How To Use the 3-3-3 Rule for Anxiety

When anxiety starts sending your thoughts into a spiral, grounding practices can give your brain something else to focus on.

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One way to do that is with the 3-3-3 rule. It’s simple: Notice three things you see, listen for three things you can hear and move three parts of your body.

“Anxiety and worry are usually about what might happen in the future, not what’s happening in the present moment,” explains integrative medicine physician Melissa Young, MD. “Grounding exercises like the 3-3-3 technique can help bring you into the present.”

Dr. Young explains how the 3-3-3 rule may help you manage anxiety.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for anxiety?

The 3-3-3 Rule steps for managing anxiety

3-3-3 grounding is a mindfulness technique that can help interrupt anxious or overwhelming thoughts by redirecting your attention to what’s happening right now.

It just takes three steps:

Notice three things you can see. Take a moment to really examine three things around you. “Examine the details: Is the lamp on? What color is your dog’s collar? What’s on the cover of that book on your table?” Dr. Young illustrates. “The closer you look, the more it can help you direct your attention on the moment.”
Identify three things you can hear. Listen for sounds — like birds outside your window, the hum of a fan and the TV in the other room. You don’t have to make three sounds happen or go searching for them. Just tune in to what’s already there.
Move three parts of your body. Maybe you turn your head side to side, roll your ankles, then wiggle your toes. Pay attention to each movement as you do it. Notice what your muscles and joints feel like.

And don’t get too hung up on the numbers. The point isn’t to check off the boxes on your mental scavenger hunt. It’s to shift your attention away from racing thoughts and toward things that are actually happening in the here and now.

“The numbers are really just a way to frame your thoughts and keep you engaged,” Dr. Young says. “It doesn’t have to be that literal.”

How the 3-3-3 technique works

Think about what happens when anxious thoughts take hold.

Your thoughts start to venture toward the hypothetical:

What if I mess up my presentation?
What if the doctor says I have a serious problem?
What if I get a flat tire on the way to the store?

Grounding directs your attention in the opposite direction: Instead of focusing on the what ifs of the future, you deliberately notice what’s actually happening right now.

“Grounding is a common practice used in therapy to help interrupt anxious thought patterns and distract us from emotional pain,” Dr. Young explains. “It can help to focus on something other than difficult emotions so you can work through them from a place of calm.”

The scientific evidence specifically studying individual grounding exercises like the 3-3-3 rule is limited. But these techniques are widely used in clinical practice, particularly in psychology, Dr. Young notes.

And one advantage of the 3-3-3 rule is how easy it is to do. You can try it while you’re:

Sitting in a stressful meeting
Riding the bus
Feeling overwhelmed after a hectic day
Lying in bed trying to fall back to sleep

Like other stress management techniques, grounding may also become more useful with practice.

“The more you do this on a consistent basis, the more likely it is to help when you need it,” Dr. Young says.

And when you do feel yourself becoming overstimulated or in the midst of spiraling thoughts, try grounding early.

“The sooner, the better,” she advises. “It’s easier to calm yourself when you’re coming down from a 10 than when you’re coming down from 100.”

When to seek help for anxiety

3-3-3 grounding may be a helpful addition to your mental health toolbox. But it’s just that — one tool.

Seek help if you’re experiencing anxiety that is:

Persistent
Becoming difficult to manage
Affecting your work, relationships and daily activities

It may be that you’re dealing with an anxiety disorder, and grounding techniques alone may not be enough.

Talk with a healthcare provider or mental health professional. They can help you understand what’s behind your anxiety and recommend treatment and coping strategies, like therapy or medication, that fit your needs.