By harnessing the power of your five senses – sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste – the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is designed to dial down this adrenaline and calm the nervous system by bringing you back to the here and now.
“It helps you to regain control of your thoughts by shifting your attention from a negative, ruminating mindset to a calm and observing one,” says Kelly. “Once we reconnect with the present moment by shifting our focus, we interrupt our stress response and the parasympathetic nervous system gets activated, which makes us relax.
“Not only do our muscles relax, our digestive system also works optimally, our heart beats slow and steady, and our breathing becomes deeper,” she continues. “It will help you to make the right decisions from a grounded point of view, which will automatically have a positive impact on both your future and your thoughts about the past.”
Lying in bed, I’d focus on the streetlight I could see outside my window, how my bedsheets felt cool to the touch, the distant hum of traffic, the delicate scent of rose from the Diptyque candle on my bedside table and the minty taste of toothpaste in my mouth (although, truthfully, this last one is the hardest to tap into unless you’ve recently eaten or drunk something).
I soon found I was able to regulate my breathing by just focusing on the tasks at hand. Better still, I can do the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique anywhere – even on the train to work – and anytime I need some extra support.
They say writing about a traumatic experience also helps, with studies showing it can boost wellbeing and even potentially trigger an immune response.
So here I am, hoping that writing about a powerful 60-second mindfulness technique and the difference it has made, will also heal a broken heart.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR’s Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.