Five-Senses Grounding – A mindfulness technique for calming and focus

By Lena Garrard | Staff writer

Students often have many tasks and responsibilities that can make them feel overworked and overwhelmed. They may feel the need to focus for extended periods on schoolwork and studying, while external pressure from others or internal pressure from themselves creates a need to refocus, relieve stress and calm their emotions.

Five-senses grounding is a mindfulness technique that helps with this.

Dr. Tracy Casanova, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, a psychologist at the Georgia Cancer Center and the assistant dean of Learner Well-being at the Medical College of Georgia, explains that "grounding" refers to the process of reconnecting with the body in the moment and disrupting negative thought patterns during times of overwhelm or lack of focus. Five-senses grounding does this specifically by using the five senses. It can be completed aloud or silently.

“I like to call the five-senses grounding technique ‘5-4-3-2-1’ as a guide to work through each sense,” Casanova said. “First, start with five things you can see—looking around at your environment, noticing things and naming them without judgment.”

Next, move on to four things you can feel.

“These are physical sensations in your body that you might not be actively aware of,” Casanova said. “Such as your feet on the ground, clothing on your skin or the temperature of the room.”

Then, notice three things you can hear and two things you can smell. If a smell is difficult to find, Casanova recommends trying to smell a piece of clothing or the lotion on your skin.

The last step is to identify one thing you can taste.

“If you don’t have any active tastes in your mouth,” Casanova said, “you can take a sip of something or pop a strong mint in your mouth to focus on that taste.”

Casanova emphasized that students are not the only ones who struggle with focus, overwhelm or negative self-talk. She frequently works on grounding techniques with her patients and reminds people that anyone can use and benefit from five-senses grounding.

“Having a skill you can use to refocus, relieve stress and calm your emotions can be helpful,” Casanova said. “Five-senses grounding is an easy way to take a step back from the pressure and recenter on the current task.”

Note from Dr. Casanova: You have successfully made it this far in your education and have the academic skills to succeed. There are many resources on campus to help with stress management, including Student Counseling and Psychological Services, as well as a free membership to the mindfulness app Headspace, which offers more mindfulness techniques like five-senses grounding.

Contact Lena Garrard at legarrard@augusta.edu