The 333 Rule: Benefits & How to Use It

What Is the 333 Rule for Anxiety?

The 333 rule is a powerful grounding technique for anxiety designed to help individuals reduce intense anxiety symptoms. This technique involves identifying three objects you can see, three sounds you can hear, and three parts of your body you can move. By redirecting your attention to your physical environment, the 333 rule helps shift your focus away from anxious thoughts and panic, providing a practical method to calm an anxiety attack.

To use the 333 rule for anxiety, do the following:

Step 1: Focus on 3 Things You Can See

Focusing on things that you can see helps you become visually aware of your surroundings. You can notice big objects, such as a tree or a chair, or you can look for smaller, more discreet objects, such as a pencil or a penny. The idea isn’t necessarily to have objects in mind that you want to see but rather to focus on the world around you. This helps you deal with your anxiety by removing you from the mental chatter causing you stress.

Step 2: Focus on 3 Things You Can Hear

Pinpointing sounds is another great way to help you deal with anxiety. Diverting your attention to your environment can help you transition from inward thinking to one in which you’re cognizant of your surroundings instead. However, depending on your location, you may have a hard time isolating sounds. Some things to listen for include a clock ticking, clacking of keys on a keyboard, or someone sniffling. If you are somewhere outdoors, you may notice leaves rustling in the wind, cars passing by, or dogs barking.

Step 3: Focus on 3 Things You Can Touch/Move

Lastly, find three things that you can touch or move. These can be within your reach or even parts of your body. Identifying tangible items is one of the fastest ways to ground yourself when you’re feeling anxious. Teaching yourself to focus on the physical environment helps you feel anchored and reminds you to be present.

Examples of Using the 333 Rule for Anxiety

During a Panic Attack While Driving

Some people become very anxious when driving, especially if lost or in an unfamiliar place. In such cases, using the 333 rule helps you better focus on the road ahead and calm your senses. This can be a crucial exercise to adopt because it allows you to remain cognizant of your vehicle. However, if you are experiencing a panic attack while driving, you should pull over to the nearest shoulder for safety. Continue to practice grounding techniques such as the 333 rule until you feel calm again.

When Meeting New People

Those who suffer from social anxiety often feel overwhelmed when meeting new people. Using the 333 rule helps you focus on outside forces separate from the conversation you are having or anticipating. You may want to use the 333 rule in a practical way such as looking for a familiar face, the nearest bathroom, or the nearest exit. Touch items such as a napkin, drink, or small item in your pocket.

While Giving a Presentation

Whether academic or work-related, presentations can feel overwhelming, no matter how many times you practice. Anxiety has a way of convincing you that you will inevitably mess something up. Use the 333 rule to feel grounded before giving your presentation. Take your time to notice where the clock is and observe the room’s layout. Focus on the feel of paper or the remote in your hands. Notice the sound of your heartbeat and focus on slowing your breath.

Other Coping Strategies for Anxiety

While the 333 rule is an excellent tool for managing anxiety at the moment, it’s important to have a variety of exercises for reducing anxiety at your disposal. Having multiple coping skills allows you to address anxiety from different angles. Remember, it’s important to experiment with different methods to discover what works best for you and to practice these techniques regularly—not just when you’re feeling anxious—to build resilience and enhance their effectiveness.

Here are some additional coping strategies for anxiety that can complement the 333 rule:

1. Sensory Techniques

• 54321 method: To practice the 54321 method, start by noticing five things you can see around you, then four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and finally, one thing you can taste. By engaging your senses in this way, you direct your focus away from anxiety and back to the present moment, creating a calming effect.
• Feet on the ground: Sit or stand and focus on the sensation of your feet making contact with the floor. Feel the support of the ground beneath you, noticing the pressure, temperature, and texture. This feet on the ground exercise offers a sense of stability when anxiety starts to take over.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: To practice progressive muscle relaxation, start by tensing a specific muscle group, like your shoulders, for a few seconds, then slowly release the tension while focusing on the difference between the two sensations. Move through your body, muscle group by muscle group, to release built-up tension.¹
• Sit Bones: Focus on how your sit bones connect with your chair or the ground beneath you. Feel the stability and support they provide, anchoring you in the present moment.²

2. Mindfulness Techniques

• Body scan: To practice a body scan, find a comfortable position and gently close your eyes. Start by focusing on your breath, then slowly bring your attention to different parts of your body, from your toes to the top of your head. Notice any tension or discomfort, and simply observe without judgment, allowing yourself to fully experience each sensation as a way to connect with and calm your body.
• Box breathing: Box breathing starts by inhaling deeply through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for another count of four, then exhale slowly through your mouth for four seconds. Finally, pause for four seconds before taking your next breath.
• 4-7-8 breathing: For 4-7-8 breathing, start by inhaling quietly through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven, and then exhale completely through your mouth for a count of eight.
• Guided imagery meditation: In using guided imagery meditation for anxiety, close your eyes and imagine a peaceful place, like a serene beach or a quiet forest. Engage all your senses. For example, hear the waves, feel the warmth of the sun, and smell the fresh air.

3. Other Grounding Techniques

• Movement: When panicking, movement can be a tool to help calm your nervous system. Bilateral movements, like tracing figure 8s with your sit bones or doing a butterfly hug (crossing your arms and tapping your shoulders alternately), can create a soothing rhythm that helps regulate your body and mind. Gentle stretching or a slow walk can also ease tension and bring you back to a state of balance.
• TIPP: TIPP is a set of skills from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) designed to help you quickly manage intense emotions. TIPP stands for Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, and Progressive muscle relaxation. To practice TIPP, you can try cooling your body temperature with a cold shower or ice pack, engage in a burst of intense exercise like jumping jacks, slow your breathing with paced breathing techniques, or use progressive muscle relaxation to release tension throughout your body.¹
• Drawing or coloring: Drawing or coloring can be a great way to soothe anxiety because it helps shift your focus away from racing thoughts and onto something creative. The repetitive motion and concentration involved in these activities can help ground you in the present moment, making it easier to relax. Plus, it’s a simple, accessible way to express emotions that might be hard to put into words.
• Counting backwards: Slowly count backwards from 100 in increments of seven (100, 93, 86, etc.). This requires concentration and can distract your mind from anxiety.

Free Anxiety Worksheets

This collection of eight worksheets provides practical tools and strategies for managing anxiety symptoms. Find the one you need, or download all of them here.

Complete Workbook Download

Nervous System Regulation Download

Identifying Your Triggers Download

Challenging Your Thoughts Download

Practicing Self-Care Download

Overcoming Your Fears Download

Setting SMART Goals Download

Practicing Gratitude Download

PLEASE Take Care of Yourself Download

What Else Is Needed to Reduce Anxiety?

While the 333 rule may help you ease and manage your anxiety, you may still find yourself in need of professional help. There are plenty of treatment methods for anxiety. , such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication for more long-term relief. Additionally, lifestyle changes like incorporating more exercise, reducing caffeine, and journaling can play a crucial role in a comprehensive treatment plan.

Lifestyle Changes

• Exercise for 30-60 minutes daily: Whether it’s a walk, yoga, or a full-on workout, regular exercise helps release endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. Exercise also provides a healthy outlet for stress, helping reduce tension.
• Eat, sleep, and hydrate properly: When your body is well-nourished and rested, it’s better equipped to handle stress and keep anxiety in check. Eating well, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated give your body the fuel it needs to stay balanced and calm.
• Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake: Caffeine and alcohol can mess with your sleep and ramp up feelings of nervousness, making it harder to stay regulated. Cutting back on both can make a big difference in managing anxiety.
• Challenging cognitive distortions: Challenging cognitive distortions is important for managing overall anxiety levels because your thoughts directly influence how you feel and react. By gently questioning distorted thoughts and reconnecting with your body’s signals, you can shift out of automatic negative patterns and find a more balanced perspective.
• Laugh more: Laughing more is a natural and effective way to reduce anxiety because it triggers the release of endorphins and relaxes tension in the body. It also shifts your focus away from worries, creating a mental break that can make stress feel more manageable. Plus, laughter is contagious, and sharing a laugh with others strengthens social bonds and can remind you that you’re not alone.
• Develop mantras and affirmations: Developing mantras and positive affirmations helps manage anxiety by creating a mental anchor that can ground you during stressful moments. Repeating a calming phrase like “I am safe” can redirect your mind from anxious thoughts to a more centered, empowering mindset. Use these affirmations regularly, especially when you start feeling overwhelmed.
• Let your emotions out: Bottling up your emotions can intensify stress and anxiety. Letting your emotions out can look like crying when you need to, venting to a trusted friend, or even journaling your feelings. Expressing emotions helps release built-up tension and can make you feel lighter and more in control.
• Journal for 5-10 minutes daily: Journaling gives you space to unload your thoughts and emotions. Putting your worries on paper using journal prompts for anxiety can help you process them more clearly and reduce their intensity. Journaling is a great way to track patterns and anxiety triggers over time, helping you gain insights into what drives your anxiety.

Therapy

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT treats anxiety under the belief that by changing how you think, you can change how to feel and respond to anxiety-provoking situations. Through CBT, you identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns that fuel your anxiety, reshaping those thoughts to be more balanced and realistic.³
• Exposure therapy: Exposure therapy treats anxiety by gradually and systematically exposing you to feared situations, thoughts, or sensations in a controlled and safe environment. This process helps reduce the fear response over time, allowing you to confront and manage your anxiety along the way.³
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): ACT treats anxiety by helping you accept what’s out of your control and commit to actions that align with your values. Instead of battling anxious thoughts, ACT encourages you to notice them, let them be, and focus on living a meaningful life despite them.⁴
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT treats anxiety by teaching practical skills like mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. These tools help you stay grounded in the present, manage overall emotions, and respond to stress in healthier ways.¹

Medication

• Antidepressants: Antidepressants can be used to help reduce the intensity of anxiety symptoms by balancing chemicals in the brain that affect mood and stress levels.³
• Anti-anxiety medications: Anti-anxiety medications are often prescribed to provide quick relief from intense anxiety symptoms. They help you feel more in control during high-stress situations. While fast-acting, there is a potential for dependence and withdrawal with these medications, including benzodiazepines.³
• Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers for anxiety are sometimes used to manage physical symptoms, like a racing heart or trembling. They work by blocking the effects of adrenaline, helping you stay calm in anxiety-producing situations.³

When to Seek Professional Support

Anxiety, when left untreated, can become debilitating and interfere with daily functioning. A therapist can help you learn your unique anxiety triggers and coping skills for anxiety to manage your symptoms. You can find a therapist using a local therapist directory. Alternatively, an online therapy service can match you with a therapist specializing in anxiety. Online-Therapy.com is a service tailor-made for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is especially effective at combating anxiety.

Medication may be necessary when the symptoms you experience feel uncontrollable and unmanageable. There are many online psychiatry services that can connect you with a qualified psychiatrist. You can explore with them about whether medication will be a beneficial addition to your treatment plan.