Dealing With Anxious Thoughts – A Grounding Technique A simple exercise to deal with anxious thoughts is called a grounding technique.
Grounding techniques can help bring us back to the present moment and provide a sense of stability when anxiety starts to take over.
Here's a simple grounding exercise to deal with anxious thoughts called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
5.
Acknowledge five things you can see around you.
It could be a pen,
A plant,
A painting or anything else.
4.
Notice four things you can touch.
It might be the texture of your clothing,
The feeling of a chair,
Your fingertips or the sensation of the ground beneath your feet.
3.
Pay attention to three things you can hear.
This could be the hum of a computer,
Birds chirping,
Distant traffic sounds or the sound of someone talking.
2.
Identify two things you can smell.
If you don't have a specific sense around,
You can focus on your own breath or go to a different location.
And 1.
Finally,
Taste one thing.
It could be a sip of water,
A piece of gum or any small edible item.
When you do this exercise,
Try to describe these things to yourself in as much detail as possible.
For example,
Instead of just saying,
I see a window,
You could say,
I see a brown window with a red grill and flowing curtains on it.
Remember,
The goal is to bring your attention to the present moment and away from anxious thoughts.
And this exercise can be done anywhere and at any time,
Making it a versatile tool for managing anxiety.
To summarize,
It's the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
First acknowledge 5 things you can see.
Next notice 4 things you can touch.
Next pay attention to 3 things you can hear.
Next identify 2 things you can smell.
And finally,
Taste one thing.
Namaste.
