Get anxious sometimes? Me too.

I learned about this exercise from The Mayo Clinic and I was immediately called to share. It’s not only simple and effective, it may just get your creative juices flowing, too.

The next time a mental whirlwind hits, try their method:

>> Name 5 things you can see.

>> Name 4 things you can physically feel.

>> Name 3 things you can hear.

>> Name 2 things you can smell.

>> Name 1 thing you can taste.

Pretty cool, huh? I love that this not only helps to center and ground us, but it’s also creative. It allows us to return to our physical surroundings.

When I was a performer, I studied something called Viewpoints.

Viewpoints has origins in dance and is a way for actors and performers to use the outside world to inform/shift their inner world.

There is an exercise we used as a warm-up that I think compliments the above technique and can assist us in getting underneath the anxious feelings, should we want to.

1. Walk around your space for a few moments to get present. When you feel ready, name facts about your environment or yourself. For example, “I have brown hair,” or “my kitchen has a blue wall.” This brings us back to the present moment and gets us out of our heads.

2. After naming facts, now it is time to name intuits (or feelings/energy). Continue walking your space and drop down into your root and sacral chakras (base of the spine and right below the belly button). As you walk, start naming intuits. For example, “I feel silly doing this exercise,” or “I’m excited about my dinner with my sister.” Get honest with yourself and deeper intuits will start to surface.

This practice helps us reconnect with what we may be ignoring or not tending to, which could be a cause of our anxious feelings.

May this be of benefit.

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