You feel faint, lightheaded or floaty, as if you are not quite in your body. There are many possible reasons, and you cannot tell the reason from the feeling. These five tools are for the moment itself. The first one is to sit or lie down, and none of the others should be tried until you are safe. Do not assume this is stress.
1. Sit or lie down first
The NHS dizziness page (https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/dizziness/) says to lie down until the dizziness passes, then get up slowly, to move slowly and carefully, to rest and to drink plenty of fluids, especially water. It says not to bend down suddenly or get up suddenly after sitting or lying down, and not to do anything that could be dangerous while you are dizzy, such as driving, climbing a ladder or using heavy machinery. If you feel faint, the NHS fainting page (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fainting/) suggests lying down with your legs raised, or if you cannot, sitting with your head lowered between your knees, and drinking some water.
2. Feel what is holding you
Once you are sitting or lying, notice the surface under you: the chair, the floor, the bed. Grounding can be as simple as noticing where your body touches something. Keep your eyes open and keep it brief. If it makes the feeling stronger, stop.
3. Look at something ordinary
Let your eyes rest on an object in the room, and name it quietly: “table, cup, door.” Orienting to the room can help if you feel unreal or far away. If looking around makes you dizzier, rest your gaze on one still point or close your eyes while you are lying down.
4. Let your breath be ordinary
Do not do anything special with your breath. Forcing your breath is not part of this. If you want, just notice a few ordinary breaths, and skip it if it makes you anxious. Stop if you feel more dizzy.
5. Take your time getting up
When the feeling passes, sit for a bit, drink some water, and stand slowly. Ask someone to stay nearby if you can. Do not drive or do anything that could be dangerous until you are well again.
What the NHS says about when to get help
The dizziness page says to see a GP, meaning your doctor, if you are worried about your dizziness, or it will not go away or keeps coming back. It lists other reasons to see a doctor: finding it harder to hear or speak, ringing or other sounds in your ears, double vision, blurred vision or other changes in your eyesight, your face, arms or legs feeling numb or weak, and other symptoms such as changes to your pulse, fainting or collapsing, headaches, or feeling or being sick.
The fainting page says to see a GP if you have fainted. It says to call your local emergency number if someone is not breathing, cannot be woken up within 1 minute, has not fully recovered or has difficulty with speech or movement, has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat, has seriously hurt themselves before or after fainting, is shaking or jerking, fainted while exercising, or fainted while lying down. It says not to drive yourself to hospital, and that you must tell the driving licence authority if you are fainting regularly because it could affect your ability to drive. The NHS says not to drive if your doctor has referred you to a specialist and you are waiting to be assessed.
If numbness or weakness in your face, arm or leg, trouble speaking, or confusion comes on suddenly, call your local emergency number straight away. These can be signs of a stroke, and you should not wait to see whether they pass.
If you are with someone who faints
If someone has fainted and is not responding, not breathing normally, or not waking within a minute, call your local emergency number straight away and follow the instructions the operator gives you. Do not wait to see whether they come round first. For anything else, read the NHS fainting page (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fainting/), which sets out what to do and when to get help. This article does not list first aid steps.
When “floaty” is about feeling unreal
Feeling floaty can also mean feeling detached, unreal or far from your surroundings. This can have many causes, and it can be distressing. If it is new, keeps coming back or gets in the way of daily life, talk to a doctor or therapist. Do not assume it is anxiety. A clinician can look at the whole picture, including medicines and health conditions. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without medical advice.
Practical care
Regular meals, water, rest and slow movement are ordinary care. Skipping meals or being too hot can be linked with feeling faint, according to the NHS fainting page, which lists not eating or drinking enough and being too hot among the causes. If you are in a hot place, move somewhere cooler and sit down.
A short plan
If you know you feel faint in certain places, such as queues or crowded rooms, you could carry water, sit down early and tell someone you are with. Keep the plan simple. You do not need to put yourself through the situation to prove anything.
Related: a daily somatic routine.
