We tested the “5-4-3-2-1” method to de-stress illicia
Files that accumulate? Too much stress at work? A personal period difficult to manage? Or a permanent anxiety due to your rhythm of life? To avoid having a nervous breakdown, a technique, developed by an American psychologist, would allow you to relax in a few minutes. Bio à la une wanted to test the effectiveness of the “5-4-3-2-1” method. We tell you everything.
The origin of the 5-4-3-2-1 method
When a person is overwhelmed by stress , they create what is called a "survival response" in which their heart rate increases and their breath becomes short. This is due to the stress hormone cortisol, which spreads through the brain.
In order to limit these effects, Ellen Hendriksen, a clinical psychologist at the Anxiety Disorders Center at Boston University and host of The Savvy podcast, developed a technique, which she shared on the Tonic Magazine site. Vice . Method that she also exposes in her book How to Be Yourself , released in March 2018 (Ed. Macmillan Audio).
Called " 5-4-3-2-1" , the exercise in question, effective in the face of social anxiety, is based on the 5 senses: sight , smell, taste , touch, and sight. .
The steps to follow for a successful 5-4-3-2-1 method
- To begin with, you have to focus on your environment and observe it. To do this, visualize 5 specific things around you.
- Now put your hearing into action by identifying 4 distinct noises (or sounds). For example, the footsteps of your colleagues in the hallway, the keyboard of a computer ...
- Then, if possible, touch 3 things around you, then try to distinguish 2 different smells.
- The last step is focused on “taste”. You can drink water, take a mint lozenge ...
This use of the 5 senses allows the anxious person to focus on something else and no longer on the source of his problem. This technique promises to bring down the pressure in a few minutes. " Focusing your attention on the senses allows you to anchor yourself in the present and the counting of objects interrupts the confusion of our thoughts," explains Ellen Hendriksen. Thus, you are no longer overwhelmed by your stress.
After the theory, it's time for practice!
Our journalist Feriel wanted to try the experiment . Here is his opinion.
" Periods a little more stressful than the others, we all know them. For my part, I tested several anti-stress techniques, some of them not working at all. While learning about the subject, I came across the techniques by Ellen Hendriksen. The positive comments left no doubt. I had to test it too. One morning, on my way to work, the train traffic was (as is often the case) very disturbed and the crowd all the more important. Stuck in place, some travelers began to lose patience and pester, transmitting their stress to others…
and to myself. Time passes, I realize that I am already 40 minutes late, and that I am far from the office. The nervousness climbs naturally. Arriving at work, already exhausted and stressed before the day began, I gave it a try. And I have to admit, in the last step, I was completely focused on something else. My brain thus paused. Result: I felt good pretty quickly. I was able to breathe and resume my day. If this time, it was just a simple stroke of stress, this technique promises to be as effective for more severe anxieties. As soon as I feel the stress rising, I repeat the exercise. It's up to you to try! Tested and approved !"
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