Hey guys. Welcome to Episode 33 of Not Another Anxiety Show. I'm your host, Kelly Walker,

and today I have another quick mindfulness exercise for you,

one minute to be exact, which makes it even shorter than the last mindfulness exercise I shared back in episode 28.

And while the exercise in episode 28 used the power of visualization, this exercise uses your surrounding environment to practice

fostering this deliberate awareness. I think the saying goes something like different strokes

for different folks. So if the visualization exercise wasn't your cup of tea, then you may find

that this one resonates with you a bit more.

The goal of this mindfulness exercise isn't to distract yourself or escape from the anxiety.

Otherwise, it'll be utterly useless.

The goal of this exercise is to help you feel just a little more grounded as you learn to move through the anxiety. Because as confidence in our ability to move through anxiety grows, then there's no longer an

urge to meet anxiety with fear. And when we don't meet anxiety with fear, it starts to fall away

since it's no longer being fed.

You can use this exercise anywhere, anytime. You don't need to be sitting cross-legged on a pillow.

I used to use this exercise all the time when I was walking down the grocery aisles and would start to feel overwhelmed or panicked.

So, with your eyes open, name five things you can see.

Name four things you can hear.

Okay. Name four things you can hear.

Name three things you can touch.

Name two things you can smell.

And finally, take one deep breath.

So, pretty simple, not always easy to do, but simple.

Feel free to play around with this exercise a few times and just see what you see.

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