If the idea of focusing on your breath or body for a few minutes is daunting but you need an emergency exercise to centre yourself when agitated or overwhelmed, try the 5-4-3-2-1 method to bring yourself back to centre. Simply name, in your head or aloud:
- Five things you can see (the smaller the better)
- Four things you can hear
- Three things you are touching
- Two things you can smell
- One thing you can taste
This exercise is always available to you but, if possible, try super-charging the practice by combining it with a degree of immersion in nature. Ideally, you would be barefoot in soft green grass with a gentle breeze on your face and birdsong in your ears… But this isn’t always going to be possible so start where you are! Why not try taking off your shoes and scrunching your toes into the carpet or feeling the firm coolness of the floor under your feet? And FYI, this is not something you can multi-task. So, try disengaging from your devices for the duration. You will be surprised how even a minute-long sensory break can be effective in helping you feel more centered.
