12/15/2025
Getting anxious as we approach the 12 days of Christmas? Is it all a little too much?
We suggest the “5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique as you hit your most challenge part of the holidays.
Naming (even in your head) 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste forces the brain to shift attention, breaking the loop and moving the brain from responding to thinking. Grounding returns the brain to the here and now. Start to gather those things as you enter a potentially anxious situation.
The exercise uses five different senses, engaging multiple neural pathways and crowding out the emotional system, giving the brain a sense of stability and structure.
Of course getting enough sleep, eating well, having positive social interaction and physical activity also help!
Photos for you to practice 5-4-3-2-1.