Five Finger Relaxation Technique

My version of the Five Finger Relaxation technique, which I learned from the field of Psychology-Informed Mindfulness and is proven to reduce stress and bring about feelings of deep well-being. It's a brilliant little practice because once you have learned it, all it takes is a few minutes and the fingers of one hand. It can be done anywhere, and whenever you need a boost. The practice involves touching each finger to your thumb as you bring to mind a specific memory and feeling. Give it a go!

Transcript

This is a practice for reducing anxiety and it's very powerful. It doesn't take long to do and you can use it perhaps when you've been triggered, It's normal to be triggered, Or when you feel there's excess stress in your body and you just want to come back into yourself, Your home base and feeling at home and safe in your being. Once you've learned this practice you can do it at any time you need, It's very simple, As well as being very powerful and it's just using your hands so just make sure that your hands are available to use. So to begin with just finding a comfortable position to be in that feels like home to you, Home for your body. And then your eyes may be open or closed, It's up to you what feels good for you right now, But we're going to access some beautiful internal resources that we have, Good feelings. So your eyes might want to close or keep a very soft gaze and as you begin to drop into your body again, Welcome your experience, You're a human being having a human experience, Just remind yourself of that, Whatever's coming up for you right now. Find a nice landing place perhaps to feel your breathing, That could be somewhere in your body that's really enjoying the feeling of breathing in and breathing out and maybe that's your belly, Down in your lower belly and that as you breathe in there's a relaxing that allows space to come there, Your belly expands and as you exhale there's a release where everything settles for a moment and then the next breath comes, Steady easy breath, Nothing to try here and the next breath out. If that feels comfortable for you and to just introduce a little more comfort into your body now, Whatever your thoughts have been telling you, Let me remind you, You haven't done anything wrong, Everybody has stress in their bodies at times, We're meant to and we can reduce our stress in our bodies in quite simple ways and that's what we're going to do now. You're not damaged, You are good, You are important, You are worthy, Every feeling you have is about your caring in the world, Is about life touching you and you touching life and that's what we're here to do. So thinking about your hands, Where are your hands? And take one of your hands and rest it so it's really comfy, We're just going to work with that hand and it's just simple touching of thumb to fingers. So inhale and as you exhale touch your thumb to your index finger and as you do so can you remember a time when your body felt a really healthy kind of tiredness, Like when you sink into the sofa at the end of a busy day or you've been hiking, Maybe you've been playing a sport, Maybe you've been doing some chopping of wood or some exhilarating activity and you've used up all that energy and now your muscles are heavy with fatigue. Breathe deeply now as you touch your thumb to your index finger and try to remember that feeling of heaviness in your muscles and feel the heaviness in your muscles now as you have that memory of having done something active. And next touch your thumb to your middle finger and think of a time when you had a really loving experience, You felt a really deep beautiful sense of connection or closeness with another being, It could be an animal, It could be a person, It could even be in nature. You felt at home and you felt this is loving and connecting. Maybe it was a hug, A really good hug you've had, Maybe it was a great conversation. Touching your thumb to your middle finger, Feeling that again and what that feels like in your body, That much love. And now touch your thumb to your ring finger and can you remember a really lovely compliment you've received, Maybe recently or maybe in the past, Maybe someone wrote you a note or an email. Noticing something and expressing to you, Reflecting to you about you that's special or maybe it was someone in conversation complimenting you. Really listen to that compliment again, Really take it in, Open yourself to receiving it because when we really accept and receive a compliment we're actually showing respect and regard for the other person, That we believe what they say is meaningful and valuable. So knowing that what they say is meaningful and valuable as you breathe with yourself, With your thumb touched your ring finger, Listen and feel that again. And then finally touch your thumb to your little finger and as you do so can you think of one of the most beautiful places you've ever been. What is a beautiful space to you? Where you feel free, Happy, Yourself, Maybe there's some magic, Enchanted feelings in that space. Can you bring to mind what's in there again in that space, Maybe there's ocean or some kind of body of water, Maybe you're in a quiet forest or up high on a mountain. It could be just in a cozy bookshop or coffee shop you love, It could be a garden, Your own garden. Imagine you're there now, What are the sights, What are you seeing, What sounds are there, Is there a particular light or colours, How does the air feel on your skin, Is there a smell to the air, A scent, How are your senses receiving all that's in this beauty, This specialness. Allow yourself to be in this place for some moments and just dwell there for a while again. And now gently bring yourself back to where you are and you may want to wriggle a little bit or feel your body shake out those hands a little. You may find your hands want to go to a part of your body that feels soothing to you or stabilising and sense into your body now what it's feeling. Are you noticing any shifts, Even little ones. And remind yourself that you can awaken this experience anytime throughout your day by touching each finger and saying healthy fatigue, Loving experience, Nicest compliment, Beautiful place. Let's do that one more time. So finger to thumb, Healthy fatigue, Take a breath, Feel your body relaxing. Thumb to middle finger, Loving experience, That sense of closeness and connection, Take a breath. Thumb to ring finger, Nicest compliment you've ever received or a compliment recently that was wonderful, Take a breath. And finally touch your thumb to your little finger and be back in that beautiful place. Take a breath and come back. These are all parts of you and you can just bring them more alive inside of you and touching your fingers gives you a way of embodying that and a healthy reminder. I hope you find this practice useful in the future and please remember again you have a right to feel everything you feel and you also have that power to care for yourself and look after yourself and feel better and that's a wonderful thing.

Reviews

This practice came just at the right time. My husband was having a panic episode, it helped to ground and calm myself and in turn I was able to help calm him down. One to keep returning to. Wonderful thank you 🙏❤️

Such a beautiful practice and one I am bookmarking for trickier moments. Thank you Ali.