Anxiety Grounding Techniques Revisited | Episode 292

This is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise . If you've followed along with me for any length of time , you know that I don't speak too kindly about grounding exercises , but today we're going to revisit 5-4-3-2-1 and grounding exercises in general . What if there is a way to use them to our benefit rather than having them accidentally sort of blow up in our faces ?

Let's get to it on episode 292 of the Anxious Truth , the hastily produced no Frills edition . Hello everyone , welcome back to the Anxious Truth . This is episode 292 of the podcast recorded in May of 2024 . I'm Drew Linsalata , creator and host of the Anxious Truth .

I'm a therapist in training with a specialization in anxiety and anxiety disorders , an author and educator and podcaster in the anxiety and mental health community , and a former sufferer of anxiety disorders and depression , on and off , for many years of my life . So I'm not speaking just based on academic knowledge or training , but also from personal experience .

If this is your first time here listening to the podcast or watching on YouTube , well welcome . I hope you find the content useful in some way and , if you do , maybe consider adding the podcast to your library of favorite podcasters , maybe subscribing to the YouTube channel . Of course , if you're a returning listener or viewer , welcome back .

I'm glad you're here this week and I hope you find it helpful . Of course , before we get started , I'd also like to remind you quickly that the Anxious Truth is more than just this podcast episode or this YouTube video .

There are a ton of resources designed to educate and empower on my website at theanxioustruthcom , so check that out if you're looking for more on anxiety and anxiety recovery . So let's talk about grounding exercises like the 5-4-3-2-1 thing I mentioned to open this episode .

In most cases , these exercises are presented as a way to calm down when activated or triggered . If you google 5-4-3-2-1 , you're going to find a ton of websites all writing about this little technique as a way to regulate the nervous system or activate the vagus nerve or calm down or stop a panic attack or whatever they think it's supposed to do .

So now we have to talk again about paradoxes that come with anxiety disorders , which is what we're talking about , when the state of being anxious or distressed itself becomes the problem and the perceived threat that must be avoided at all costs .

The paradox here is that when we search urgently and frantically for ways to combat our internal experiences like anxiety or fear or uncertainty or vulnerability , we are 100% agreeing with the assertion that these states are unacceptable or off-limits and should never be allowed . See the problem here .

Someone who develops a fear of being afraid or who is anxious because they are or might be anxious , winds up using tools like this as shields or antidotes against anxiety , anxiety symptoms and scary thoughts .

They either find that either they just don't work fast enough or consistently enough , or else begins to ritualize them and insists that they are only safe and okay if they can engage in these special activities when anxious , upset or feeling a sense of distress in any way .

In the worst cases , which are sadly more common than you might think in this community , techniques like 5-4-3-2-1 are used to prevent or stop panic .

Anxiety symptoms or intrusive thoughts then blow up in our faces because when they don't work reliably or predictably , we draw the mistaken conclusion that we are specially broken or suffering from some form of anxiety that is worse or different than what any other human being must be experiencing .

When the internet insists that grounding exercises are the go-to when anxious or when in a panic , and we cannot get those tools to work the way we really want them to work , our assessment of ourselves and the problem we're addressing can really tank and you can wind up , sort of accidentally , in some pretty dark places where you start to feel really hopeless and

broken . This is why you rarely , if ever , hear me providing grounding or calming instructions and why I am generally not a fan of 5-4-3-2-1 in the context I am always addressing here on the podcast . But what if we can find a way to use 5-4-3-2-1 and other similar exercises in a way that teaches us recovery lessons and doesn't backfire on us ?

What would happen if you decided to use 5-4-3-2-1 as an experiment rather than an antidote or a shield ? But before we go on with this , we first have to acknowledge that anxious people and people in distress absolutely want to make those feelings go away . We want to feel better . That is not a crime .

It's not wrong to want that and you're not doing anything wrong if , deep down , you really do want a magic wand that will make it all stop , that's okay . You're allowed to be human . But wanting that and having that are two different things .

So it's okay to have the want , as long as we don't try to wish and will what we want into existence and resist the reality that it kind of doesn't exist . That's where we get into trouble . So let's start from here and use the following framing statement I really want a way to make this stop right now so I can feel better right away .

But since that doesn't appear to be a thing that I can do on a consistent basis , how can I do my best at the moment to improve my ability to cope with these feelings and these experiences ? Take a moment to think about that statement or something like it that might fit better in your particular circumstance . You can play with it .

You'll want to use that before you use 5-4-3-2-1 , just as a reminder that you're not trying to instantly feel better , even though you can acknowledge that you do actually want that . So what if we looked for five things we can see or three things we can hear , to experiment with acceptance and surrender and tolerance ?

What if we took a chance or took a risk and turned our attention outward , to the environment around us , rather than choosing laser focus on our internal state and engaging in detailed internal dialogues and debates about the horrible danger we think we are in when anxious or afraid .

About the horrible danger we think we are in when anxious or afraid , rather than looking for things to hear or touch so you can stop your panic or anxiety or scary thoughts dead in their tracks .

Consider that if you do make an effort to look for these things while afraid and distressed , you might accidentally and reluctantly learn that it's actually okay to not focus so urgently and frantically on how you feel and what you're thinking in anxious moments .

If you can listen for three different birds singing outside your window while your frightened brain is screaming at you to pay attention to the disaster happening inside your body and mind , you might give yourself a chance to learn little by little that you don't have to pay such close attention to yourself , even when highly triggered .

So imagine using 54321 as a way to sort of test the water before jumping all the way in . The water might be too cold for you , but if you dip your toes in for a minute or two , you might learn that well , maybe it's not as cold as you first thought and it might be okay to take a few more steps into the pool or the ocean .

The key here , as I said , is to refrain from judging the effectiveness of 5-4-3-2-1 or similar exercises based on changing the way you feel . That's not the goal .

Remember , I'm going to take 10 seconds to make note of five things I can see and to describe them as a very basic way to take a small leap of faith toward learning that it's safe to do that you like .

We open up paths that lead toward important recovery lessons , but we also can give ourselves instructions or steps to follow , which I know can be helpful for an anxious person that insists that they just simply do not know what to do when they're triggered .

Now , not everyone in the community needs or wants steps or instructions , but if you're kind of banging your head against the wall because they never give you steps and instructions or techniques to use and you might benefit from having steps or instructions or techniques , well , here you go . This might fit the bill .

Maybe you can use the 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 steps , but you can do them with a different intention and for a different purpose . I often say to do nothing and on Disordered , you might hear Josh and I say do what , non-anxious , you would do when triggered . But that really can be challenging for anxious minds to comprehend and put into action .

So maybe grounding exercises like 5-4-3-2-1 could be adapted like this Think of them as sort of training wheels . They might be ways to start putting surrender and acceptance into action , which is where we need them when you're simply unsure of how to actually do that . So I'll sort of wrap this up with a really quick example .

Let's assume you're struggling with intrusive , unwanted thoughts that pop into your head against your will and disturb you . They trigger you into an anxious or fearful state and you're trying everything you can think of to drown out the thoughts , make them stop or prove them untrue or illogical . That really doesn't work with any kind of consistency .

So your scary thoughts begin to stalk you around all the time and you can wind up on guard all the time , waiting for them to spring into action or waiting for them to attack you , so that you can then spring into action to actively protect yourself from them when they arrive uninvited and unwanted .

So next time you experience one of those thoughts and wind up triggered by it , let's remember your new framing statement . I really want a way to make this stop right now so I can feel better right away .

But since that doesn't appear to be a thing that I can do on a consistent basis , how can I do my best at the moment to improve my ability to cope with these thoughts and how they make me feel ?

Then , in an act that almost feels recklessly and ridiculously risky , when you feel like your thoughts are a real threat to you , you take 10 seconds to identify and describe five things you can see in the room . Hmm , I found five things .

I don't feel any better , but I did it , and turning some of my attention to that little task felt really wrong , but didn't result in any kind of disaster , other than I still feel bad . What if I try to find and describe four things I can touch ? What might happen then ? So see where this is going .

In this little example , we're using 5-4-3-2-1 as an experiment that helps you challenge your belief that focusing only on how you feel and what you're thinking is your only safe course of action . Now , please note that this is not designed to be game-changing instantly for anyone . It's a very small shift , a small move .

It's a little experiment , small shift , a small move . It's a little experiment , it's a first step , so please do your best to see it and use it , if you choose to , in this way .

When it feels absurd to even consider that you might focus on anything other than how you feel and what you're thinking , this is a way to give that a whirl , without trying to solve your entire anxiety problem or make it go away all in one shot . Solve your entire anxiety problem or make it go away all in one shot .

Now remember , this is not designed to make you feel better , stop your thoughts or your panic or your symptoms instantly , or even help you achieve any particular state of being emotionally or physically . This is not a calming or panic-stopping exercise .

I know the internet portrays it that way , but I'm trying to give it to you in a different context and for a different reason . First , we learn that we can move through these triggered states . Then we can start to see changes in how we feel . That's our deal here .

So maybe we can use 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 and exercises like it within this framework that I just gave you Now . Maybe this is something you can chew on and consider trying the next time you find yourself struggling . Remember I'm never talking about doing dangerous things , only difficult things .

So keep that in mind when your anxious mind wants to insist that taking your eyes off of that pending psychotic break , which is a very common example fear is a very bad idea . We based almost everything you hear on the anxious truth , on the premise that thinking about staying sane , for example , has nothing to do with actually staying sane .

It's okay to look for things that you can hear . That doesn't make that feared psychotic break , for example , any more likely . Doesn't make that feared psychotic break , for example , any more likely . Everything is based on that premise . So keep that in mind . And that is episode 292 of the Anxious Truth in the books .

You know it's over because , well , because I'm telling you it's over because I have very little time for production this week , so there's no music to be had at the end , I mean , I guess , unless I decide to drop it in afterwards , because I wind up with a few minutes before I have to leave to my office to see actual therapy clients , which I'm loving right

now .

Regardless , if you find this content helpful , maybe consider adding the podcast to your podcast library or list of favorite or followed shows on whatever podcast app you use , and if you really like it and you're on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , maybe consider leaving a five-star rating or even writing a little review , because it helps more people find the podcast on

those platforms and then more people get some help or encouragement or empowerment . Of course , if you're watching or listening listening this week there's no video on YouTube maybe consider liking the video , hit the thumbs up or subscribe to the channel .

Those things really do help me reach more people , and feel free to leave a comment or a question in the comment section . I will circle back around when I can to interact with you guys on YouTube , I promise .

In fact , if you have a question about a podcast episode , listening to it or watching it on my YouTube channel is probably the best way to ask a question about that .

So thanks for spending time with me today . I hope you found it helpful and remember I'm going to remind you , like I always do , that every little step you can take toward recovery counts , because they all add up and there are recovery lessons to be found even in the smallest challenges .

Take care , check out the extra resources on my website at theanxioustruthcom , and I will see you in Episode 293 . Thank you .