Calm Overwhelm And Stress With The 5-4-3-2-1 Meditation

Engage your senses and connect with the present moment. Whenever we get overwhelmed it can feel like we're drowning and sometimes, taking a moment to be mindful can help. Through a systematic countdown, you'll explore your surroundings, fostering a heightened awareness of the sights, sounds, and sensations that surround you.

This meditation serves as a simple yet powerful tool to anchor your mind, promote mindfulness, and bring a sense of calm to your inner world. Allow the guided steps to lead you into a state of presence, providing a moment of relaxation and tranquility.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to your guided meditation.

I'm Maria and I will be guiding you through this meditation to bring awareness to each of the five senses.

When you're in the throes of an overwhelming emotion it can hook you in completely and mindfulness can help you notice when this happens.

When you do notice you're feeling overwhelmed you can use this exercise.

It's called the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise to bring yourself back to the here and now.

It takes just a few minutes and extends an invitation to be present.

So to begin leaving your eyes open scan your surroundings and notice five things you can see.

You can say them out loud or note them silently in your head.

With each of the five sights pause to take them in completely.

Next notice four things you can feel in your body.

Again you can either note them out loud or note them quietly in your head.

Rest your attention with each sensation for a mindful breath or two.

Now name three things you can hear.

Try to choose three different sounds not the same noise three times.

Take in each sound with curiosity.

Next note two things you can smell.

If you cannot smell two things in this moment feel free to move somewhere to smell something more closely or simply notice whatever you notice even if that's an absence of smell.

And finally note one thing that you can taste.

It may be the leftover taste of a meal,

Of toothpaste,

Or just the way your breath tastes.

If you are not aware of any taste in particular just note that as well.

There's no right or wrong to this exercise.

Welcome back.

Remember that you can come back to this practice whenever you need to quiet or calm your mind.

Your senses are here to ground you in the present moment.

Allow this grounding sensation to stay with you as you ease back into the present moment.