The five-part senses framework covers sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste, with a short grounding prompt for each sense and practical ideas to try straight away. It includes examples such as finding five things to look at, listening for four different sounds, noticing textures or temperature, breathing in familiar scents, and slowly sipping a drink while paying attention to flavour and texture.
The layout is designed as a quick DBT self-soothe reminder rather than a long activity pack, so it can be printed and kept somewhere visible. People can use it during moments of anxiety, panic, emotional overwhelm, sensory overload, low mood or general stress, either independently or with gentle support from a trusted adult or practitioner.
Older children, teenagers and adults who already benefit from grounding techniques, mindfulness prompts or emotional regulation strategies may find the format especially easy to follow. It may also be useful for social workers, counsellors, therapists, school wellbeing staff, pastoral teams, foster carers and parents who want a calm, non-demanding coping skills handout for sessions, home use or a regulation corner.
The wording makes an important point that difficult feelings do not have to disappear before someone can care for themselves. The closing reminder, “Pause, Notice, Breathe, Soothe”, helps reinforce the aim of the exercise: returning attention to the here and now through safe, everyday sensory experiences. The named author is Edita Stiborova.
