The 5*4*3*2*1 Game
#dealingwithanxiety, #panicattacks
Anxiety attacks can show up at the most inconvenient of times, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and out of control…what do you do? How do you cope?
If you feel yourself slipping into an anxious spiral, try these quick and easy tips to get you back on track and regain your composure. It’s called Grounding and helps sufferers regain their mental focus. Once you’ve done it a few times you will find that any future panic or anxiety episodes can be quickly resolved by using these techniques.
- Name in your head five things you can see in the room or through the window. Count the number of trees or clouds outside. Take a close look at the chairs, posters, pencil cases or faces.
- Name four things you can feel or touch. The chair against your back, your feet touching the floor, how your pen feels in your hand.
- Name three things you can hear, it could be chatter in the room, or a keyboard being used, the whirring of the air conditioning.
- Name two things you can smell. The musty but familiar smell of the classroom, the grass, your perfume or hair products.
- Name one thing you can taste, like the gum in your mouth, saliva, what your lunch tasted like.
- You may also find our blog entitled entitled Learning to Love Yourself useful too.
Remember like anything new it may take a bit of time and practice to get into this mindset, but it is well worth the effort. If it helps make a list of all the things you named during your anxious moments and keep them somewhere safe so you have a reminder of how well you did and what sort of things you noticed.
5 TIPS TO BEATING ANXIETY
FEELING POSITIVE