What’s life without a little adversity?
Sometimes, a “no” can be a “yes” on the other side of a (big) hurdle.
This thought recently occurred to me after receiving a no - an expected “no” but still an inconvenient one. We can only anticipate and prepare ourselves for stress or disappointment to a point; after that point, we have to live through it.
How did I live through it this time? I practiced the 5x5x5 technique. So allow me to share this helpful resilience technique with you so it can help you through a difficult situation, too!
The 5x5x5 Technique comes from psychology and resilience literature, which I would cite here but, tbh, I learned it so long ago, and have practiced it for so long, I cannot now recall or Google it and find the original source. So, apologies to the original creator! I’ve listed some resources of where it might have come from below.
5x5x5 works to orient you to the present moment. By focusing on your immediate environment, you allow your brain to take a break from running on whatever hamster wheel it’s stuck on. You also engage with your body, relieving the mind of its power momentarily and reminding yourself that there exists a world (your physical world) other than what’s in your brain. Its a powerful little tool of distraction that can actually change your perspective on things.
So, here it is: the 5x5x5 Technique
Look around you and name 5 things (to yourself) that you see in your immediate environment.
Close your eyes and name 5 things that you hear in your immediate environment.
Keeping your eyes closed, name 5 things that you currently feel - these can be tactile sensations (your feet on the floor) or emotions.
And, there you go, that’s 5x5x5. You just took a pause and re-oriented yourself to the present moment. How did that feel?
It’s not a magic pill, and it certainly won’t solve your problems for you, but it will give you some space and time to think differently and experience the world around you. The hope is that, coming back to your thoughts and your problems, you’ll have some renewed energy and even a different perspective.
For me, I emerged from my 5x5x5 practice (which, in this case, I had to practice multiple times over a period of a few hours to stop spinning on that hamster wheel) with that helpful phrase “A ‘no’ can be a ‘yes’ on the other side of a (big) hurdle.” And that has helped reshape my approach to overcoming this particular “no” in the weeks to come!
RESOURCES:
Image courtesy of Image by viarprodesign</a> on Freepik
Resources that teach resilience techniques, including 5x5x5, may be found at NICABM
