Anchor Out Of Anxiety (5-4-3-2-1)

This simple practice will guide you through using your senses to anchor into the present moment. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique originates from trauma therapy and is considered a grounding strategy. Being ‘grounded’ simply refers to the notion of being emotionally and mentally present in the here and now. Use this guided practice to return to present moment awareness, slow racing thoughts, shift out of flashbacks, minimize addictive cravings, ease ruminating, and lessen anxiety.

Transcript

Hi there, Welcome, My name is Susan Guttridge and today I invite you to follow along as I lead you through a grounding strategy that will call upon your five senses to anchor into the present moment. While I didn't invent this strategy, The outline I'll be sharing with you comes from my book Calm in the Storm, A collection of simple strategies you can use right now to shift out of anxiety. In this guided session, I will lead you through a grounding strategy that will call upon your five senses to anchor you back into the present moment. The name of this strategy is 5-4-3-2-1, A name that in itself includes the directions of what to do. I'll be leading you through anchoring into the present moment by connecting with your senses and the external environment around you. So often we can find ourselves stuck in the negative or catastrophizing trap of worry. We ruminate over fears of the future or find ourselves stuck in regrets of the past. Our cognitive brain knows that we cannot change the past and that when we worry about the future, All we do is end up robbing this moment of its strength, Yet we can feel stuck in those moments and unable to exit the loop. Returning to the present moment may be just what you need to enable your nervous system to settle. Once you shift out of that worry or fear loop, Your problem-solving brain can come back online and the negative loop is interrupted. Imagine if you can, For a moment, The beam of a flashlight. Now that beam is presently pointing inward at your internal processes. It's illuminating how you are presently feeling, Which, If you have pressed play on this during a moment of activation, It might be illuminating worry or anxiety. The flashlight beam pointing inward isn't helping by illuminating all of that. In fact, The more we focus on the worry and listen to what anxiety is telling us, Often the worse we feel. So, Imagine turning the flashlight beam away from yourself to point outward, To illuminate the room around you, Not to distract from or suppress or deny the existence of worry or anxiety, But instead as if to say, Hey, This is too much for me right now. I need a break to anchor back into this moment so that I can rally my strength, My ability, My problem-solving abilities, My support, So that when I do turn towards looking at worry again, I'll be doing it from a grounded, Emotionally regulated place. Allow your breath to slow and deepen, Keeping the flashlight beam focused on the room around you while you just notice your breath. Become aware of the sensation of air at your nostrils as you inhale in, And exhaling out your mouth, Notice the warmth of air on your lips. Breathing in through your nose, Exhaling out through your mouth. Now, Noticing that flashlight beam drawing your attention to the room around you, Let's use your visual sense to notice five things you see around you. For example, When I look around the room I'm in, I see, While my computer and microphone, My furry Aussie shepherd named Nella sleeping at my feet, A tiny yellow toy jeep on the shelf, A bird sitting in a tree outside my window, And the ridges of the floral design on the white curtains framing my window. Alright, It's your turn. Connecting fully with the room you are in, Using as much detail as you can, Look around and list five things you can see. Deep inhale in, Slow exhale out. Now, Connecting with the tactile sense, Your sense of touch, This one involves moving around the space you are in and touching four things, Noticing what you feel as you do so. For each item you touch, Pause and notice the details, Like temperature or texture. I can offer you a menu of options here. You could begin with what is closest to you, Perhaps a chair, A table or countertop, Or the floor beneath you. Maybe you want to touch something in the room that is comforting to you, A soft blanket, A favorite sweater, A picture frame with a photo of someone you care for, A pet. What season is it where you live? Can you open the door or window and notice the temperature against your skin, The warmth or coolness? Is there paper near you? Can you touch the smoothness of it or crumple it to feel the page fold and bend and crinkle within your grasp? Alright, It's your turn. Moving around the room you are in, Touch four things, Describing each one to yourself or out loud if it's soothing for you to do so, And notice what shifts for you as you anchor into this one moment. Deep inhale in and slow exhale out. Moving on now to our auditory sense, To notice three things you can hear. So, For example, As you listen closely, Are there any sounds of the building you are in? Perhaps a heating or cooling system, Water or electrical sounds? Are there any sounds you can hear coming from outside? A bird chirping or a car engine rumbling? If noticing with your auditory sense is challenging, Try creating a sound and noticing its quality. For example, Bring your hands together palm to palm and clap, Or snap your fingers. You could stomp your feet, Notice the sound. How is it different if you have bare feet compared to having shoes on? You could sing a few lines of a song or count to five out loud, Listening to your voice, Feeling the vibration in your throat as the words emerge from within you to be audible outside of you. Alright, Anchor into the room you are in, Just listening, And notice three things you can hear. Deep inhale in, And slow exhale out. Now directing your attention to your olfactory senses, That's your sense of smell. All you have to do here is breathe in through your nose, And notice what two smells you become aware of. I can offer you a menu of options if you are having difficulty noticing scents in the air. If you have long hair, You could bring a few locks of hair to your nose as you inhale in to notice what scent is there, Or you could raise one arm up and lower your head towards your armpit as you inhale in to notice what scent is there. If you have a pet and it's safe to do so, Draw your pet in close as you inhale in to notice what scent is there. Alright, Your turn, Take a moment now, Breathing in deeply through your nose, And notice two things you can smell. Deep inhale in, And slowly exhale out. Now directing your attention to one thing you can taste, This could be as simple as moving your tongue over your teeth and paying attention to what you taste there, Perhaps the flavor of the last thing you had to eat or drink, Or the lingering flavor of your toothpaste. If you have food nearby, You can actually take the action of tasting, Or even just touching your tongue to the top of your hand can sometimes reveal an interesting flavor. Alright, Notice one thing you can taste. Deep inhale in, And slow exhale out. We've arrived at the end of our practice, I hope it has offered some direction so that you can use 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 whenever you need it, Or listen to this as often as you need to because sometimes our best learning begins with guided practice. You'll notice, Rather quickly or over time, Each of us is unique in our learning, That once you've learned it, You can start applying it on your own without guidance. You might find that it just takes a few minutes to anchor back into the moment, To drop into your surroundings and out of those overpowering emotions. If this practice was useful for you, Let it become one of the tools in your tool belt, Your metaphorical toolbox containing all the ways you manage and work through and out of strong emotion. Use it to ground yourself, To pendulate out of overwhelm, Or to recenter when needed. Thank you for choosing this meditation.