Speaker 1: Good morning, and welcome to grief. Let's make sense of
Speaker 1: this shit. For July twentieth, twenty twenty six, I'm Dylan,
Speaker 1: and it means a lot that you chose to spend
Speaker 1: these minutes here. Today, grief often shows up without any
Speaker 1: warning at all. Because of that, today's focused practice centers
Speaker 1: on the five four three two one grounding technique made
Speaker 1: for sudden grief waves. Since the entire sequence takes five minutes,
Speaker 1: we can move through it without adding pressure to your day. However,
Speaker 1: finding a spot where you feel steady comes first. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: notice whether sitting feels better than standing right now. Although
Speaker 1: these waves can leave you unsteady, this approach uses your
Speaker 1: senses to meet the moment as it is. In other words,
Speaker 1: we name five things you see than four, or you
Speaker 1: can touch and continue from there. The reality is that
Speaker 1: each step brings attention back to what surrounds you instead
Speaker 1: of what the loss took away. That said, you stay
Speaker 1: in control the whole time. For example, if naming objects
Speaker 1: feels too sharp, you can choose softer details like colors
Speaker 1: or textures. Plus, there is room to pause between steps
Speaker 1: whenever you need. On top of that, the practice works
Speaker 1: whether you are at home, or in a car, or
Speaker 1: anywhere else the wave arrives. Ultimately, the goal stays simple.
Speaker 1: We create a brief pause that honors how hard the
Speaker 1: grief feels, while giving your body something concrete to hold. Now.
Speaker 1: Here is where we get ready together. That simple goal
Speaker 1: starts with bringing your attention to what surrounds you right now,
Speaker 1: because grief can pull you away from the present moment. Instead,
Speaker 1: you can choose to notice details that keep you anchor here.
Speaker 1: Begin by naming five things you see. Look around the
Speaker 1: space slowly, and say each one out loud or in
Speaker 1: your mind. Take your time with this first step, since
Speaker 1: there is no rush to finish. Notice colors, shapes, and
Speaker 1: textures without needing to judge them. Pause now and let
Speaker 1: your eyes settle on those five items, one at a time.
Speaker 1: After that, move to four things you can touch. Reach
Speaker 1: out if it feels right, and feel the surface under
Speaker 1: your fingers or the weight of an object in your hand.
Speaker 1: Name each one because this connects your body to what
Speaker 1: is real in the moment. Allow the sensation to register
Speaker 1: fully before you continue. Next, name three things you hear.
Speaker 1: Listen for sounds near and far, whether it is the
Speaker 1: hum of a machine or voices outside. Say them clearly
Speaker 1: to yourself, since hearing helps shift focus away from the
Speaker 1: weight of loss. Then identify two things you smell. Breathe
Speaker 1: in gently, and notice any sense around you from coffee
Speaker 1: or fresh air, or even the fabric nearby. This step
Speaker 1: use this is another sense to stay present. Finally, name
Speaker 1: one thing you taste. It could be the lingering flavor
Speaker 1: from a drink or just the air on your tongue.
Speaker 1: Hold that awareness for a few seconds. Now repeat the
Speaker 1: entire sequence at a slower pace, because going through it
Speaker 1: again can deepen the steadiness. Start once more with five
Speaker 1: things you see and let each one register longer this time,
Speaker 1: Pause between each so the details become clearer. Move on
Speaker 1: to four things you can touch and feel the contact
Speaker 1: more deliberately than before. Continue to three things you hear,
Speaker 1: and allow those sounds to fill the space without hurry.
Speaker 1: Notice two things you smell, with a slower breath in between.
Speaker 1: End with one thing you taste, and stay with that
Speaker 1: single sensation. The mechanism works because grief often scatters attention
Speaker 1: across memories or worries, while this sequence brings focus back
Speaker 1: to immediate surroundings through the senses. Each count builds a
Speaker 1: layer of awareness that interrupts the pull toward what feels missing.
Speaker 1: Since the steps you sight, touch, sounds, smell, and taste,
Speaker 1: they engage different parts of the body at once. Therefore,
Speaker 1: the mind has less room to stay lost in the
Speaker 1: same loop. Although the feelings of loss remain, the exercise
Speaker 1: offers a brief return to the here and now. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: repeating the sequence reinforces that shift without demanding anything more.
Speaker 1: This micro ritual, called five minute grief grounding, fits when
Speaker 1: morning dread arrives or when a wave hits during the day.
Speaker 1: This kind of practice works because it shifts your focus
Speaker 1: away from those looping memories and into the present moment
Speaker 1: through simple sensory steps. Grief often keeps the mind circling
Speaker 1: back to what happened or what might have been. However,
Speaker 1: the sequence of noticing four things you can touch, then
Speaker 1: three sounds, two smells, and one taste interrupts that pattern.
Speaker 1: Since each step requires you to name some something real
Speaker 1: and immediate rite where you are. The brain receives fresh
Speaker 1: input instead of staying stuck in emotional recall. That shift
Speaker 1: happens gradually, yet it creates space for steadiness to return. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: the same steps activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Although grief
Speaker 1: tension often shows up as tightness in the chest or shoulders,
Speaker 1: this gentle sensory focus signals the body that it can ease.
Speaker 1: Researchers at the UCSF Stress and Anxiety Research Lab found
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty two that similar present moment techniques produced
Speaker 1: a measurable drop in heart rate during moments of acute loss.
Speaker 1: Because the body and mind stay connected, this physical calming
Speaker 1: supports the emotional side without forcing any particular feeling to change.
Speaker 1: In fact, the repetition at a slower pace deepens the
Speaker 1: effect since it gives the nervous system extra time to settle.
Speaker 1: While the first brings attention outward, the second round allows
Speaker 1: that steadiness to settle further into the body. Therefore, you
Speaker 1: end up with both a mental break from memory loops
Speaker 1: and a physical release from built up tension at the
Speaker 1: same time. You can try this same sequence again later today,
Speaker 1: whenever the fog returns. Notice how the practice feels after
Speaker 1: you finish, and let that observation guide whether you repeat
Speaker 1: it tomorrow morning or before bed. You can bring this
Speaker 1: practice into any moment when grief arrives without notice because
Speaker 1: the steps stay simple and portable. It works whether you
Speaker 1: stand in your kitchen or sit on a park bench,
Speaker 1: since the sequence asks only for your attention right where
Speaker 1: you are. Try running through the full sequence once today,
Speaker 1: even when the fog stays light. That small repetition builds
Speaker 1: familiarity for the times when you need it more. If
Speaker 1: this podcast helps you make sense of your shit, join
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Speaker 1: alive when listeners back it. You can find the link
Speaker 1: to join in the episode description. If this episode resonated,
Speaker 1: professional support can offer additional space for what you carry. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: the same sensory steps we used earlier continue to steady
Speaker 1: things when waves return. Since tomorrow brings another conversation on
Speaker 1: grief and loss, I hope you join me then for
Speaker 1: more gentle tools that honor exactly where you stand to
Speaker 1: day