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Micro wisdom delivered to your ears every morning in voice notes ranging from 3 to 15 minutes long. Wisdom on how to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. Every podcast will ground you in the present moment to ensure you know what's important, the here and now.
Hello, my name is Allie and I am a cognitive behavioural therapist working for the NHS in West London. The technique that I'd like to share with you today is great to use when you find that you are just living a little bit too much inside your own head. You might have heard this technique called various different names. So some therapists or some people might call it the five-four-three-two-one technique. Some people might call it present moment focus.
Speaker 1:And some people might just call it a grounding technique. But it doesn't matter, all of these names amount to the same thing. So this technique works with anxiety, it works with low mood, but it's mainly used actually for people experiencing panic attacks. So when we are or somebody is having a panic attack, it comes about because the person is having a really really strong reaction to a fight or flight symptom. And it's actually a bit of an over reaction.
Speaker 1:So for example, they misinterpret a racing heart and shallow breathing when they are threatened as being something that is going to be life threatening for them. So for example, they think they're going to have a heart attack or die. And then that just exacerbates the symptoms even more and can eventually accumulate in a panic attack. And we call this a catastrophic misinterpretation of a very normal physical response to an anxiety provoking situation. So this is a technique that I have used with patients who have had perhaps panic attacks in the therapy room with me, or just people who I have encountered out and about in life who have experienced a panic attack, and I've been able to help by the use of this technique.
Speaker 1:And it aims to take your thoughts away from what's going on in your head, and back out to what's happening in the wider world. And it specifically focuses on using your senses to ground you in the present moment, rather than a fear of what might be happening to you in the future. And like I said, it's not just one that you use with people who are experiencing panic attacks, although if you are prone to panic attacks, this will be a great one to help you. It can also be used when you are feeling quite anxious in general, and you want to stop catastrophising and worrying. And also if you find that you are ruminating or dwelling on things in your mind and it's making you feel worse, this technique is great to use to just help you refocus on the present moment and get out of your own head.
Speaker 1:So let's begin. So you can do this anywhere at any time. You don't need to do any preparation for it. It's something that is incredibly versatile. So the first thing I want you to do is to have a look around you and look for five things that you can see.
Speaker 1:Now try and make these maybe things that are quite interesting. Some people like to look for maybe five things that are a certain color or five items of nature. It depends where you are. But just five things around you that you can see and really look at them in detail. So look at maybe the the colors, the shading, any shadow or light that falls upon them.
Speaker 1:Really look at them and examine them in detail. Next, I want you to experience four different things that you can feel. So this might mean that you perhaps need to move around a bit, or you might need to be a bit sort of creative and reach out. So four things that you can feel. So maybe if you're sat on a chair, for example, you could feel the base of the chair.
Speaker 1:Maybe you could feel an item of clothing that you have on. Maybe you've got a pet near you that you could stroke or just something around you that feels interesting. Really be aware of what you're feeling because this is what's connecting you to the real world, to the present. This is what's really grounding you. So four things that you can feel.
Speaker 1:Next is three things that you can hear. So even if you feel that you're in silence, you probably aren't. So I'm in a fairly quiet room right now, but I can still hear the traffic from the motorway that is not far away from where I live. I can hear the boiler going in the airing cupboard, which is just opposite me, and I can also very faintly hear the dishwasher downstairs. So it's about tuning in and out to different things that you can hear.
Speaker 1:And again, don't just mindlessly listen to them. Really pay attention to what they sound like. The pitch, the tone. Does it change? Maybe one sound fades in as the other sound fades out.
Speaker 1:Three things that you can hear. The next one is two things that you can smell. So you might have to be a little bit creative with this, But just try and use your nose to see if you can smell two things. And it doesn't even matter if it is an unpleasant thing. Actually, sometimes if it's an unpleasant thing, that's even better because that can really ground you in the here and now.
Speaker 1:Just think, there's a reason why they used to use those smelling salts for ladies in the Victorian times when they had fainted. A strong smell can help to sort of ground you. So two things that you can smell. It might even be something around you that you can smell. So for example, you might have some perfume or cologne on, or you maybe are able to smell the washing powder that you've used on your clothes.
Speaker 1:So again, be creative. Now the final sense is that of taste. So one thing that you can taste. Maybe you've had a tea or coffee recently and that's still lingering on your lip. Maybe you can still taste a little bit of the last thing that you've that you've eaten.
Speaker 1:Some people who are prone to panic attacks or anxiety like to carry around with them mints or something else that tastes quite strong that they can just pull out and use if they are doing this exercise and they are struggling to find that one thing that they can taste. So that is it. That is your five four three two one grounding exercise. So it's focusing outwards onto five things that you can see, four things that you can feel, three things that you can hear, two things that you can smell, and one thing that you can taste. Some people find it really helpful to have a little kit with them when they do go about of things that they can just put in their pocket, that they can use if they need to help with any of those senses, like the mints I said earlier, or maybe a little tissue or something that's got some essential oils on it, or a small perfume bottle, or even a scrap of material that feels nice, maybe something silky for example.
Speaker 1:So it's up to you. You can really be creative with this and make this your own. But if you do suffer with anxiety in any form, or just overthinking, or being too much inside your own head, Really, I do urge you to give this a go and if you do then please do get in touch with us at Turtle on social media and let us know how you got on with this exercise. I hope you have a fantastic day.