9-20-2020

5-4-3-2-1 or --Anxiety is something most of us have experienced at least once in our life. Public speaking, big games/competitions, work and family situations are just some of the issues that can cause even the calmest person to feel a little stressed. This five-step exercise can be very helpful during periods of anxiety or panic by helping to ground you in the present when your mind is bouncing around between various anxious thoughts.

Before starting this exercise, pay attention to your breathing. Slow, deep, long breaths can help you maintain a sense of calm or help you return to a calmer state. Once you find your breath, go through the following steps to help ground yourself:

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you SEE around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings.

4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can TOUCH around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet.

3: Acknowledge THREE things you HEAR. This could be any external sound. If you can hear your belly rumbling that counts! Focus on things you can hear outside of your body.

2: Acknowledge TWO things you can SMELL. Maybe you are in your bedroom or home office and smell pencil, or maybe you are in your kitchen and smell toast. If you need to take a brief walk to find a scent you could smell soap in the bathroom, or nature outside.

1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can TASTE. What does the inside of your mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or breakfast?

This technique is one of many options you could use if you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. If anxiety is something that you struggle with regularly, and you continue to have trouble refocusing or coping with these feelings, please talk to your family, a counselor, a mental health provider or your primary care physician.

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SHIFTING attention or emoton: You can utilize the 5 senses to also shift your attention, if you would like to shift your thinking and emotion about current circumstances and experiences, see this link: Using your 5 senses to calm yourself

Although you may be focusing on one sense at a time, usually many senses are being used simultaneously to create an experience. The point is that you are more aware of your perceptions. You become more aware of what you are spending your efforts paying attention to! Focus on becoming aware of positive elements. Your senses will then guide you more readily toward the positive and help you relax.