54321 Technique.
No matter who you are, where you are, or what’s happening in the moment, we can all find ourselves suffering from overwhelm, symptoms of anxiety, trauma triggers, or other unwanted emotions or thoughts sometimes.
We just need to get our conscious mind back in to control and, to do that, we need to re-focus on what’s actually happening, not the way we’re feeling.
Our feelings are exactly that – they are the way we FEEL – they aren’t always accurate for the situation. Our monkey mind can run away with us, as it tries to protect us using subconscious tools that aren’t appropriate for the modern world that we live in! So if you just want to clear your head, but can’t get in to meditation, then give this a go.
The 54321 Technique is a great tool to take back control and ground yourself back to the present and the facts.
The most important starting point is not to judge yourself for your feelings, you are human and your subconscious autopilot is reacting in a way that it thinks is protecting you – it may simply have incorrect or out of date information, you can work with that in the future.
5
BREATHE
Firstly – Breathe! Focus on your breath:
- The feel of the air entering and exiting your nose.
- The pause between breaths.
- Where you are breathing in your body? – is it going deep in to your belly or only your chest? You can put one hand on your lower belly and one on your chest. You want to breathe in to your belly.
- If you are breathing quickly you will want to slow and steady your breathing, taking deeper, slower breaths with a pause between the inhale and exhale.
With any type of trigger, emotion, or thought that is taking over, always go to your breath first and try the focussing above – it is a direct link between your conscious and your subconscious, your internal and external world.
Once you are able to find your breath, go through the 54321 Technique below, using your senses to ground yourself in the here and now again.
The 54321 Technique
5 – LOOK:
Look around for 5 things that you can see, and say them out loud. E.g. “I see the television, I see the cup, I see the picture etc….” Even if it’s something simple like a smudge on the ceiling – however big or small, state 5 things you see. If you are in public, of course you can say it in your mind – writing it down would be best, but saying it out loud would be ideal.
4 – FEEL:
Pay attention to your body and think of 4 things that you can feel – Say them out loud. E.g. you could say “I feel my toes against the end of my slippers, I feel my trousers around my waist, I my tongue against my teeth etc….”
3 – LISTEN:
Listen for 3 external sounds – not what is going on in your head. Maybe the sound of traffic outside, the sound of a dog barking or the sound of you swallowing. Say three things out loud and hear your voice.
2- SMELL:
Say two things you can smell, if you are able to. It’s ok to move to another area to find a scent, like soap in the bathroom, perfume, a flower etc. If you really can’t smell anything at the moment, or you can’t move, then say your two favourite smells.
1 – TASTE:
Say one thing you can taste. It might be toothpaste if you’ve just brushed your teeth, or something from your last drink or meal.
If you can’t taste anything, then you can suck a mint and say what it tastes like, or say you favourite thing to taste.
Finally – BREATHE again.
Focus back on your breath –
Is it slower and deeper than before?
If you want to do further work, or want another tool, then don’t forget the the 4,7,8 breathing pattern or the BREATH Meditation.
These are all really valuable tool to use anywhere and any time.
Why not try them first thing in the morning upon waking, or last thing at night before sleep?
Bringing gratitude in to your day will make an amazing difference.
It’s as simple as that! There’s the 54321 technique.
I hope this tool helps you, or somebody you care about, in a situation where the monkey mind is taking over. You can always take control back, you just need the right tools, but remember to be gentle and kind to yourself you’re doing the best you can with the tools you have – everybody is.
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