you’re in class, when you’re out with friends or when you’re out and about in any public space. Anxiety can barge into your mind, seize the direction of your thoughts, and transport you far away from the present in an anxious tailspin. This disruption of your thoughts can pull you away from enjoying the present moment or even being able to concentrate on the task at hand. If you find yourself struggling with anxious thoughts, try practicing these grounding techniques to bring your attention back to the present: 

1. The 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Technique:
This technique focuses on grounding yourself by focusing on your senses. Start by looking around the space you are in and noticing 5 things that you see. Describe the 5 things you see to yourself in detail, either in your mind or out loud if you’d like. For example, if you are outside you might say “I see a large tree with peeling bark and green leaves” and so on. Next, focus on 4 sensations that you feel. For example, if you’re wearing cozy socks you might say to yourself: “I feel the softness of my socks on my feet” and so on.  Next, notice 3 things you hear around you. It could be the rustling of the wind through the trees, cars passing by, or the sound or birds. Then notice 2 things that you smell. If you are unable to identify a scent, think about your favorite scents or a smell that you recently encountered such as the scent of your morning cup of coffee. Finally, concentrate on with 1 thing that you taste. It could be the taste of a drink or food that you’re currently eating or something you tasted recently, like the minty toothpaste you used after you woke up. This technique is meant to bring you out of any anxious, spiraling thoughts and back to the present by drawing attention to your surroundings and your body. 

2. Square Breathing:
This technique helps to pull your focus to your body and your breath. To begin, inhale slowly as you count to 4, then hold your breath for a count of 4, then exhale slowly for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4 and continue this cycle. This technique is simple yet effective in pulling your attention and focus to your breath. 

3. Exercise your mind:
Pick any category, like movies or music, and name as many things in that category, like movies or songs, as you can. Time yourself for 1 or 2 minutes and see how many you can come up with in that time. You can also use numbers as a grounding technique to pull your thoughts away from anxious rumination. For example, you can count backwards from a number like 50 or count to 100 in multiples of 5. Or you can mentally recite a song, poem or lines from a movie or TV show that you know by heart. By exercising your mind, you are pulling your thoughts and focus away from anxious thoughts. 

These are some examples of techniques that can be used to ground yourself; however there are many more that can be found through a simple internet search. Grounding techniques like these are a great addition to your mental toolbox because you can practice them without calling attention to yourself in public. The next time you find yourself drifting away mentally into a tangle of anxious thoughts, give one of these helpful techniques a try.