Grounding under Toolkit walks you through the 5-4-3-2-1 senses exercise when you want to anchor in the present. This article assumes you can open Resources → Toolkit—see the Toolkit overview help if you have not found the Grounding tile yet.
What Grounding offers
- One self-paced 5-4-3-2-1 flow—five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste
- Each sense appears on its own screen with a prompt; you notice items in your environment at your own pace—nothing to type per step
- Optional reflection inscription on completion—never required to finish
- Wellness grounding tool—not medical advice; helpful during anxiety or overwhelm, not a diagnosis or treatment
Open Grounding from Toolkit
01
Resources
Tap Resources in the bottom tab bar to open the Resources screen.
02
Toolkit
Select Toolkit in the sub-tab row under the Resources title.
03
Grounding
Under Interactive tools, tap the Grounding tile. The subtitle reads 5-4-3-2-1 senses exercise.
For the full Toolkit hub layout, see the Toolkit overview help.
Intro and Begin
01
Come back to your senses
The intro card explains the five-step practice and shows outline chips for See, Touch, Hear, Smell, and Taste.
02
ABOUT THIS PRACTICE
Scroll below the card for when the technique can help—anxiety, overwhelm, or feeling disconnected.
03
Begin
Tap to open the first sense step (See). The navigation title reads Grounding.
The five sense steps
- 5 · See — Name five things you can see around you (small or simple is fine)
- 4 · Touch — Notice four things you can feel right now (feet on the floor, fabric, air on your face)
- 3 · Hear — Listen for three distinct sounds nearby
- 2 · Smell — Bring attention to two scents—or even neutral air
- 1 · Taste — Notice one taste (water, toothpaste, or neutral taste in your mouth)
During each sense step
01
Prompt
Read the centered prompt for the current sense. The large numeral (5 down to 1) and sense label match the step you are on.
02
Next Sense
When you are ready—not on a timer—tap to move to the next sense. On the last step (Taste) the button reads Complete.
03
End
On the first sense step only, the top-leading End button returns to the intro without completion stats.
04
Back
On later sense steps, Back returns to the previous sense. You can also swipe right to go back one sense.
05
Progress
Five dots and a thin progress bar show how far you are through See → Taste.
✦There is no text field during the sense steps—you notice items mentally. Take as long as you need on each prompt before tapping Next Sense.
Complete and optional reflection
01
You're here.
The headline appears with the subtitle You moved through all five senses.
02
What do you notice now?
Optional inscription field—leave blank if you prefer not to write anything.
03
senses
Stat shows 5 for the senses you completed.
04
time spent
Stat shows how long the exercise took from Begin through Complete.
05
Return to Toolkit
Primary button dismisses the Grounding flow back to the Toolkit hub.
06
Once More
Secondary button restarts from the intro screen.
If you need urgent support
🔒If you need urgent mental-health support, tap Hotline on the Resources screen header before you open Grounding or after you return to Toolkit. See Crisis hotline for how calling and placement work in the app.
Grounding does not show Crisis hotline or Safety plan links inside the sense-step screens. Urgent support is through the persistent Hotline control on Resources.
Where session data is stored
- Completing all five senses saves a wellness session to your daily log and syncs with your Apple ID through iCloud
- Optional inscription saves to your journal when you leave the completion screen—separate from the session saved at Complete
- Leaving mid-flow during a sense step may save an incomplete session record
- Grounding sessions are not transmitted to Red Tent backend servers
✦Breathe is the other interactive tool on Toolkit—see Breathe sessions in the Toolkit for guided breathing with on-screen phase pacing when you want a timed calm-down instead of the senses checklist.