If you're already feeling overwhelmed by mounting work assignments, performance reviews or goal setting for the rest of 2024, you aren't alone.
Americans have become increasingly more stressed by their daily responsibilities, health and wellbeing since 2019, with 27% saying that most days they're so inundated that they can't function, according to a 2022 poll from the American Psychological Association. In those moments when your stress becomes overwhelming, experts say calming practices like meditation and grounding techniques can help.
In fact, life coach and former monk Jay Shetty has a simple hack that he says can help you stay mentally sound, he tells CNBC Make It.
"I was introduced to it when I was a monk, [and], for me, it's a really great grounding technique," Shetty says.
The exercise, called the 5-4-3-2-1 method, can "be helpful during periods of anxiety or panic by helping to ground you in the present when your mind is bouncing around between various anxious thoughts," according to the University of Rochester Medical Center Behavioral Health Partners blog.
Here's how to do it:
- Name five things you can see
- Name four things you can hear
- Name three things you can feel
- Name two things you can smell
- Name one thing you can taste
"When we were in the monastery, we were taught this as a way of being fully present," Shetty says. "And I often describe it as taking a mental picture. A picture captures the entire environment. So when we capture the energy and environment in our minds, through all of our senses, it means all of the senses are present, and we're fully there."
Taking a few moments to get in tune with your senses can help you get ahead of whatever is causing you worry and anxiety, so you can focus on the present moment.
Medical professionals call this approach to stress relief "self-soothing," meaning you can do it by yourself, no matter where you are, psychology professor Matthew Tull wrote for mental health site Verywell Mind in 2022. The method can be helpful when you need a mood boost but don't have time to seek social or professional support, Tull added.
If you're pinched for time, you can do a condensed version of this exercise, which Shetty shared in a new series with mental health brand, Calm: Focus on three things you can see, two things you can hear and one thing you can feel.
If you've been feeling anxiety and stress for a prolonged time period, however, you may want to consider speaking to someone you trust, like a good friend or family member, or seeking professional assistance. But, if you're experiencing a stressful slump at work or just the occasional bad day, the 5-4-3-2-1 technique can help you ease your mind.
"Using sensory awareness can bring you out of your head and into your body," Shetty said. "Reach for this tool anytime you need it."
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