Quick Skills: Five Senses Grounding Technique

In this quick skills episode, learn how to promote mindfulness using your senses. 

Transcript

Show Intro & Purpose

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Psych Bytes with CCS is a weekly podcast hosted by Student Life's Counseling and Consultation Service. This show is dedicated to discussing a wide range of topics pertaining to mental health commonly experienced in the college setting. It is important to note that this podcast is not a substitute for therapy. All of the topics on this show, while discussed by professionals, are strictly psychoeducational and meant to inform listeners on available resources, skills, and support. Topics on this show can be sensitive in nature, and should you find yourself needing additional support or resources, please visit ccs.osu.edu or call us at 614-292-5766. With that in mind, enjoy the show. What is up everyone and welcome to PsychBytes with CCS. My name is Josh and today I am back with another quick skills episode. And for todays quick skill, I want to focus on mindfulness. And when it comes to mindfulness there are a variety of strategies, techniques and skills that one can utilize in order to develop or maintain or harness a sense of mindfulness. But before we get into it, let’s talk about what mindfulness is and how it can benefit us. So simply put, mindfulness is a combination of awareness and acceptance. It is me paying attention to the present moment, without trying to change or distract away from it. This means that I am going to notice my thoughts and feelings and sensations as they happen, and I'm not going to try and stop them or distract myself away from them. It's again being aware of how and what I am feeling and accepting it for what it is. So how can this benefit me? A few ways. One, it can decrease feelings of depression and anxiety. Two, it can improve my memory and my focus. I can discover greater satisfaction within my relationships. I have less overthinking or obsessing or ruminating on things that are bothering me. And then I have a better overall ability to manage my emotions. Now that we have a basic understanding of what mindfulness is, let's talk about how to develop it. And for today's quick skill, I want to talk about the five senses grounding technique, which the intention behind this is to purposefully take in the details of our surroundings using each one of our senses. To begin, I want you to notice five things that you can see. Pause in your environment and take a look around and identify five different things that maybe you don't normally pay attention to or we often take for granted, such as maybe how light is bouncing around our room, or the way something is positioned, or the detailing on something that we have on our wall. Once you are done with that, I want you to identify four things that you can touch or feel. Notice the weight of your shoes on your feet. Notice the texture and the creases and the folds of your clothing on your body. Go and pick something up and hold it in your hands and notice the sharp edges or the gentle curves that it may have. Once done, I want you to sit quietly and notice three things that you can hear. Maybe you notice people talking in the background or footsteps in a hallway, or maybe you notice the hum of air conditioning or a fan that you don't often notice. Next, I want you to identify two things that you can smell. Try to notice the smells in the air around you. Maybe you have an air freshener or there's fresh cut grass wafting in from outside. Or maybe go and try to identify a scent. Go and sniff an unlit candle, for example. Finally, I want you to identify one thing that you can taste. Put a piece of food or candy or gum in your mouth. Take a drink of something that is flavored. Focus on the taste. And that's it. That is the five senses grounding technique. I want to encourage you to go out and practice this on the regular. This is a very flexible and very adaptable skill that you can use anytime, anywhere, specifically when you are feeling disconnected, when you feel like you're caught up in your feelings or you're caught up in the what ifs of the world. This is a great way to bring you back down to the here and now and again provide you with a sense of calm and peace that may otherwise feel lacking. So go ahead and start practicing today. It's free, it's easy, and it's quick. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for future episodes. And until that time, I'm Josh, and this is Psych Bytes with CCS.