Senses. Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, Taste. Our five superpowers. Our gateway to the outside world that connects us to everything that is in our surrounding. Senses, that enhances the experience of the world around us are the key to cultivate mindfulness in our daily life. Because to practice mindfulness, all you need is your five senses.
And the technique that uses our five senses to bring our focus to the present moment is known as five sense grounding.
What is five sense grounding?
Five sense grounding is nothing but simple exercises that brings our focus to the present moment, using our ‘five senses’. Because to be here and now all we need is our five senses. When our focus is to what lies in front of us, all those wandering thoughts automatically come to ease. Just like a extension to mindfulness, grounding is all about being aware of this very moment. The present. And all our senses are put to work to ‘ground’ us not only by body but with mind too. So we can give rest to our racing thoughts and immerse ourselves in the experience that our sense have to offer.
How does it work?
Any stressful event or memory usually starts a chain of thoughts. And not to mention these thoughts many a times go out of hand making us go out of our mind. Over analysing, anticipating negative outcomes, blowing out of proportion are a few common examples of what usually happens whenever negative chain of thoughts is triggered. And that’s how we might make a problem much bigger than what it actually is.
And grounding in such times, act as a distraction for our notorious mind. Because it engages all of our senses and bringing our awareness to the present moment. Hence, we automatically break this chain of thoughts. Our brain starts to think about what our senses are experiencing and it helps us to calm down instantly. Thus, these grounding techniques are very helpful to distance ourselves from an emotional experience.
5-4-3-2-1 technique
This is the most common grounding technique where all our five senses act together to ground us to the present. This is how it works:
5 things you can see
Look around and name five things that you can see. Pay attention to what’s visible to you at this moment. For example, a pen in your hand, a glass lying on a table or a form of life like a plant. If there is a window nearby or if you are outside, you can look around at trees or you may see a bird. Well, is there anything valuable that you can see? Like a family photo or a souvenir?
4 things you can touch
Now name four things can you can feel right now. You may pick an object or just try to observe your own body. For example, feeling of the ground beneath your feet, or movement of your feet in your shoes. If it’s possible at this moment, then try to feel water on your hand or try to touch a plant. Or you may just move your finger across your hair or feel the fabric of your clothes.
3 things you can hear
Pay attention to the surrounding. What can you hear? Traffic moving? Sound of AC or fan? People talking? Any song playing at distance? Put your ears at work and name three things.
2 things you can smell
Notice two things that you can smell. You might need to move from where you are in search of smell. If you are outdoor, possibility of smelling something is higher. So if don’t smell anything where you are at the moment then you may take a walk and find something to smell.
1 thing you can taste
Do you remember the taste of your lunch or the breakfast you had in the morning? Think about it. May be pop a candy in your mouth or take a sip of coffee? Just savour the taste slowly.
End this exercise with deep long breaths.
Tips to get started
Make an appointment with yourself
To make grounding techniques part of routine, we need to fix some time to practice. Based on our schedule we may take out a few minutes specifically for the sensory experience. It need not be a lengthy practice just a few minutes is good enough. Important is consistency; a few minutes everyday.
Practice when you are stressed
Grounding is especially effective when we are stressed. That’s when we need to distract ourselves from the thoughts that are stressing us out. Because these are the times when we are overwhelmed with emotions. And grounding helps us to regulate our emotions so we can think about solutions with a calm mind.
Practice at the start or end of the day
The first and last few minutes of our days are usually the moments of rest. And practicing grounding during this time is a great way to set the tone for the day or relax your mind for a good night sleep.
Practice in nature
Best way to practice grounding is with nature. Nature is calm in every from. Every sight and sound of nature is soothing. Additionally, spending time in nature deepens our connections with the surrounding. It not only awakens our senses, but also connects us with something greater than ourselves.
This sensory awareness practice can be done anytime, anywhere. All we need is to observe every sensation non-judgmentally. And even more important is to be kind to yourself. The practice may work well one day and someday it won’t. Either way, be gentle to yourself.
"Senses empower limitations, senses expand vision within borders, senses promote understanding through pleasure." - Dejan Stojanovic