Using The 54321 Technique For Relaxation And Mindfulness

A quick exercise that can be done anywhere, anytime to stop anxious thinking and fully embrace the present.

I love the four seasons and the different things to look forward to that each one brings, but my absolute favorite, no doubt, is late September through New Year’s. And every. single. year. I feel like those few months fly by faster than any other chunk of time.  

We are less than a week away from Christmas as I write this, and I am sure you can agree that these are busy, busy days. Every single year, I say the same thing: “I don’t want to rush the season! I want to make sure I truly enjoy it and appreciate it.” Making a list of some thoughtful gifts for family and friends, jotting down the festive activities I want to make sure we get to do, marking my calendar with events and celebrations planned, a list of recipes I want to cook or bake, cards to send (this year I didn’t even get around to this), and more. It can be a lot.

It is important to me to live in the present moment as much as possible. Over time, I’ve learned that my brain automatically wants to fast forward, to the next trip, the next party, the next thing, the next fun. I think this is probably a combination of simply the anxious human brain, wanting to know how everything will unfold, and genuine, pure, joyful excitement about what lies ahead.

This started when I was young. I remember whenever I had family or friends visiting, I was always hoping the visit would last longer. One time when I was a child, my relatives from New York City had just arrived for the Christmas holiday and upon answering the door and hugging them, my first words were “How long are you staying!? You’re staying for a while, right?” (Hmm, looking back, I’m sure I can unpack this with a therapist…. buuuuut that’s a post for another day). By rushing the present, whether fast-forwarding to something fun and exciting on the horizon or wanting to hold on so tightly to make it last, I was taking myself OUT of the very joy and presence of the experience. My focus was so much on what was next or how long the current feeling would stay/last that, I raced through it. It’s not a great feeling. Maybe you can relate? Have you ever done this?

It really has taken me years to work through this and I owe it all to deepening my understanding and practice of mindfulness. Always a student and always learning, it is constant, daily practice. Like everything else, some days are easier than others. There are loads of exercises and cheats to bring us back to the present. One is the 54321 technique that I am going to share with you today. This is such a useful exercise and one I have been really loving since recently learning it from a mediation teacher.

The 54321 technique is also sometimes referred to as the “54321 relaxation technique” and it great to use when someone is anxious or on the verge of a panic attack, since the nature of the exercise is very distracting and really takes you OUT of your head and causes you to activate all senses to tune into your ever-changing surroundings. It is incredible at mindfulness and bringing you into the present moment. What I love to say about mindfulness is that it is the slowing down of time. I think we could all use a bit of that magic trick, couldn’t we? To literally slow down time? The commodity nobody ever seems to have enough of. That was probably the first thing I noticed in my course– mindfulness felt like it created more minutes during the day, though it takes time to do, so you ironically think you don’t have the time to stop and do it!

Everyone has their own version of this technique, but here is what I do.

5 things you can see

Look around your space. This is easy if you are outside or in an external place, but it can be done at home, too. Do you see people? Get specific. Someone in a red coat, an animal, the clouds, the way the sunlight looks on the sidewalk, your cup of coffee, etc. If you are inside your home, it might be tricker, but you can notice 5 items and even get more intricate with it…. noting things you might not have noticed before or have taken for granted just moving about your day on autopilot.

4 things you can touch (and how do they feel?)

The mug in your hands. The feeling of your jeans. The texture of your sweater. The fur of your pet. The cold water on your hands. The piece of jewelry you are wearing. The fabric of the curtains. The more you can really describe the item, the better.

3 things you can hear

The traffic outside. People talking and laughing. A clock. Silence.

2 things you can smell

Can you smell anything? Someone cooking? Your own perfume? A lotion on your hands? Your hair? Or maybe there is no smell at all.

1 thing you can taste

If you are eating or drinking, this is easy. Otherwise, I often will think, what was the last thing I ate that day and how did it taste? Or I will go to the last tasty thing I ate and imagine that in detail.

You can see how in an anxious spiral this can take you out of that mind/head experience and bring you into the body. But if you are feeling good and just want to stop and pause time, it’s a great tool to use. I especially find it touching when I am with family or friends or something happy is taking place…. Just take a step back and almost be a fly on the wall of your own experience… really watching from a different perspective, and really being IN the moment. It’s a great way to make sure you are taking time to appreciate and almost take a physical snapshot of the experience. You can do this as many times as you want during the day. I even have 3 reminder alarms set on my phone throughout the day to pause and check in with myself. Sometimes I feel “too busy” and ignore the alarm, saving it for a later time, and other times I take the opportunity to pause. It helps.  

Next time you find yourself in busy times, having one of those days where you feel like you just can’t slow down, or you want to stop time during a trip, concert or any joyful moment to really take it all in, give the 54321 technique a try.