One of the most common grounding exercises is the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique. In the original process one would notice 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. For some, this alone works fine for bringing them into the present moment. For many others, the following simple tweaks can change this technique to an incredible way to ground the self and regulate an anxious or stress response.
Here are some suggested tweaks to make this technique more effective for you:
When noticing 5 things, rather than just randomly noting the first five objects you seek, there can be more purpose behind it. You can look for the colors of the rainbow, (though this will be more than five things), you can look for five things that are different shades of the same color, you can find five items with different shapes or five items with the same shape, The plan is having a more particular focus to truly engage your attention.
For 4 things you feel, there are also expanding choices you can make. You can tune into notice the faintest sensations you can experience. You can focus on relaxing sensations such as firmly holding your feet on the ground, feeling the cool air of an inhale, the warm air of the exhale, and noticing any parts free of tension. You can notice the most pleasing sensations of the moment, such as a pleasant breeze.
When identifying 3 things to hear, the practice I get the most positive feedback from is: starting by identifying the furthest sound you can hear. Meaning listening for something outside of the space you are in and as far away as possible, Examples may include a plane in the sky, traffic driving past, birds, or maybe even people in the distance. For the second sound, you are going to notice a sound in the room with you. This may be an air filter/fan, a clock ticking, or some other item making a sound. For the third sound you will listen for a sound coming from within you. This may be your breath, your heart beating, or maybe even your stomach growling. Starting far out and moving to close within you has both a grounding and calming effect.
When noticing 2 things to smell, you can make this purposeful and pleasurable. You can have a scented lotion or hand-sanitizer with a favorite or enjoyed scent. You can carry a small bottle of essential oil with you to smell. You can carry strong mints or gum and smell the minty scent – or fruity scent depending on the flavor. Some enjoy having fresh flowers at work or home to literally stop and smell the flowers. The point is you do not have to be at the mercy of the scent floating in your environment. You can be purposeful about the scent you choose, and it can help create the mood you are desiring, (that may be a whole different blog coming soon – which scents help with which moods).
With 1 thing you taste, as you may have guessed. You can again make this a purposeful experience. It may be carrying a water bottle to keep a cool drink to sip – or a thermal cup to sip hot tea. You may use the same mints or gum and now taste it rather than smell it. They do still make breath spray – that can be a taste and a sensation all in one. You can carry small candies (they can be sugar free if needed).
The idea is to take the frame of this exercise and truly make it your own. As with any coping activity, it is not to make all stress magically disappear, rather you should feel a couple notches lower on the stress meter – think from a stress level of 8 to a stress level of 6.5. You can decide if you want to add another coping exercise or if you are able to manage the moment effectively.
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