5 easy steps to de-stress and ground yourself! 5個簡單的步驟，幫助你減低壓力！

By Tiffany(Shiao-Ting) Lin 

Intern Therapist

Photo credit by Elīna Arāja

The phone rang, and I glanced at my phone quickly. It was my sister.

"Hello?" I answered.

Silence.

"Hello?" I asked again nervously.

And then it came: sounds of her sobbing and hyperventiling traveled through the phone. She has been struggling with frequent anxiety, and this time, she was hit with a panic attack. I wasn't able to be with her physically, but what I could do was lead her through a coping exercise over the phone.

"Breathe, breathe, breathe... now, tell me 5 things you can see..."

This technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 coping technique.

Begin by taking long and deep breaths to calm down, you can put your hand on your chest to feel the rising and falling of your chest as you breathe in and out. Once you've done that, follow these steps to help yourself be more present, mindful, and grounded.

5: Name 5 things you can see. It could be the pen on your table, a spot on the wall, or anything in your surrounding.

4: Name 4 things you can touch. Maybe it's your hair, the fabric of the chair you're sitting on, or even the ground under your feet.

3: Name 3 things you can hear. This could be any external sounds. Like the sound of traffic, the humming noise of the refrigerator, or the grumbling of your stomach.

2: Name 2 things you can smell. It could be someone cooking in the kitchen, or the perfume/cologn you have on today. Or it could be an item that you can literally pick up and smell, like a pillow or a soap in the bathroom.

1: Name 1 thing you can taste. What does the inside of your mouth taste like? Coffee, mint, or your lunch from earlier? If there happens to be some food or candies near you, you can taste it slowly, and describe the texture and taste of the food to yourself.

This coping technique can help distract and remove you from your anxiety, nervousness, or panic attacks. It helps ground you in the moment as you focus on the here and now, and leaves no additional space in your mind to think about anything else other than the task (naming 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 things) at hand.

Everyone struggles with some level of anxiety, you're not alone! Next time, if you find yourself in an emotionally out-of-hand situation, try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique and experience the calm it brings. 

叮鈴鈴～ 手機響了又響，我看了一眼，是我姐打來了。

「喂？」

她沒回答。

「喂？怎麼了？」我緊張了起來。

她微微的出了點聲音，接著，一陣又一陣的啜泣聲，從電話的另一頭傳過來。那陣子，她很容易焦慮，而這次，她恐慌發作，一直哭一直哭。我那時沒辦法在她身邊陪伴她，我能做的，就是透過電話，教導她一個壓力因應的技巧。

「深呼吸，再深呼吸、、、好，現在告訴我五樣妳看得到的東西、、、」

這個技巧，我們可以稱它為「五四三二一技巧」。

首先，先深呼吸，讓自己冷靜下來。你可以將你的手放在胸前，感受吸氣和呼氣時，胸口的起伏。接下來，按照以下的步驟幫助自己脫離焦慮。

五：說出5樣你能看到的東西。這可以是桌上的筆，牆上的一個點，或者你周圍的任何東西。

四：說出4樣你能觸摸的東西。也許是你的頭髮，身旁椅子的布料，甚至是你腳下的地板。

三：說出3個你能聽見的聲音。這可以是任何外在的聲音。像是外面交通的聲音、冰箱的嗡嗡聲、或是你肚子咕嚕咕嚕在叫的聲音。

二：說出2個你能聞到的味道。也許有人正在廚房煮香噴噴的飯，或是你今天擦的香水特別香。這也可以是任何你能拿起來聞的東西，譬如，身邊的一個枕頭，或是廁所裡的肥皂。

一：說出1個你能嚐到的東西。你嘴裡現在的味道是什麼？咖啡、薄荷糖、還是你中午的午餐？如果身邊剛好有可以吃的食物，可以慢慢的品嚐，並向自己描述食物在嘴巴裡的口感如何。

這個因應技巧能在你焦慮、緊張、或像我姐一樣恐慌發作的時候，分散你的注意力。當你專注於說出這五、四、三、二、一事物時，你腦裡不會有多餘的空間去思考那些讓你焦慮的事情。

每一個人，都在與某種程度的焦慮鬥爭，你並不孤單！下一次，如果你情緒失控了，試試 「五四三二一技巧」，並體驗它帶給你的平靜。