Stress Management: 5-4-3-2-1

Returning to school can be a scary and even overwhelming thing, if you are not sure how to handle the changes and routine. This summer I learned a valuable grounding technique. It has helped me to ground myself many times in new and intimidating or even overwhelming circumstances since learning it. It is the grounding technique of 5-4-3-2-1.

When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, you can practice grounding yourself/lowering your stress level by following these steps:

5- See. What are 5 things you see. Look around the room and name in your mind five things you see. They can be five yellow things, for example. Or even just five things in general!

4- Feel. What are 4 things you can feel. Think about things that you can feel- are there different textures: your shoes on your feet- how do they feel, your hands- what are they touching, what is that texture, etc.

3- Hear. What are 3 things you can hear. Think about three different things that you can hear. Sometimes you have to dig deep for this one- but is there something nearby or far away that you can hear?

2- Smell. What are 2 things you can smell. Can you smell someone’s perfume? Is there a flower nearby? Think of different things you can smell.

1- I am at one with myself…. Say in your mind, “I am at one with myself.” It can really bring you back to reality and in the now! By this point, all of your stress is probably gone!!!

It is easy to let ourselves spin out of control, or to just give up. It takes more work to ground yourself and to push forward through the difficult times. Honestly, doing these grounding techniques can help in little or even big situations- from a presentation to class or a speech in front of a whole crowd!

Eckhart Tolle in “The Power of Now,” talks about the importance of being present and in the now. He spoke of grounding techniques similar to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Tolle said, “When you are full of problems, there is no room for anything new to enter, no room for a solution. So whenever you can, make some room, create some space, so that you find the life underneath your life situation.

Use your senses fully. Be where you are. Look around. Just look, don’t interpret. See the light, shapes, colors, textures. Be aware of the silent presence of each thing. Be aware of the space that allows everything to be. Listen to the sounds; don’t judge them, Listen to the silence underneath the sounds. Touch something- anything- and feel and acknowledge its Being. Observe the rhythm of your breathing; feel the air flowing in and out, feel the life energy inside your body. Allow everything to be, within and without….move deeply into the Now.” (p. 63)

Using these techniques can take you out of panic or stress mode, and more able to focus and work through the stress. It is normal to have some anxieties and stress going into a new semester, but remember that we are in control of how we feel and we can often times minimize the difficulties by focusing on the now!

Tolle, Eckhart (1999).  The Power of Now. Vancouver: Namaste Publishing.