Caregiver Journey Week 153: 5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Grounding Technique

Anxiety about the future, or regret over current and past struggles, can make caregiving even more difficult. Ongoing stress can activate the sympathetic nervous system—the fight, flight, or freeze response—leaving us feeling tense, overwhelmed, or on edge. 

To gain more control, we need to reinforce the parasympathetic nervous system. There are many ways to accomplish this, but the simplest is the sensory grounding technique: 5-4-3-2-1. 

Start by taking three deep, cleansing breaths.  Then breathe calmly as you focus your attention on the following sensory messages.

The Five Things

Target	Examples
5 things you can see	Lamp, chair, wall decorations, color of the wall, television, a family member or a pet.
4 things you can feel	The texture of clothes, the pressure of the chair, the room temperature, and the feet on the floor.
3 things you can hear	Sound of the radio, clock ticking, audiobook,
2 things you can smell	Coffee, fresh air, food that is served. Hand soap.
1 thing you can taste	Sip of water, gum or mint.