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Anyone else not able to do 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique

NAS83418

Hello  :-)

Just a quick question. I'm late diagnosed. Struggling with trauma and at the moment I'm impacted by emotional regulation. I've never been able to do the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding thing, I've tried for over 15 years. I don't ever seem to be able to climb down enough to do it and it just doesn't work no matter how hard I practice in calm moments to set it as a pattern/habit.  Does anyone else struggle with it?

Parents

  • I think it is too complicated, so make it something simpler. The point of it is to make you aware of your surroundings and senses. You can do this by other means.

    Such as wash you hands under a cold tap. It draws your focus to your hands and the here and now. There is not much to do or concentrate on.

    I think movement helps too, such as just walking outside and getting some light and air for a few minutes. It is better if cool or raining.

    I don't know if you can use some other way to break the thought pattern, such as having a mental image of something you still want to achieve or are proud of that you can reach for. It depends on how much control you have when dysregulated.

  • in reply to Stuart333

    Thanks for replying! Great suggestions. The grounding technique is needed for when I'm out and about in public, so I can't do the cold water/washing thing. It's not so much a thought pattern as being flooded/overwhelmed with emotion/anxiety/fear   

Reply Children
  • in reply to Stuart333

    Thanks so much!  Some great ideas. Somatic pairing and vagus nerve re-set was something I was working on for months, with the 4-4-6/7 breathing. I also had a message on the in-breath like "you are safe" and on the out breath,  a selection of soothing phrases like "my heart doesn't need to race".  However, I got to that place one day where it was actually making my heart race more...I looked it up and it's genuinely a thing that it can be counter-productive and make that pesky cortisol rise even more.  I'll try again in a few weeks to see if it can be effective again.   I have a medical condition that causes increased levels of cortisol - happy days!  :-D

  • in reply to NAS83418

    A simple one that might help, if you are able to notice, you may find your shoulders hunch as you get anxious and nervous. Lowering your shoulders and taking one deep breath really helps. You can mentally say down too as you do it. AI suggested this, I tried it and it actually works, at least for me.

    Make sure you breath out. I used to breathel in more than out. This makes a difference too.

    Closing your eyes for a few seconds, while breathing, if safe to do so, may also help as the eyes provide a huge amount of data.

    These things are quite discrete.