If It All Feels Too Much

Three simple ways to bring yourself back if you feel overwhelmed at a protest.

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Dear friends

Even the most prepared among us can find the atmosphere at a protest overwhelming. Sound, movement, police presence, heat, and crowd energy can all combine into a kind of sensory overload that can make it hard to think clearly. When that happens, you need a way to steady your body before your mind can follow. These grounding techniques do exactly that. They use what’s readily available — breath, movement, and awareness — to bring you back to the present moment.

If you can, step a little away from the crowd. Find a spot with some space — near a wall, a tree, or a quiet corner. If you can’t move far, simply turn your body slightly so you can see open space or sky. Take a moment to check your footing, loosen your shoulders, and breathe. You don’t need to disappear from the action, just give yourself a little room to reset before re-engaging.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

This method works because it pulls your attention away from racing thoughts and back to what your senses can actually perceive. When you focus on what’s in front of you — what you can see, feel, hear, smell, and taste — you engage the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and calm decision-making. This helps interrupt the spiral of panic or overwhelm and signals to your nervous system that you are safe enough to notice your surroundings.

To use it, start by pausing where you are. Let your feet find the ground. Take a few slow, deep, deliberate breaths. Then quietly name what your senses are registering. If possible, say what you notice aloud — not just as a list of things, but with a little description. I find that it’s taking time for the description that steadies my mind. Instead of wall, pavement, crowd, you might say, a wall with chipped paint and an old sticker, or a woman in a red jacket adjusting her bag. Speaking the words engages more of your senses at once — your eyes, mouth, and ears — and that combination helps anchor you faster. But you don’t need to say it aloud if that draws attention — just notice, and name it silently.

• Five things you can see. Look around and pick out five separate details: colours, textures, light, movement. They don’t have to be remarkable — the curve of a kerb, the edge of a sign, a patch of grass.

• Four things you can feel. Notice the physical contact points of your body: the weight of your bag, your feet against the ground, air on your skin, fabric against your arms.

• Three things you can hear. Tune your ears outward and separate the layers of sound — voices, wind, traffic. Acknowledge each one.

• Two things you can smell. You may need to breathe in slowly to notice them — exhaust, rain on concrete, food from a stall. If nothing stands out, note that too.

• One thing you can taste. Maybe it’s the trace of water, coffee, or the air itself. Naming it completes the circuit of sensory attention.

By the time you reach the final step, your breathing will often have slowed without effort. You will have moved from mental noise to physical awareness — from being swept up in the moment to standing inside it.

The Butterfly Technique

If you’re still feeling unsettled, you can add a second layer of grounding. This method comes from a trauma-therapy practice called EMDR, which uses alternating stimulation to engage both sides of the brain. It helps bring the body back into balance when the stress response is activated.

Cross your arms so each hand rests on your chest, just below the opposite shoulder. Begin to tap gently — left, right, left, right — in a slow rhythm, like a steady heartbeat. You can do this discreetly under a jacket or scarf. Keep breathing as you tap. Some people find it helps to pair the movement with quiet words such as “I’m here” or “I’m safe.” Continue for about thirty seconds or until your breathing feels easier and the tension begins to soften.

You can return to either of these techniques at any time. They don’t require privacy, equipment, or stillness — just your attention. The act of noticing, breathing, and gently moving is what brings you back from the edge of overwhelm.

If we practise these techniques beforehand, they start to become second nature. The sequence is easy to recall: five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste — then cross your arms, breathe, and tap. But even with practice, it’s possible you might forget the exact steps in the moment. That’s all right. It happens to me too. When that happens, I fall back on something simple and familiar — touch.

Self-hug

One natural and intuitive thing I find helpful is to bring my arms around myself in a light self-hug. I let one hand rest on each upper arm or shoulder and rub gently, the way I might if I were comforting a friend. I breathe slowly and deeply as I do it. There’s no right pace, just whatever feels soothing in the moment.

As I breathe, I notice the warmth and movement of my hands against my arms. That simple physical contact brings a quiet sense of care, comfort and connection, and tells my body that I’m still here, still safe enough to slow down. I stay with that feeling until my breath evens out and my thoughts begin to return to the present.

And if you’re with someone you trust, a simple hug works in the same way. If it feels right for both of you, hold each other for a few breaths — no words needed, just the shared weight and warmth of contact. Human touch is one of the fastest ways to calm the nervous system. The pressure of a steady embrace can slow your heart, release tension, and remind you both that you’re not alone in this.

Whatever you choose, stay with it for as long as it helps. You’re simply reminding your body that the moment you’re in is survivable — that you’re safe enough to breathe again.

Grounding, in the end, is a form of presence — a way of coming back to yourself so you can stay clear, connected, and kind in the middle of intensity. The more you practise it, the more it becomes part of how you move through the world: aware of what’s happening around you, but rooted enough to respond with care instead of reaction.

In solidarity, as ever

— Lori

© Lori Corbet Mann, 2025

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📌I’m sharing something each day this week to support you at Saturday’s No Kings protest. I can’t be alongside you in person, but I plan to be here to help you stay steady and grounded as you step into that space.

What You’ll Find Here This Week

• Tomorrow:
  During a protest, with so much happening around you, it can be easy to lose sight of why you’re there. This piece will help you connect with what matters to you and stay anchored as you move through the day.

• Sunday:
  Protests can stir both hope and grief. This post-protest landing plan will help your body process the adrenaline and metabolise the intensity of the day before.

If you’d like to stay connected as these pieces go out over the week, you’re very welcome to subscribe.

And if you think these posts might help others prepare, please share them — these posts on staying safe during collective action are free for everyone to read and share.