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Mindfulness Activities

These mindfulness activities can enhance your self-awareness and improve your ability to handle stress and anxiety.

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

Grounding techniques help you to focus on being in the present moment to reduce stress about the future or the past. Take a moment to walk through this technique while also taking deep, slow breaths. Reflect on and identify each of these in turn.

• 5 things you can see
  • Examples: art on a wall, your hands, furniture, people, colors, shapes
• 4 things you can touch
  • Examples: your feet on the ground, texture of your skin, pen or pencil in your hand
• 3 things you can hear
  • Examples: people talking, birds, music
• 2 things you can smell
  • Examples: food from the café, rain, flowers, perfume, lotion
• 1 thing you can taste
  • Examples: gum, candy, coffee, drink of a beverage

Adapted from mentalhealthcenterkids.com

Hot Chocolate Breathing

Imagine you’re holding a steaming mug of delicious hot chocolate.

Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose as smell the chocolatey goodness.

Then exhale completely through your mouth, as though you’re gently blowing on the piping hot beverage to cool it off.

Take 5 breaths like this.

Source: University of Illinois Extension Center

Box Breathing

This breathing technique can help relieve stress and manage anxiety. It is also called four-square breathing. To begin, “make sure you’re seated upright in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor. Try to be in a stress-free, quiet environment where you can focus on your breathing. Keep your hands relaxed in your lap, palms facing up, and focus on your posture. Sit up straight, which will help you take deep breaths.

When you’re ready, start with step 1.

• Step 1: Slowly exhale: Sitting upright, slowly exhale through your mouth, releasing all the oxygen from your lungs. Focus on this intention and be conscious of what you’re doing.
• Step 2: Slowly inhale: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose to the count of 4. In this step, count to 4 very slowly in your head. Feel the air fill your lungs, one section at a time, until your lungs are full and the air moves into your abdomen.
• Step 3: Hold your breath: Hold your breath for another slow count of 4.
• Step 4: Exhale again: Exhale through your mouth for the same slow count of 4, expelling the air from your lungs and abdomen. Be conscious of the feeling of the air leaving your lungs.
• Step 5: Hold your breath again: Hold your breath for the same slow count of 4 before repeating this process.”

Source: Healthline

Mindfulness Practices

Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Lab Modules

Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)