grounding-pressing "pause"

Many of us live a very go, go, go lifestyle. We are constantly running from one event to the next. Jumping from one problem to the next. Without even giving ourselves credit or even realizing what we are doing. 

What would it be like if we could just press "PAUSE" for a few minutes or even a few seconds? What if we could S L O W   D O W N  and pay attention to ourselves, our bodies, each other and even the world around us? What if we could be fully present and engaged?

Well, we can! One of the most effective ways that we can do this is through mindfulness meditation or grounding! Today, I will focus on grounding. 

Here are some very simple grounding exercises with the 5 senses, that you can do virtually anywhere, anytime and with anyone! 

A) notice and label 3 things
Ask yourself 
-what are 3 things I SEE?
-what are 3 things I HEAR?
-what are 3 things i SMELL?
-what are 3 things I FEEL?
-what are 3 things I TASTE?

B) 5-4-3-2-1 method
5:LOOK-Look around and notice 5 things you can see. Repeat them outloud
4:FEEL-Pay attention to your body and say out loud 4 things that you can feel
3:LISTEN-Listen and label 3 sounds you hear
2: SMELL-Take a deep breath in, and say out loud 2 things you can smell
1:-TASTE-Say out loud 1 thing you can taste

C)  Challenge your friend(s)
This is a fun game you can play with your family members, co-workers and/or friends! Challenge each other by seeing how many items you can see, feel, hear, smell or taste....with no repeating! You can go around in a circle, each saying one item you see (without repeating) until you can't come up with any more! Then, move onto the next sense (feel)! You may be pleasantly surprised by the variety of answers!