Grounding (Part 2): Returning to the World Around Us
In my last blog post, we explored how the breath can guide us back into our bodies — helping to bring calm, relaxation and a greater sense of presence. Grounding through the senses is a natural continuation of this. It offers another way to calm and center ourselves. Instead of turning inward, we gently extend our attention outward, into the world around us, allowing the present moment to support us.
When we feel anxious, overwhelmed or caught in cycles of busy thinking, we often move away from the here and now without realising it. We stop, for example, noticing the warmth of sunlight on our skin, the colours and shapes around us, the textures of objects our skin makes contact with or the hum of everyday sounds around us.
Stress draws us inward and upward — into our heads. It stimulates the release of stress hormones, which make it harder for us to think clearly, regulate our emotions and feel connected to ourselves. Grounding helps counter this. By reconnecting with our surroundings, we shift out of stress mode and back into a more regulated state.
From this calmer, more anchored space, the mind becomes clearer and the body more settled. We have greater access to perspective, clarity and choice. Grounding therefore supports us not only in soothing distress, but also in approaching situations with more steadiness, presence and connection to ourselves.
Grounding invites us to come back to ourselves — not through effort, but through noticing.
A Simple Practice: The 5-4-3-2-1 Method
One effective grounding technique involves slowly moving through the senses:
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Take your time with each one.
As you notice each sense, you might also explore its qualities — the shades of colour, the texture of an object, the distance or softness of a sound, the temperature of the air on your skin, the layers within a smell. This gentle curiosity encourages your awareness to settle more deeply into the moment.
Even a few minutes of this practice can create a sense of steadiness and presence.
Making Grounding Personal
It might be helpful to personalise this grounding technique by choosing a sound or song, an image, an object, a scent or a food that is soothing to you, and focusing on the qualities of these senses. These familiar anchors can help you connect more quickly and more deeply, and bring a greater sense of calm.
Reconnecting With Life Around Us
As grounding helps bring us back into the present, something else can happen:
We begin to notice beauty again.
The way light shifts across a room.
The rustling of leaves.
The colours in the sky.
These small moments — so often missed when we’re stressed or hurried — gently remind us that we are part of the world, not separate from it. There can be comfort in that, a certain belonging.
Over time, these practices can become familiar anchors — places we return to when we need calm, steadiness or connection with ourselves.
Closing Thoughts
Perhaps this week, you might gently experiment with grounding — in the middle of a busy day, while walking outside, or in a quiet moment at home. Notice what shifts when you reconnect with your senses. Notice how the world meets you when you slow down enough to see it.
