5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Worksheet: Free Printable PDF
Quick answer
This free 5-4-3-2-1 grounding worksheet walks you through naming five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste, with space to rate your anxiety before and after. A second page lists 12 grounding techniques for anxiety on one sheet. Print both pages, or download either one as a PDF. No sign-up needed.
How to use the worksheet
Start by rating how anxious you feel from 0 to 10. Then work down the page slowly, writing one thing on each line. Take your time with each sense rather than rushing to finish: really look, really listen. When you reach the end, rate yourself again. Most people notice at least a small drop, and that before-and-after number is useful to track over time.
You don't have to wait for a bad moment. Filling it in once or twice when you feel fine makes the steps easier to remember when you need them, even without the paper. For why the exercise works and how to adapt it, read our guide to the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
The 12 grounding techniques sheet
The second page is a quick reference for when 5-4-3-2-1 isn't the right fit, sorted into techniques that use your senses, your body, your breath, and your thinking. Each one is explained in more detail in grounding techniques for anxiety. It works well stuck on a fridge, kept in a bag, or saved on your phone.
For children, classrooms, and therapy sessions
Both sheets are plain black and white so they print cleanly on any printer, and you're welcome to copy and share them. With children, it helps to treat 5-4-3-2-1 as a game and do it together; younger children can draw what they notice instead of writing it.
A worksheet is a way to practice a skill, not a treatment. If anxiety or panic attacks are happening often, speak to a GP or doctor.
Preview of the printable sheets:
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
Slow down and notice what's around you, one sense at a time.
5 things I can see
4 things I can touch
3 things I can hear
2 things I can smell
1 thing I can taste
12 Grounding Techniques
When anxiety spikes, pick one. In a panic attack, start with the body or breath.
Senses
- 5-4-3-2-1: Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste.
- 3-3-3: Name 3 things you see and 3 sounds you hear, then move 3 parts of your body.
- One object: Describe one object in detail: color, weight, texture, temperature.
- Cold or textured: Hold an ice cube, a cold can, or a rough fabric and notice how it feels.
Body
- Cold water: Splash very cold water on your face, or hold a cold pack over your eyes and cheeks.
- Feet on the floor: Press your feet into the floor and notice the pressure and your weight in the chair.
- Butterfly hug: Cross your arms, hands on opposite shoulders, and tap left and right slowly.
Breath and voice
- Long exhale: Breathe out slowly for longer than you breathe in. Keep it gentle.
- Humming: Hum on each out-breath and notice the vibration in your chest and face.
Thinking
- Categories: Name an animal, city, or food for every letter from A to Z.
- Count back: Count back from 100 in sevens, or in threes if that's too hard.
- Grounding statement: Say your name, where you are, today's date, and "this is anxiety, it will pass."