by Michael Plank
If you’re only going to ever do one thing for your overall health and wellness, it should be exercise.
If you’re going to do two things, the second thing is arguably nutrition.
If you’re going to do four things, then the other two are inarguably prioritizing sleep and working on your mental health.
One of my favorite (short-term) strategies for dealing with stress, anxiety, or overwhelm is something that goes by a few names, but that I know as the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique.
Here it is:
- Do one box breath (breathe in through your nose for a 4-count, hold for a 4-count, exhale through your nose for a 4-count, hold for a 4-count).
- Identify 5 things you can see. (The door handle, the knot in the wood, the light bulb, etc).
- Identify 4 things you can feel (your toes on the floor, your right thumb against your leg, etc).
- Identify 3 things you can hear (the traffic, the kids’ steps upstairs, etc)
- Identify 2 things you can smell
- Identify 1 thing you can taste
- Do one box breath
That’s it.
Here’s why it’s helpful: it gets you into the present. So much of the storm in our minds is about replaying the past or agonizing about the future. This interrupts that pattern and can give some space and clarity. I use it when I’m excited and need to calm down, when I’m stressed and tired after a long day, when I’m angry, and even in the middle of a hard workout.
It’s quick, easy, and effective for me. Hope it is for you too.