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Today I will talking about one of my favourite grounding techniques, the 5 4 3 2 1 grounding exercise. Stress and anxiety have skyrocketed in recent years — in kids and adults. It’s crucial we discover strategies to cope, to become more resilient, and manage these uncomfortable feelings.
This five-step 54321 grounding exercise is favoured by many therapists and will help you (and your kids) during periods of stress, anxiety, or even when you just need to slow down and take a break. Below, I will walk you through specific instructions to complete this simple but extremely effective 54321 grounding exercise. I hope you find this guide beneficial.
Disclaimer: I am not in any way a certified therapist, therefore all the advice is given from my own experience and should not be taken as medical advice.
Grounding as a coping skill has been around for some time. The purpose of grounding is to divert focus from something distressing to something more pleasant by being mindful. By shifting focus to something in the environment, we can better control what we experience. To do so, we concentrate on using the information our five senses provide.
For example, if I were anxious over something, and could not stop thinking about it, I would look around and focus on something I see, to begin distracting myself from my anxiety.
After performing a grounding exercise, you will be able to shift your focus away from your anxiety by becoming more aware of what is around you. Grounding is a series of exercises designed to use all your senses. For each sense, you note what your senses are telling you. To begin, we will focus on sight.
Below is an excellent video aimed at children, it’s only 5-minutes long, and definitely worth a watch.
Before you begin the 54321 grounding exercise, you need to take deep, slow, and long breaths as your first priority. This will achieve a calm state of mind before proceeding to the following steps:
Acknowledge five things that you can see around you. Options can range from a pen or stapler at your office, to a bird or tree while you’re out at the local park. If you’re at home, you can look at a family photo on the wall or a glass of water on the kitchen counter. You can pick between big and small items to keep your options open.
Acknowledge four things that you can touch around you. You can start with your hair, hands, elbows, and other parts of your body if you’re short on time. The ground beneath your feet, whether it’s the floor of your bedroom or the office at work, also helps. Pillows, desks, phones, and keyboards can fit this step.
Acknowledge three things you can hear around you. Instead of listening to your own thoughts or sounds from your body like your stomach growling, focus on external noises. Examples include someone driving a car nearby, a clock ticking, or a dog barking. If you’re at work, you can listen to typing and the steps of people walking by your desk.
Acknowledge two things around you that you can smell. This step may be a challenge compared to the others, so it’s best to go to a place with more sources of scent if you don’t smell anything wherever you are at the moment. The outdoors has plenty of options for smells, and the soap in bathrooms also helps. Your furniture can provide pleasant smells for this step when you’re home.
Acknowledge one thing around you that you can taste. It doesn’t necessarily have to be food, as toothpaste and minty floss you use in the morning or at night are easy sources. You can also go with the oatmeal you have for breakfast, the sandwich and crisps you have for lunch, or the pasta you have for dinner. Coffee, tea, and other drinks you have to get through the day also work. End this exercise with a long, deep breath.
With these steps, you will be able to get the most out of the moment. Focusing on your senses will help you be more mindful, which will then help you accomplish your tasks and experience success. As a result, you can defeat your anxiety and feel in control of your life. Put this technique into practice to so that you can improve your health and make those big days fun!
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!. If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, wellbeing, addiction recovery and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
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Today I will be sharing tips and habits for overcoming morning anxiety.
Do you struggle with morning anxiety? Are the first thoughts that enter your mind so negative and so dreadful that you regret waking up in the first place?
Morning anxiety is very REAL, I would suffer from this terrible illness on a day-to-day basis. If you suffer from panic attacks, dreadful morning fear, and of course depression, this post will come to your aid.
Of course, if you really need help and feel very depressed – please seek the help of a doctor over anything else that you read today.
But if you do feel like you can combat this yourself or if mornings aren’t your thing, then this is your post. Let’s help you wake up to pleasant and peaceful thoughts each morning with some effective and positive habits that helped me when overcoming morning anxiety.
Disclaimer: I am not in any way a certified therapist/counsellor so all the advice is given from my own experience and should not be taken as medical advice.
According to Calm Clinic, “most people define (morning anxiety) as anxiety either immediately after waking up or anxiety that tends to build over the first hour or so upon awakening.”
As far as symptoms go, everyone experiences anxiety differently, but here are just a few signs of morning anxiety listed by Healthy Place:
Morning anxiety is caused by many different factors. For example, we produce higher levels of cortisol– which is a stress hormone — in the mornings. Aside from an increase in cortisol levels, Health Line adds that things like environmental factors and low blood sugar can contribute to morning anxiety. Although waking up with these symptoms is devastating, there are steps you can take to relieve morning anxiety and still have a good day.
Here are some tips I have put together that have helped me overcome morning anxiety.
Before we get started, there’s one mistake you cannot afford to make. This morning mistake will screw up your entire day. Go to bed early the night before! Sleep is not only for the weak. It’s the best way to stay strong all day.
Are all-nighters worth bragging about? Maybe they’re fine once in a while when they can’t be avoided but otherwise – staying up late constantly isn’t a sign of working hard; it’s working too much, working inefficiently and mismanaging your time.
I use to be one of those people who stayed up to the early hours of the morning, then wake up like and zombie and head off to work feeling like I had just been dug up. Not anymore though!
Without enough sleep, you’ll start the day with a mind that’s not 100% energised – no matter how many times you give yourself a good slap on the face. The worst part? Imagine your brain failing in the departments of common sense and alertness.
Around 16 million Brits experience side effects of sleep deprivation every night! And studies suggest they can range from less obvious stuff – like a lack of focus or attention – to crying over small things, or a lower reaction time while driving or pouring coffee!
Speaking of coffee – don’t rely on it to overcome sleep deprivation. I enjoy my morning coffee as much as the next person. But I also know caffeine has its limitations. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-8 hours of sleep (or 9 if possible) for the average adult. I have about 6/7, which suits me fine.
One of the reasons you may feel anxious in the morning is because you feel rushed. Waking up earlier is a great way to get ready at a slower, more peaceful pace. When you wake up earlier, you have more time to focus on things like self-care (which will be a part of your morning routine for anxiety relief).
If you are rushing around and then flying out of the door every morning, start waking up between 5:00am – 6:30am depending on when you have to leave. You want to wake up a couple of hours before you need to be somewhere. And, remember, start small and build up
Effective coping mechanisms significantly prevent anxiety from taking over one’s life. However, building a morning routine and adaptive ways to cope with anxiety takes time. Once a suitable routine as per a person’s liking has been found, he or she is advised to stick to it to reduce anxiety in the morning.
Although it would be hard to enforce such a stringent routine in the beginning, adhering to it would provide stability and consistency in the person’s life.
Exercise is one of those habits that everyone talks about. It makes you roll your eyes when you hear or read about it. Like what else is new? Exercise is good for you.
To me, exercise is a very important habit physically and mentally. I especially notice how much it impacts my life when I don’t do it. I become stressed, I’m also reactive and it shows in my relationships, in my work and in the decisions I make.
I can’t seem to stay clear and objective when I don’t do it. Plus, I just feel tired and ache all the time. So, I try to make exercise a part of my day whether it would be by walking for at least an hour, going to the gym, stretching, running or doing an at home workout. It has become a part of my life and it fits naturally. If it’s still not a part of your daily routine, just try it.
If you wake up thinking of every single “what if” or worst-case scenario, you might be experiencing anticipatory anxiety. Essentially, it’s when the uncertainty about a possible future event gets in the way of your functioning.
For example, if you have a presentation at work, you might worry you’ll forget your talking points or that the file will somehow get deleted, leading to excessive worrying. These anxious thought loops stem from a desire to feel in control over what may or may not happen.
But the more you try to manage the outcomes, the more anxious you’ll feel. Letting feelings of anxiety go isn’t easy, but there are a few things you can do to detach from the “what ifs”:
Your morning routine doesn’t need to involve waking up at 5 a.m. and reciting empowering mantras (but if it does, that’s OK, too). A good morning routine is about making space for yourself to get ready for the day.
It’s important to build a mindful morning routine that works for you. Some suggestions you can try include:
Mindfulness meditation is practiced by focusing the mind on the present and keeping your thoughts from wandering into the past and future. It focuses on breath awareness to draw attention to your body, open up your senses and anchor you into the present and your immediate surroundings.
By implementing Mindfulness meditation into your morning, it will help calm down your mind. The more you practice, the more enjoyable it becomes and more benefits you see.
There’s no need to wait until stress rises to use breathing methods for well-being. You experience balance and harmony when your breaths are of equal length and depth.
As inhaling and exhaling uniformly are the natural response to inner peace, your brain thinks you are relaxed even when you breathe this way intentionally. Take deep, even breaths throughout the day to preserve well-being.
Since you are not rushing, you are now able to sit down and eat a healthy nutritious breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast as part of your morning routine before work will help you to be more productive.
Moreover, the breakfast will provide the energy needed to fuel your brain. Additionally, eating breakfast will keep you full for longer, eliminating the need for you to consume high and empty calories which will harm your body. Furthermore, while sitting down to eat your breakfast you can read a few pages of a positive mental attitude book or any other self-development book.
Goals tend to add structure to our days. Having structure and routine may help anxiety. What are three things you want to accomplish today? Start off by making them simple, such as eating fruit with breakfast.
The more you set goals for yourself, the more they become ingrained into your habits. I find that having a simple fitness goal every day is super beneficial.
I recommend trying a 30-day squat or crunch challenge. You can find loads of them Pinterest. Always ensure you are present while working towards your goals.
Before or after your shower, your choice, take a short walk. I prefer to go after my shower because the shower wakes me up, while the walk gets me pumped for the day. Others may prefer to take a shower after the walk. First of all, we all need exercise on a daily basis. Without it, we are way more prone to anxiety and depression.
So, instead of going to the gym after your day is over, start your day with a little exercise. A 30-minute walk is a great way to get out of the house, enjoy nature, and get your blood pumping. Not only does it do the body well, but it improves your mood as well.
Going to bed worrying that tomorrow will be another day of worrying and upset doesn’t resolve the issue what so ever – it will snowball into a huge problem that wasn’t there in the first place. It’s time to switch up your attitude. Go to bed expecting to be upset in the morning, and tell yourself it will probably be there regardless of whether you worry or not.
Tell yourself that when you wake up and the anxiety hits, that it’s ok to feel worried, nervous, shaken. It’s not a big deal, you can handle it. You can do whatever you need to do, you can get through today. Believe in you.
It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? It’s easy to say: “tomorrow I will be positive”. Because sometimes, just sometimes, you will wake up and think: “I just don’t have the energy to do that today”. And that is when you’re most vulnerable to anxiety taking over your entire day.
So, whether it’s writing on a sticky note or leaving a reminder on your phone, have a backup option to help you out when you need that extra bit of encouragement and positivity in the morning. A gentle reminder that reads something as simple as “you can do this” can make all the difference.
It’s always great to start the day with gratitude. This will help you start the day with a positive attitude. Journaling has been shown to help manage anxiety, reduce stress, and cope with depression.
A great place to start is to write down three things you are grateful for, three things you hope to accomplish that day, and three things you were able to accomplish the day before. Purchase a book, research it on YouTube. The Mindfulness practice is life changing when used consistently and persistently!
Imagine finally drifting off into a peaceful sleep in a dark room and cosy bed, to be woken up by a pounding alarm and harsh bright lights and the chill of getting out of bed. Environmental aggravations like these can soon welcome you to your worst day ever.
It’s vital to infuse positive energy into your home to wake up peacefully and ensure the best possible start to your day. Minimise your chances of anxiety by making your surroundings more peaceful.
Small alterations such as a soothing alarm clock instead of an ear-splitting cuckoo noise, having slippers and a comfy dressing gown to slip into in the morning. This way you don’t have to bear the freezing cold mornings, also try a dimmer switch on your bedside lamp instead of blinding spotlights.
A simple yet vital daily requirement, drinking water. This not only hydrates you but improves your bodily functions, preventing headaches, washes out toxins from the body, and helps with weight loss.
Drinking water can solve other problems such as clearing skin issues and providing mental clarity. One way to drink more water is to keep a water bottle with you at all times so you can hydrate yourself throughout the day. I personally like to drink room temperature and hot water; this helps with digestion.
In an ideal world, your day shouldn’t begin with the phone. Reading about stressful news events before your day even begins compounds anxiety. Be mindful of what media you ingest, especially in the morning. I recommend trying to keep your mind blank and your thoughts your own for the first hour of the day.
Morning anxiety can be beaten. It’s nothing more than an extension of what’s going on in your life and what kind of lifestyle you lead. If it happens consistently without any apparent reason, you should definitely talk to a medical professional. Otherwise, a few changes to your lifestyle and better self-care can help you overcome morning anxiety easily.
I would love to hear what tips you have to combat morning anxiety – please share them below!
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years! If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, wellbeing, addiction recovery and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
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Today I will be discussing meditation benefits for mental health.
Most people are aware of the need to do physical exercises to stay healthy and fit, but many fitness freaks are not too clued up when it comes to exercising their mind.
Like any muscle in the body, the more you train your mind, the stronger it becomes. You cannot touch or see mental health, but you can certainly feel it – it’s silent killer, and is massively on the rise due to the global pandemic.
Meditation is an age-old practice of controlling your mind and thoughts. When practiced regular, it does wonders for mental health.
It is a method of gaining insight into one’s own mind and inner self. When practiced regular it will quiet your mind, expand your awareness and open doors of improvement beyond your imagination.
So, let’s start with the basics and explore what meditation actually is and what it involves.
Meditation is a practice in which a person aims to focus their attention and slow down or stop racing thoughts to achieve emotional calmness and mental clarity. It is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine and can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind (Mayo Clinic, 2020).
Many people think it’s about completely clearing the mind of all thought but it’s more about bringing non-judgmental awareness to one’s present state. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and has its roots in various religious traditions.
While meditation is still firmly connected to spirituality, many people now practice it independently of any religious beliefs. There are many different types of meditation including Mantra Meditation, Visualisation Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation which is probably the most widely recognised.
Meditation practices generally involve deep breathing, focused attention, noticing sensations in the body, and sitting or lying in a comfortable position. There is often a set amount of time for the practice and it is usually done in a quiet space, though not always.
The below are excellent books on meditation that I couldn’t recommend enough:
Understand the types of meditation and build your practice around forms of meditation that appeal to you. Common elements of meditation include: relaxed breathing, a comfortable sitting position, a quiet location, and focused attention – all the forms below can be guided or unguided.
Guided meditation involves following a verbal prompt that guides you through various actions throughout your meditation, whereas unguided meditation consists of sitting or lying in silence and utilising the components of meditation to meditate on your own.
I recommend starting with guided meditation to familiarise yourself with the practice. There are plenty of great guided meditations on YouTube and Spotify. Or try an app, like HeadsSpace or Calm.
There are many ways to meditate, here’s an overview of a few popular ones:
Has existed for thousands of years and has its roots in Hindu and Buddhist teachings. The main objective of mindfulness is to relax and calm your mind by focusing on the present moment. To do a basic mindfulness meditation:
Below is some of the benefits of meditation I discovered when researching, but keep in mind meditation is not the only solution for these health conditions or issues outlined.
Make sure to work with your doctor or healthcare professional to come up with a comprehensive treatment plan of need be.
Meditation has powerful anti-anxiety benefits. One of the main reasons people meditate is to help quiet a loud, overactive mind. Meditation allows us a break from racing thoughts that anxiety often brings. A 2013 study suggests that meditation can reduce anxiety by almost 40%.
According to the NCCIH, there is evidence that meditation can improve the symptoms of anxiety and depression. By practicing mindfulness meditation regularly, you might be better equipped at regulating your emotions and managing the worries or thoughts that contribute to depression or anxiety.
Additionally, Harvard Health Publishing states meditation has been found to change brain regions that are linked to depression.
You might already know that meditation can help reduce stress, but we couldn’t cover this topic without stating it. The practice can leave you feeling calmer and more relaxed.
The Mayo Clinic says that by meditating, you “may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.” And because we know that a build-up of stress can lead to burnout, combating stress with meditation might help set you up for a healthier life.
Regular meditation has been shown to help boost your immune system. Researchers found that meditation increases electrical activity in the left side of the brain – which is responsible for your immune system.
It was also found that those who meditate have higher counts of antibodies in their blood, which helps fight illness.
A 2019 study found that brief and daily meditation decreased mood disturbance.
Additionally, the study found that short daily meditation practices can have similar behavioural effects as long and intense meditation sessions, which is good news if you’re just starting out with your practice or can only meditate for a couple of moments a day.
The act of meditation can help you get to sleep faster, according to a 2015 study. Researchers found that participants who practiced mindfulness meditation had less insomnia and fatigue.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, mindfulness meditation “involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present without drifting into concerns about the past or future. It helps you break the train of your everyday thoughts to evoke the relaxation response, using whatever technique feels right to you.”
If you suffer from chronic aches, pains, and headaches, meditation could help! Scientists have found a link between mindfulness meditation and pain relief.
While the exact reason behind this still remains somewhat unclear, many health experts recommend regular meditation in addition to medical treatments for chronic pain.
Want to feel more creative at work? Start meditating! Studies suggest that mindfulness meditation can encourage creative thinking and problem-solving. Meditation also helps us separate our emotions from our work, which helps us think more clearly and develop new ideas.
While this one is up for a bit of debate, most experts agree that meditation can be a good way to help lower blood pressure in addition to medical treatment, a healthy diet, and exercise. While meditation might not directly cause your blood pressure to lower, the practice helps fight stress and anxiety – which can both be culprits of high blood pressure.
Daily meditation can help you perform better at work! Research found that meditation helps increase your focus and attention and improves your ability to multitask. Meditation helps clear our minds and focus on the present moment – which gives you a huge productivity boost.
Meditation has been shown to help individuals build better relationships. Meditation teaches us how to be more present in the moment, which is extremely helpful for relationships.
One study also found that regular meditation was linked to more laughter, empathy, and socialness.
Many of us have troubles understanding our emotions. Mindfulness meditation helps teach us how to be aware of our feelings and emotions and how to process them better. Practicing meditation changes how you think and helps you learn to understand your emotions without having to act upon them.
While meditation isn’t a magic solution for all health issues – when practiced regular, it can definitely help you feel healthier, happier and improve your mental health If you’ve never meditated before, start slow and ease yourself into the practice. Give yourself some love and relaxation, and try meditating today.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years! If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
I really hope you found inspiration in this article.
Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, wellbeing, addiction recovery and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
Today I will be sharing three amazing grounding techniques for calming anxiety, stress, panic and other negative emotions. Grounding techniques are a way to stabilise strong emotions during stress, anxiety or trauma. Grounding is achieved by redirecting your attention away from what is causing your…