The 54321 Grounding Technique

In this post I would like to outline the 54321 grounding technique, explain why it is useful to make this a part of your daily routine, and to look at a variation.

Grounding techniques exist to help you from becoming overwhelmed by unhelpful thoughts and emotions. You may have noticed in the past how difficult and triggering situations can start a seemingly unstoppable cascade of overwhelm that can culminate in angry outbursts, panic attacks or despair. These situations are often familiar and involve treading a well worn path that funnels you out of your rational, capable self, and into a place of irrational upset.

Using the 54321 technique is like veering off that well worn path and heroically striking out into the undergrowth before it is too late. To begin with you may find the way off the path tricky to navigate, but with practice it will become a well worn path of its own; familiar and easy to access. One of the easiest ways to begin forging this new way is to practise it when you are not already under stress, by making it a part of your daily routine. Try picking a time each day when the same thing happens, like brushing your teeth, or eating breakfast. At the end of that activity practice this technique, or even just the first section until it becomes habit.

The way this technique works is by giving you a new focus that is bigger and broader than the tight, ego-centric focus you develop as you get overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions. You pay attention to what your senses are telling you, rather than the story you are playing out in your mind.

First you pay attention to 5 things that you can see, and describe some of the features that you notice e.g. I can see the window pane and I notice the reflection of the top of my laptop screen which is grey. Make sure that the description doesn’t reference how you feel about what you see e.g. I can see the window pane and I notice that it needs cleaning and that’s a job I keep putting off.

Once you have named and described 5 things you can see, you do the same with 4 things you can physically feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.

e.g.

I can see an orange pen with a black lid and a brown nib.

I can see a crystal hanging from a white thread, and its surface is made up of triangles.

I can see my desk and it is made out of bamboo and is light brown.

I can see a red, glass paperweight that is full of air bubbles.

I can see a lamp that has a paper shade. The supports for the shade are silhouetted by the light.

I can feel the keys under my fingertips and they are smooth.

I can feel the sleeves of my jumper on my arms. They feel soft and a little bit warm.

I can feel my bottom on the seat of my chair by the pressure of the contact.

I can feel my eyelids moving over my eyes when I blink and it feels very comfortable.

I can hear the sound of traffic moving outside as a series of passing rumbles.

I can hear the sound of myself chewing flapjack which sounds squishy.

I can hear a seagull calling with a high pitched sound.

I can smell a woody scent of patchouli and pine.

I can smell the bitter, black coffee in my cup.

I can taste flapjack which has the tanginess of raisins.

The weighting in this list corresponds roughly to the bias we have towards each sense in most moments, unless you have a disability. I use hearing aids, so I used to struggle with three things I could hear, until I tapped into internal noises like breathing and tinnitus.

Obviously the 54321 part is just to be catchy and memorable, and to make you stick at it longer than a few distraction’s time; the real point is to tap into what you are experiencing in the moment. When I am cycling through traffic getting all hot and bothered about other people’s driving I do a more freestyle version e.g. I can see the road, it is grey and blurry. I can feel the wind on my face and it is cold. I can hear birds tweeting over the traffic. I can see a traffic light turning red.

This gets me out of a potential bad mood and some rumination into a bigger, more wide open space of awareness based on things as they are in a more objective sense. My tension ebbs away, and the small stuff doesn’t get sweated. The arguments and rationalisations in my head give way to an appreciation of how nice it feels to be whizzing along in the cold air, legs pumping.

This is mindfulness. But it is mindfulness that focuses away from thoughts and emotions. Thoughts and emotions do need attention, but not if they are going to lead to overwhelm. One point to be aware of during this practice is that emotions have a very physical presence, so it is advisable to look for sensations that are in the limbs rather than the torso and head, where emotions are usually felt most strongly. Even better, search for strong sensations like the feeling of your weight connecting with the ground, or the feeling of moving a limb.

My favourite variation to this exercise is to add anchors to the practice. Anchors are things that you associate with feeling positive emotions, especially safety. I usually use these to substitute the last two sections, smelling and tasting. Smell and taste are highly emotive and can bring you back into your zone of tolerance very well. It is good to have some anchors worked out ahead of time so that they can come to your rescue when you need them e.g. I imagine the smell of my dog’s fur around her ear, it is musty and comforting. I imagine the smell of Jasmine, its sweetness reminds me of summer evenings. I imagine the taste of fish and chips and I think of being by the sea.

The most important thing to remember about this exercise is to make it work for you. It is possible to discover the sensory cues that work best for you. I had a client who would wake up with nightmares, and they discovered that all they needed to do was stroke the top of their quilt to become comforted enough to fall asleep again.

I wish you all the very best trying out the 54321 grounding technique, and I hope it brings you much freedom from suffering.

All the best.

Will.