Maryn has overthunk herself into oblivion

On anxiety and relying on the senses to find grounding

Last week I wrote briefly about my tendency to overthink myself into oblivion. In a cruelly ironic turn from the universe, this week my anxiety has been a regular, rather inconvenient companion and I have, unfortunately, overthunk myself into oblivion.

So today, I am releasing myself from the pressure no one has placed on me but myself to write something deep, introspective, and insightful. My brain just can't.

Instead, here’s a little grounding practice I sometimes turn to when my anxiety is being a jerk. Some folks call it the “5-4-3-2-1” coping technique, and its purpose is to help you get out of your head and back into your body using your senses.

It goes like this:

• Name 5 things you can see

• Name 4 things you can touch

• Name 3 things you can hear

• Name 2 things you can smell

• Name 1 thing you can taste

When it comes to intense anxiety, I turn to this coping technique probably more than anything else. I don’t always follow it strictly, but sometimes having the structure of it helps.

Shall we take it for a whirl?

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Written on Sunday, August 27th, at around 9:00 PM:

5 things I can see

• The glow of the laptop on my hands in our darkened living room

• Freddy sitting on the opposite side of the couch (cross-legged because he’s very flexible)

• The TV (we just finished watching the Gilmore Girls season 6 finale, iykyk)

• Monet’s toys strewn around the rug at our feet

• The dim, cool-toned lights illuminating our kitchen counter

4 things I can touch

• My very old pink fuzzy socks

• My Squishmallow supporting my back (it’s surprisingly ergonomic)

• The smooth plastic of my keyboard

• The woven upholstery of our couch

3 things I can hear

• Crickets chirping outside

• The bass of someone’s music playing from a car nearby

• Monet pitter-pattering around the kitchen

2 things I can smell

• The lingering rainy “outside” smell after Freddy took Monet for her nightly walk

• My oversized vintage chambray shirt that I tend to wrap up in on rainy days (it also has a faint “outside” smell from the day’s errands)

1 thing I can taste

• The aftertaste of chips and salsa (our Gilmore Girls snack )

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And there you have it. Writing about my anxiety does seem to help, so I guess it’s going on the coping techniques list too.

What do you do for your anxiety? What are some things you can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste right now?

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Until next time,

Maryn (is probably anxious)