When anxiety builds.
Give yourself an anchor.

Let your breathing become gentler.

Anxiety can make breathing faster or more forceful. Taking repeated, very large breaths may leave you feeling more lightheaded. For this exercise, aim for a comfortable rhythm rather than the deepest breath you can manage.

1. Sit with your back supported and your feet resting on the floor. Loosen your shoulders.
2. Breathe in gently through your nose. Let your belly move naturally, without forcing it outward.
3. Breathe out gently through your mouth. If counting helps, count slowly from one to five on the way in and again on the way out. Use a shorter count if that feels easier.
4. Continue comfortably for a few minutes, working toward about five minutes. There is no need to hold your breath.

If you become dizzy or uncomfortable, stop counting and return to your normal breathing. If paying attention to breathing makes anxiety worse, try the surroundings exercise below.

Give your attention somewhere concrete to go.

Grounding brings your attention to what you can notice in your immediate surroundings. NHS inform describes the 5–4–3–2–1 exercise:

• Five things you can see: look for details, such as the shape of a leaf or the stitching on a chair.
• Four things you can feel: your feet inside your shoes, the chair beneath you, or a sleeve against your arm.
• Three things you can hear: separate nearby sounds from sounds farther away.
• Two things you can smell: notice what is available without searching for a strong scent.
• One thing you can taste: perhaps a sip of water.

Take your time. Adapt the exercise to the senses available to you; you can spend longer looking at objects or noticing touch. The counting is simply a structure for paying attention.

Practice noticing without following every thought.

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present with less judgment. Your mind can wander during the exercise. Noticing that it has wandered gives you a chance to return.

Try one minute with your eyes open. Notice where your feet meet the floor. When a worry appears, quietly name it—“planning,” “remembering,” or “worrying”—then return to that physical sensation. Repeat as often as needed. You do not have to argue with the thought or finish solving it.

Make the skill familiar before you need it.

Try a brief practice during an ordinary part of your day, such as after brushing your teeth. Notice which exercise helps and which feels frustrating. You only need a useful place to begin.

These skills can support anxiety treatment, but persistent anxiety, panic, or avoidance deserves a fuller conversation about therapy and medication options. New chest pain, fainting, or severe shortness of breath needs medical attention; do not assume it is anxiety.