Come back here: your five senses, one at a time

Thoughts that go round in circles are nearly always about yesterday or tomorrow. Your senses only know now.

The idea

For a few moments, bring your attention to what you can perceive right where you are. Not to push thoughts away, but to give your mind something else to look at.

How to do it, in two minutes

1. Sight. Find five things around you. Take the time to name them.
2. Hearing. Listen for four sounds, near or far, however faint.
3. Touch. Notice three sensations: your feet on the floor, the fabric on your skin, the air.
4. Smell. Look for two smells, however faint.
5. Taste. Notice one taste in your mouth.

Counting down from five to one is a common way to practise. It hasn’t been studied on its own: it’s an easy way into the exercise, not a magic formula.

What the research says

A 2018 meta-analysis pooled dozens of trials of very brief mindfulness training, often a single session. It found an effect on negative emotions that was real but modest. In other words, a few minutes of attention to the present can help a little, in the moment. That’s an honest claim, and it’s already a lot.

When to use it

When you feel overwhelmed, before replying to a message that stung, or at night, when your mind won’t go quiet.

This article is general information. It isn’t medical advice and doesn’t replace a health professional.