5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Practice

Discover a short, simple and accessible way to soothe your nervous system when thoughts, feelings or emotions have become overwhelming. The "5-4-3-2-1" grounding technique uses the 5 senses to anchor you into the present moment. Repeat this practice as many times as you need to, and take your time. By tuning into our senses, we can calm our stress response and let our bodies know that at least in this present moment - we are safe.

Transcript

Welcome. Thanks for joining me today for a short grounding practice. Grounding basically means using techniques to help get us into our body, In the present moment. Grounding to this space and time, Kind of like an electrical current is grounded in a safe electrical socket. We can get grounded into our own bodies. Let's practice this together. We're going to use a common grounding technique called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, Using each of our senses. So take a moment now to get comfortable and settle into your space. Try and sit straight, But not too straight, Taking a breath and arriving in this moment as best as possible right now. Allow what has happened so far today to be put on pause for just the moment. It'll be here when you come back. Breathing and arriving in this moment. And now gently and mindfully start to look around your space and find five things that you can see. Say them out loud if you can or silently to yourself. For example, Saying I see my computer, I see the cup, I see a picture frame. Finding five things in your space and naming them out loud or to yourself. Really good. Now we're going to identify four things that we can feel and say them out loud or to ourselves. So I'm feeling the chair beneath me. I feel the feet in my shoes. Saying four things that you can feel. You can even reach out and touch a few things around you and notice how they feel, Their texture, And then name those four things that you can feel. Very nice. And now let's turn our attention to three sounds that we can hear. It could be the traffic outside, The sound of my voice, Saying things out loud or silently to yourself as you notice them. Focus on them as you name them. Three things that you can hear. Okay, You're doing really well. Take a breath now and turn your attention to two things that you can smell. Feel free to pick things up to smell them in your area. If you can, You can pick up a few things and smell them in your area. We're just finding two things we can smell and saying them out loud or to ourselves silently. If you can't smell anything right now, You can also name two of your favorite smells out loud or to yourself. Nice. Now notice one thing that you can taste. Maybe toothpaste or coffee and say what you taste right now out loud or to yourself. If you don't taste anything, You can even say, I don't taste anything out loud or to yourself. Excellent job. Now, Just taking a second here to breathe and notice how you feel. Perhaps you notice things in your space that you haven't noticed in a while. Perhaps this practice brought an awareness to how fast you've been moving today. Whatever it is, Just breathe and try to be aware. And when you're ready, You can turn your attention back to the rest of your day. Thanks for practicing with me.