Feeling Anxious? Try the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

Stress and anxiety have become an integral part of our lives. Official deadlines, social responsibilities, relationships, the list is just endless.

When anxious, your heart starts racing. No matter how hard you try you just can’t get your focus together. You feel scattered as a person, don’t you? That’s stress and anxiety for you. We are certainly not here to glorify stress or anxiety but to fight it back. Grounding exercises like 5 4 3 2 1 are great for tackling anxiety.

In this post, we’ll tell how the 5-4-3-2-1 technique can help you remove anxiety.

How Does the 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique for Anxiety Work?

It’s time to see the 5-4-3-2-1 in action! Remember, for the effectiveness of this technique, we urge you to do things aloud. Not necessarily disturbing the people around, but ensuring that whatever it is you are doing can be felt or heard by you.

Before we understand what 54321 is, we urge you to save or bookmark this post for ready reference. This is what the 5-4-3-2-1 technique is and you can do it anywhere –

# 5 – Name 5 Things You See Around You

It’s time to put your eyes to work and see the immediate environment around you.

Look around you. Notice and name the 5 things you see. Your laptop, your work desk, the coffee mug, a photo frame, a piece of cloth, notice and name any 5 things. Once you have noticed these 5 things, delve deeper. Notice their color, texture, and form. This step alone will help eliminate stress. Once you have identified these 5 things, say them aloud to yourself.

You needn’t disturb the others around you but the voice should be loud enough that you can hear.

# 4 – Identify Any 4 Things You Can Touch

In this step, we’ll feel the texture, and the overall feel of the objects around us.

Identify any 4 things that are in your proximity and that you can touch. The aim here is to concentrate on the sense of touch. It could be the fabric of the T-shirt/ shirt you are wearing, the fur coat of your furry friend, the texture of your wooden desk, your smartphone case, or even your mouse pad.

Remember to tell these things to yourself. This is an important part of acknowledging the 4 things you can touch.

# 3 – Focus on 3 Things You Can Hear

It’s time to shift all your focus to what is it that you can hear now.

For this step, you need to close your eyes and focus on the three 3 things you can hear clearly. It could be the sound of the fan above you, the traffic outside your house, the chirping of birds, etc. It could also be something as simple as the wall clock ticking. Don’t forget the acknowledgment part.

# 2 – Name The 2 Things You Can Smell

“Smell the coffee” – A saying that sometimes can scare you. But, this time round, actually smell the refreshing aroma of your coffee.

Without any conscious thought, again close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose. What are those two smells that hit your nose? It could be the refreshing aroma of your coffee or the soothing fragrance of the perfume you are wearing.

# 1 – Acknowledge That 1 Thing You Can Taste

And, now that you have taken in the aroma, take in the first sip!

How about that tasty cheese sandwich you just had? Or, the taste of ginger tea that refreshed you to the core? Or, the lingering taste of the mouth freshener you had after you had the sandwich? Doesn’t matter what the item is, it’s just about focusing on the taste. Here’s a tip – Go ahead and taste something that you like or that soothes you and then focus on its taste.

How Can 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique Help You?

You might be wondering – When I am anxious, why should I use the 54321 method? What is in it for me? Will it soothe me? What if we said yes and we’ll back this “yes” up with reasons –

The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique shifts your focus from anxiety or stress-triggering thoughts to the present, and how! You have to identify and acknowledge 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. You basically, involve your senses to bring yourself to the present.

But, is it just about dealing with anxiety? Let’s have a look at some of the proven benefits of the 5-4-3-2-1 technique –

• Helps Manage Emotions In A Much Better Way
  First, the 54321 technique helps you manage emotions and deal with them calmly without getting flustered
• You Are Better Able to Focus on Things
  By regularly following the technique you will notice improvement in your focus.
• Reduction in Anxiety and Stress Triggering Episodes
  You will see a reduction in anxiety episodes, triggering thoughts, panic attacks, and the like.
• Better Sleep
  The 5-4-3-2-1 is often hailed by experts as one the best ways to get better sleep.

Now that you know that the 5 4 3 2 1 grounding exercise works, let’s understand what it is.

What After The 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique?

We hope that the 54321 technique will suffice and you’ll be able to cope with anxiety. If there is still some anxiety lingering on, here are some other grounding techniques to calm you down.

The Present is Beautiful

It’s just a matter of focusing on things you love and that calm you. In our opinion, grounding techniques like 54321 let you focus on things that take you away from negative emotions.

With that, we hope that the 5-4-3-2-1 technique will help you focus on the beautiful things around you. If you found value in this post, do share your experience in the comments section below.