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Quick Calm Technique - 5 4 3 2 1

5/21/2023

Quick Calm Exercise: 5 4 3 2 1

This quick and easy practice will bring you back into the present moment, help you let go of worries, and get back to doing whatever you want to be doing. It need not take more than a couple of minutes.

Scenario: You notice that you are experiencing any of the following: racing thoughts, overthinking, feeling distracted, unfocused, worried, anxious, or fearful.

Acknowledge and accept: Take a moment to notice what’s happening with yourself and try to accept that you are feeling this way with a non-judgmental attitude. It is what it is, you are a human being with a nervous system that just does this stuff, just like the rest of us. It’s part of being human and does not mean there is anything wrong with you.
5 things you can see: Sit down if possible. If you are in a standing situation, like waiting in line, that’s fine too. Look around yourself and notice 5 things you can see, one at a time, and describe to yourself what you are seeing. Say to yourself the name of the thing, the color, shape, and any other qualities you notice visually. See if you like the way the thing looks. Observe and notice any visible qualities of each object or image.
4 things you can touch: Next, scan your environment for things you can touch. Go ahead and palpate one thing at a time, noticing the texture, temperature, and how it feels to touch it. Perhaps an item of your clothing, a coffee cup or pen, a countertop or paper, anything will do. Is it soft, smooth, rough, bumpy, cool? One thing at a time, noticing.
3 things you can hear: Listen and focus in on 4 different sounds in your environment. Try to narrow your focus onto each distinct sound for a moment. Is there a clock ticking, refrigerator or fan running, are there sounds of birds, traffic in the distance, voices, or just the humming in your ears? Notice and tune in to the sounds, one at a time.
2 things you can smell: Is there anything you can smell nearby? If so, take a nice inhalation and notice. What is it like to stop and smell the flowers? Is there a pet you could sniff? Some soap or lotion? It is ok if it’s not your favorite smell, anything will do. If there is nothing to smell then simply imagine a smell you like. You could imagine a forest of pine trees, the smell of peppermint, pumpkin pie, lavender or a rose. Notice what it’s like to take in the scents.
1 thing you can taste: If there is anything you could taste, for example, a beverage, gum, mint, or even a sip of water, go ahead and taste it. Notice the flavor, texture and experience of tasting. If there is nothing available to taste then instead imagine any taste you would like or that you can remember: coffee, chocolate, mint, or even lemon, whatever you want. Let yourself experience your reaction to the real or imagined taste.
Enjoy your refreshed state of mind: If you were able to complete the 5 4 3 2 1 exercise, your mind just got to take a vacation from the worried, anxious, or overactive state it had been in. You practiced somatic based meta-cognition. Meta-cognition is a fancy name for taking charge of your own thoughts. (I often refer to this as “changing the channel”, because it’s as if you are choosing to tune in to a different radio station in your brain.) It’s a skill you can learn by practicing. You also shifted your focus away from the cognitive channel (thinking about things) and into the sensory (feeling sensations). Sensory awareness is linked with interoception, the ability to feel what is happening inside of yourself. Interoception is a skill you can learn and strengthen through practice. This type of perception is linked to greater empathy, self-awareness and self-efficacy. In other words, this little exercise is good for your mind, your mood, and your happiness.

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