5-4-3-2-1

In today’s turbulent time you may be finding yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious and stressed. If this is the case then you are operating outside of your window of tolerance (WOT) and your nervous system is responding by going into survival mode… fight-flight-freeze.

Today I’m sharing a mindfulness practice with you known as “5-4-3-2-1”.

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This is a simple and portable practice that can help break the feedback loop and bring the rational part of your brain back on line.

1. Name 5 things you can SEE … look around and bring your attention to five things that you can see in your immediate surroundings - try to pick things that you don’t normally notice like a shadow or a crack in the concrete.

2. Name 4 things that you can FEEL … bring awareness to four things that you’re currently feeling - like the texture of your pants, or the smooth surface your hands are resting on.

3. Name 3 things that you can HEAR … take a moment to listen and note three sound you can hear in the background, maybe the hum of traffic or the chirp of a bird.

4. Name 2 things that you can SMELL … bring your awareness to smells that you usually filter out, whether they are pleasant or unpleasant, maybe the smell of car exhaust or maybe the smell of a fast food restaurant across the street.

5. Name 1 thing that you can TASTE … perhaps it’s the left over coffee in your mouth, something you just ate or maybe it’s nothing at all, simply notice it.