When anxiety strikes, it’s so easy to lose focus of the present moment. Your mind can shoot off into the depths of your past or into hypothetical futures that don’t actually exist. However, there is a simple mindfulness trick that’s becoming more and more popular with people all over the world.

It doesn’t matter how anxious you are, whether it’s a little bit here and there or feeling it all the time, becoming mindful of how you feel and getting yourself back into the present moment can help dramatically.

This is known as the 5-4-3-2-1 tool. It’s been proven countless times to be effective when you’re trying to combat feelings of anxiety and return to feeling like the ‘you’ you know and love.

However, instead of counting backwards from five to one, which is also effective when trying to return to the present moment, this trick using all five senses to really bring you back.

Here’s how to do it.

5 – See

When you start feeling those anxious emotions creeping into how you feel, look around your environment and highlight five things that you can see. These can be anything, just draw your focus to those objects and really sense and acknowledge what they are.

4 – Listen

After identifying five objects or things in your surrounds, then start to listen. Try and identify four unique sounds that you can hear. It could be music, a car passing by, people talking, birds singing, a tap dripping, just anything you can hear at that moment.

3 – Touch

Moving onto touch, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, reach out and touch three unique items or objects. Again, this could be anything around you, from a table or seat to a ring, watch or piece of clothing on your body. Become mindful of what the objects feel like and the difference between all three.

2 – Smell

Take a deep inhale through your nose and see if you can smell anything around you. This could be as simple as fresh air, and if that’s all you can smell, then that’s fine. You might be able to smell somebody’s perfume or deodorant, or even food cooking somewhere far away. Try to locate the sources of these smells to help you return to the present.

1 – Taste

Of course, the final sense is your taste. You might not be eating anything at the time but ask yourself what you can taste. This could even be your tongue or running your tongue over your teeth, the roof of your mouth or your lips.

You can practice these steps as quickly or as slowly as you like but this is a sure-fire way to bring your mind back to the present moment. This mindfulness technique is based on a human psychology known as sensory awareness, and it’s something many of don’t use in our everyday lives.

So, if you’re feeling anxious or signs of anxiety are starting to creep up on you, try taking a moment to breathe. Follow through these five steps and get your mind back and happy to where it should be here in the Now.

What is ‘becoming mindful’ to you?

Perhaps you’ve always wondered what it’s like to live in the present moment? Perhaps you’re already there. No matter who we are or what walk of life we’re from, it’s safe to say that the vast majority of us are living in our heads.

We work around with our minds on our phones or thinking about yesterday and tomorrow, but how often are you connected to what’s actually happening around you and your immediate environment?

The problem comes since we’re unable to enjoy what is going on in this moment fully. We end up missing out on what’s going on in our lives and before we know it, years have gone by, and we’re no better off than we were.

However, this isn’t a permanent thing, and you can actively take steps to becoming more mindful in your everyday life. Not sure where to begin? Here are some mindfulness techniques to get you started!

#1 – Walking Mindfully

This is one of my favourite mindfulness techniques, and when I learned about it, I had to practice it everywhere I went. We all walk around with headphones on or glued to our screens but using the act of walking to become mindful is one of the best there is.

Thich Nhat Hanh said it best. Walk as if your feet are kissing the ground. This is a beautiful quote that stuck with me everywhere I go. Pay attention to how your feet feel against the floor or the ground. Pay attention to your surroundings and the environment that you’re currently in.

#2 – Breath Mindfully

Breathing is the core focus on mindfulness, typically associated with meditation, essential for living. Our breathing is both something that can happen naturally with its own beat or something that we can control and focus on.

Any time of day, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, focus on your breathing and become aware of the present moment.

#3 – Eating Mindfully

We all eat throughout the day, so it’s only natural that this is a great time to become mindful. Consider your current eating habits. Do you sit and watch TV, play on your phone or even read? When was the last time you actually sat and ate and did just that?

Focus on your food, the taste, the smell and the textures and not only will you start to enjoy your food a lot more, but you’ll also become more mindful in the process.

#4 – Listen Mindfully

We all have conversations throughout the day, whether it’s with friends, family, colleagues or complete strangers. But how often do you actually listen to what the other person is saying and how often does your mind wander off onto other trains of thought?

When you’re having a conversation with somebody, give them 100% of your full attention, and you’ll be amazed at the connections you can make with others and how much more you get from human interactions.

#5 – Meditate Daily

I believe this one goes without saying, but it’s just as, if not more, essential than all the rest of the points on this list. While you can effectively meditate on a single breath, practising every day is far more beneficial to your well-being.

This is because you can practice and improve your skill over time. Despite the brain being an organ, it grows and can strength, just like a muscle. Like you would exercise your body, think of meditation as an exercise for your brain and overall well-being.

#6 – Sense Mindfully

We all have five senses; sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell. Whenever you feel your mind slipping away into the depths of anything other than the present moment, use your senses to bring you back. Pay attention to the energy that your senses receive and allow them to be your anchor.

#7 – Make a Change

Have you ever been driving anywhere, reached your destination and then realised that you couldn’t remember anything from the journey you’ve just taken? It’s as though your mind went into autopilot.

This happens all the time to our brains, especially when we’re carrying out the same old routines. Instead, why not mix things up by changing your routine. Maybe try carrying out a task in a different way or taking a different route to work. This can invoke focus in your mind and help you stay in the present moment.

While meditation is renowned for being a great way to start your day, especially if you do it as the first thing you do when you wake up, how else do you spend your mornings?

Personally, I do meditation, and yoga, as the first thing I do when I wake up. It helps me to wake up, set my mindset for the rest of the day and to focus my mind on whatever I plan to do with this new morning.

However, there are several other things you can do when it comes to your morning routine to help you make the most of your mornings and, therefore, the rest of your day. Here’s five of them to get you started;

#1 – Go for a Walk

Typically, my mornings used to start with me jumping out of bed, meditating doing yoga for about half an hour, realising I was late for work and then running out of the door to try and get there on time.

However, starting my day in this rushed and stressful manner is a far cry from a being a healthy way to wake up. Instead, try going for a little five-minute walk to wake yourself up. This could even be as small as walking to the end of the road and back but starting your day with fresh air is a great set up for a great day.

#2 – Tidy Up

People who make their beds in the morning are renowned for being more successful and happier people in their everyday lives. If your home is getting a bit messy, this is only going to cause stress in your mind.

Furthermore, you’ll always have that little nagging voice in your head telling you that you need to tidy up, distracting you from more important things.

Instead, do one big tidy up when you have the time and then spend ten minutes tidying up every morning. This makes keeping your home tidy all the time and is a great way to keep your mind, and your environment, calm.

You can also do this with your workspace when you first get to work, helping your working environment to relax you, every time you enter your office.

#3 – Get an Enjoyable Habit

As I mentioned above, my daily routine started with a brief wake-up routine, followed by rushing out to work in the most stressful way possible. However, taking the time in the morning to do something you enjoy when you wake up is a great way to start your day and to get you into a positive mindset.

For example, you could try sitting down and having a coffee, no phone, just focusing on the taste and sitting there.

However, you might like to try doing a crossword or a Sudoku puzzle to wake your brain up. This can be anything you want, just as long as you enjoy it. Make sure you can do it for about ten minutes, eating up basically no time in your day.

#4 – Have a Cold Shower

While this may not seem like the most appealing way to start your day, having a cold shower is actually hugely beneficial to your wellbeing. In addition to fully waking you up, an old shower won’t give you the jitters, or the crash, that is typically associated with coffee.

Make sure you put a towel on your radiator though for when you get out, especially on those nippy winter mornings!

#5 – Write Something

Some days, it’s understandable that we wake up and we just don’t feel right. Maybe you feel anxious about something, or stressed out, or just not yourself. Maybe you’ve tried meditating, but you just can’t seem to find your focus.

This is understandable, and it happens to the best of us, but that doesn’t mean that you have to live like this. Instead, try writing down anything that’s playing on your mind, and you’ll be surprised with just how the act of writing it down can do wonders for your mental well-being.

In fact, a 2011 study at the University of Chicago found that students who were proactive in writing down their stresses were able to improve their overall grade score by one; not bad for not having to revise anything for that extra point!