The “5-4-3-2-1” tool is a simple grounding technique for regaining control of your mind when anxiety or panic attacks take over . This excercise helps bring us back to the present by relying on our five senses – sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. If you are outdoors, the most important step is to make sure you are safe and also not driving. Please do not attempt this technique while driving.
- The first step is to look around you and name five things that you can see. If you are indoors, look out for a plant, a table or chair, a painting or water bottle, if you are outside in the park, look at a tree, a bench, or the grass. Think about how that thing looks to you or what is it that you like or don’t like about it.
- The second step is to focus on four things that you can feel. Suppose you are indoors, and you feel your body temperature changing or if in a park and you notice how the wind is blowing through your hair or how the sun feels on your skin. It can be helpful to say these things out loud, such as ‘I can feel the chair I am sitting on”.
- The third step is to name three things that you can hear around you. For example, you may become aware of music playing in the background, the noise of traffic or dogs barking in the park.
- The fourth step is to notice two things that you can smell around you right now. For example, you may notice the smell of coffee if you are indoors or the smell of grass if at the park. If you can’t smell anything around you, then it can be helpful to name a couple of smells that you like such as a favorite flower, freshly baked cookies, or a perfume.
- The fifth step is to focus on one thing that you can taste. It could be a sip of water you had before or a beverage. If you can’t taste anything, then choose to name a taste that you like. It could be your favorite pasta dish, a curry, or an ice cream.
The Mayo Clinic Health System also suggests trying out the exercise to minimise the feelings of anxiety – as the exercise can “shift your focus to your surroundings in the present moment and away from what is causing you to feel anxious. It can help interrupt unhealthy thought patterns.”