During this specific time, life may seem more stressful than usual. It’s important to check in with your senses to help remind you of the present and to get you through tough situations. By using your senses, you can calm yourself down and overcome some of your anxieties. A technique I recently learned about, and actually enjoyed doing, is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.  This exercise allows you to ground yourself using all five of your senses, which gets you out of your head (where anxiety mostly occurs) and into the present moment.

 

Here’s what you can do:
First, take a deep breath.

 

 

SIGHT – 5 things

Look around to find 5 things you can see and say them out loud. 
Examples: “I see my dog, I see the kitchen table, I see the sun shining”, etc.

TOUCH – 4 things

Become aware of your body and think of 4 things you can feel right now, say them out loud.
Examples: “I feel my fuzzy blanket, I feel my warm sweatshirt, I feel the air from the fan on my face”, etc.

LISTEN – 3 things

Think of 3 things you can hear right now, and say them out loud.
Examples “I hear country music playing, I hear the wind, I hear cars outside, etc.

SMELL – 2 things

Say out loud 2 things you can smell at the moment.
Examples: “I smell my apple cinnamon candle burning, I smell my muffins in the oven”, etc

TASTE – 1 thing

Say out loud 1 thing you can taste, or your favorite thing to taste.
Example: “I taste my French vanilla iced coffee, I love to taste a fresh garden tomato”, etc.

Then, take another deep breath.

This is just one method you can use to check in with your senses. It can be as specific or vague as you’d like it to be. Everyone is built differently, hence why you may prefer a different method than others. It’s essential to examine yourself sufficiently and do what works best for you.

Here are some other things I enjoy that help me to get in touch with myself and reduce some stress. Hopefully, they can help you too

SIGHT

• Watch the sunrise/ sunset 
• Look at calming pictures (Landscapes, favorite destinations, relaxing memories)
• Get outside in nature
• Paint

TOUCH

• Take a warm shower/ bath
• Pet my dog
• Cook/ Bake
• Use my favorite lotion/ Body scrub
• Paint my nails
• Feel the heat of a bonfire
• Wrap myself in my favorite blanket

LISTEN

• Listen to calming music/ Soothing sounds
• Meditate 
• Get out into nature and listen for the birds, sounds of water

SMELL 

• Light my favorite candle (Let this smell fill the room)
• Bake/Cook something I love
• And again, nature!! (Nothing beats the smell of fresh air)

TASTE

• Drink tea (This naturally gives us a calming feeling)
• Eat my favorite foods
• Ingest what makes me feel good

written by our Campus Rec Intern, Rachael