“Here comes that dreadful feeling again,” I think as I wait in line for coffee in a café full of college students. It’s a sense which makes one feel anxious and your heart starts beating rapidly. “I’m just ordering coffee.” I repeatedly tell myself this over and over, but I can’t seem to stop panicking. This fear happens when being mangled in large crowds, preparing a presentation with a room full of people, or sometimes out of nowhere!
Anxiety really is a scary thing. There are times when I felt I was sinking and where I had this overwhelming wave of nervousness. I’d think to myself, “this will be my life forever.” Well, would you believe me if I were to share with you a technique that could help you stay concentrated and ease your stress?
Let’s see if this grounding technique works for you; it’s called the ‘5-4-3-2-1’.
This technique takes no longer than five minutes and can be practiced anywhere. Yes, anywhere! You can practice in your bedroom, classroom, or outside! All you need is your inner thoughts and senses. The overall purpose of this technique is to reduce your anxiety and ground yourself in your presence which allows you to stay concentrated in your surroundings.
- Let’s start with step one: control your breathing by inhaling and exhaling slowly for one minute. Next, acknowledge five things you can see. This can range from seeing your pen across from you, people chatting in the distance, or looking at your hands. It doesn’t have to be a specific item, it can be color, shape, or texture. As long as you name five things around you, you’re off to a great start.
- Now that you named five things you can see, it’s time to find four items you can touch. These items can vary as well and don’t have to be complicated. Touch your hands, bump your knee on a table, or hold your sweater. If you can’t find anything to touch, try to name four things in your head that you could touch without actually doing it. Once you’re done touching your objects, try to find three things you can hear in your surroundings. Laughs, shoe steps, flipped pages, nail tapping, or white noise are great examples. You hear it, you name it! If you’re in a quiet setting, think of sounds you might hear, this way you don’t disturb those around you.
- You’re almost there: name two things that you smell. If there’s nothing to smell, try naming things that you could smell and imagine them in your head. For instance, if you see some plants and flowers from afar, try to think what they would smell like. Fresh? Aromatic? Let your brain do all the thinking.
- The last thing you have to do is name one thing you can taste. Drink your coffee, chew gum, or eat your snack. As long as you can taste something, you’re good to go. If you don’t have anything to taste, remember the things that you have tasted and try to picture them.
This technique may seem simple, but it’s a great way to practice mindfulness. Diverting your attention can make a big difference in how to feel in and around you. It may not completely vanish your anxiety for that moment, but it can help in refraining those anxious thoughts. Remind yourself that you are not alone and you can find techniques to help you remain focused. Try this out a couple of times – you may come to realize that it could help you on your road to progress!