Some moments hit like a storm. Bad news, a wave of grief, a flash of fear or a fight with someone you love can sweep you away. Your mind races to the past or the future, and you lose touch with where you are.

In acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), coming back to the here and now is called contact with the present moment. This lesson teaches one practical way to do it, called dropping anchor. It takes from under a minute to about ten minutes, and you can do it anywhere.

Key points

Being present means noticing what is happening inside you and around you right now, with curiosity rather than judgment.¹
Dropping anchor does not stop the storm. It holds you steady while the storm passes, so you can choose what to do next.
The practice has three parts: notice your thoughts and feelings, connect with your body, and pay attention to the world around you.
Programs built on these skills have been shown to ease distress, but dropping anchor on its own has had little direct testing.⁴ Promising
If you have thoughts of suicide, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.⁹

Why this step matters

Your mind is good at time travel. It replays old hurts and rehearses future problems. In a hard moment, that can pull you out of your own life.

ACT asks you to stay in steady, kind contact with what is happening now, both inside and outside your skin.¹ When you are present, you can see your choices more clearly. ACT lists mindful attention to the now as one of its core skills, next to acceptance, unhooking from thoughts and living by your values.²

Being present also links the other lessons. It lets you notice a thought hooking you (lesson 2), make room for a feeling (lesson 3) and pick an action that fits your values (lesson 1).

What "dropping anchor" means

Picture a boat in rough water. Dropping the anchor does not calm the sea. It keeps the boat from being swept onto the rocks until the weather changes.

Hard feelings work the same way. You cannot switch off grief or fear on command. But you can hold yourself steady and keep control of what your arms, legs and mouth do. This is not the same as relaxing or distracting yourself. Calm may come, but the main goal is to be here and able to act, even while the feelings are strong.

Dropping anchor, step by step

Try this first when you are only a little upset, so the skill is ready when a big storm comes. Go slowly. There is no wrong way to notice.

Notice what is showing up inside you. Silently name it in a kind, curious way. "I'm noticing sadness." "Here's a tight chest." "My mind is telling me I can't cope." You are not trying to push anything away.
Connect with your body. Press your feet into the floor. Slowly straighten your back. Press your hands together, or grip the arms of your chair. Breathe slowly if that feels good. Notice that you can still move your body, even with the storm inside.
Pay attention to the world around you. Look around and name five things you can see. Listen for three or four sounds. Notice what you can touch, smell or taste. Notice where you are and what you are doing.
Go around the loop again. Move back through steps 1 to 3 three or four times. Each round can be short. Let your attention widen so you notice both the feelings and the room at the same time.
Check in. Rate how present you feel, from 0 (lost in the storm) to 10 (fully here). The feelings may still be there, but you are more in touch with your body and surroundings.
Choose your next step. Ask yourself, "What matters right now? What is one small thing I can do?" It might be making a phone call, getting a glass of water or going back to the task in front of you.

Short and long versions. In a busy moment, one quick round of notice, push your feet down and look around may take under a minute. When you have more time, stay with the loop for 5 to 10 minutes. ACT trainer Russ Harris, who recorded the audio for a World Health Organization (WHO) stress course, offers free guided dropping anchor recordings from 40 seconds up to about 12 minutes.^4,5

What the research shows

The clearest evidence comes from programs that teach present-moment skills along with other ACT skills.

WHO stress programs. WHO's free illustrated guide, Doing What Matters in Times of Stress, teaches short self-help skills that take a few minutes a day. It comes in dozens of languages, some with audio.³ It is used in a five-session WHO group course called Self-Help Plus. WHO says the course has been shown to reduce distress and help prevent mental disorders.⁴
Older adults. A Dutch trial included 314 adults aged 55 to 75 with anxiety. An ACT program that taught noticing thoughts and feelings without judging them worked about as well as CBT. People were more satisfied with ACT.⁷
Mindfulness in general. Research is mixed. Pooled studies suggest it may help anxiety and depression about as much as some proven therapies, but many studies are of low quality.⁶

Dropping anchor by itself has not been studied much in trials, so we rate it promising. Promising For the evidence on full ACT, see the ACT overview.

Try it this week

Your practice for lesson 4

Once a day, drop anchor for 3 to 5 minutes when you are calm or only mildly upset.
At least once, use a short version in a real moment of stress, such as a hard phone call or a sleepless night.
Each time, jot down your 0 to 10 "how present" rating before and after.
Once a day, do one ordinary task with full attention, like drinking your morning coffee or eating a piece of fruit slowly.

For more ways to practice, see mindfulness in daily life, grounding, the body scan and box breathing.

Tips for later life, memory and caregivers

Make it fit your body. You can do every step sitting down, or even lying in bed. If a body part hurts, pick another one, like your hands or the back of your head against a pillow. Pain is real, and you never need to push into it. See chronic pain and mood.
Use the senses that work best for you. If your hearing or eyesight is weaker, lean more on touch: the texture of a blanket or the warmth of a cup.
Write a cue card. Large print works well: "Notice. Feet down. Look around." Keep it by your chair or bed.
For family caregivers, dropping anchor can help in the middle of a hard moment, such as when a loved one living with dementia is upset or confused. Thirty seconds of steadying can help you respond more calmly. See caregiver stress and caregiver burnout.

Common problems

The feelings did not go away.

That is normal. Dropping anchor is not a way to get rid of feelings. Being steady with the feelings still there is a success.

My mind keeps wandering off.

Minds wander. Each time you notice it has drifted and bring it back, you are practicing the skill.

Focusing on my body makes me more upset.

Some people with trauma, panic or pain find that inner body focus stirs things up. Keep your eyes open and spend more time on step 3, the world around you. Studies suggest that a small share of people, about 1 in 12, have a negative reaction to mindfulness, a rate similar to talking therapies.⁶ If it keeps happening, talk with a therapist. See panic attacks and coping with trauma symptoms.

When to get more help

Talk with a doctor or therapist if strong feelings get in the way of your daily life for more than a couple of weeks. Do the same if you have flashbacks, panic attacks or times when you feel cut off from your body. When you look for a therapist, ask about fees, insurance and sliding-scale costs.⁸ See finding a therapist.

If you have thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. It is free, confidential and open 24/7.⁹ Veterans can dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.¹⁰ Call 911 if you or someone else is in danger now. You can also make a safety plan or visit get help now.

Next lesson: ACT lesson 5: committed action. Or go back to lesson 3: making room for feelings or the ACT overview.

Sources

Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. The six core processes of ACT. ACBS, accessed October 2026. contextualscience.org
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. About ACT. ACBS, accessed October 2026. contextualscience.org
World Health Organization. Doing what matters in times of stress: an illustrated guide. WHO, 2020. WHO
World Health Organization. Self-Help Plus (SH+): a group-based stress management course for adults. WHO, accessed October 2026. WHO
Harris R. Free audio: dropping anchor recordings. ACT Mindfully, accessed October 2026. actmindfully.com.au
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Meditation and mindfulness: effectiveness and safety. NCCIH, 2022. NCCIH
Witlox M, et al. Blended acceptance and commitment therapy versus face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy for older adults with anxiety symptoms in primary care: pragmatic single-blind cluster randomized trial. J Med Internet Res, 2021. JMIR
National Institute of Mental Health. Psychotherapies. NIMH, accessed October 2026. NIMH
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Home page. 988lifeline.org, accessed October 2026. 988 Lifeline
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Crisis Line. VA, accessed October 2026. Veterans Crisis Line

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.