46. Bonus - Gratitude Reset: A Quick 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Practice for Nurses Feeling Off

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Feeling overwhelmed or just a little off? In this short and sweet bonus episode of The Nurses’ Breakroom with Jenny Lytle, RN, we explore a simple but powerful twist on the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to help nurses and caregivers reconnect with gratitude—anytime, anywhere.

Whether you're on a break, driving, or winding down after a tough shift, this five-minute self-care reset will guide you to:

✅ Refocus your energy through your senses
 ✅ Notice small joys that often go overlooked
 ✅ Boost your mood without needing extra time or money
 ✅ Shift from stress to gratitude in under 5 minutes

Why it matters:
Practicing gratitude improves sleep, relationships, and overall well-being—something every nurse deserves. No journaling pressure. No guilt. Just a quick pause to feel better, fast.

🎧 Take this mini gratitude practice on the go and remind yourself that self-care isn't selfish—it's essential.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the
nurse's break room with JennyLytle RN.
Today is going to be a quickbonus episode Because I
personally have been goingthrough a few challenges that
comparatively aren't awful, butare still things that have
weighed on me a little bit, andso as I go through things like

(00:23):
this, I really try to focus ongratitude and all of the things
that I do have that are goingwell and things to be grateful
for, and this is a bit of atwist on the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding
technique, and so I justencourage you to think through
these things.

(00:43):
You know you can do this asyou're walking or driving, or
you can spend some more timejournaling about it, but it
doesn't have to take a lot oftime, but it is kind of an
interesting way to think aboutthe things that we're grateful
for.
So, first of all, let's justtake a deep breath In through

(01:14):
your nose and out through yourmouth.
Now look around wherever youmay be and look for five things

(01:35):
that you can see that you aregrateful for.
And maybe you're in nature andthere's five things that you
appreciate about that, or fivethings that you enjoy seeing, or
maybe it's you're at home andyou see people, or your favorite
mug, or something that makeslife a little easier, or a great
book that you're reading.
There's no right or wrong tothese things.
They don't have to be anythinghuge, they can be very simple,
but those little things thatjust make life feel a little

(01:55):
better.
And then move on to four thingsthat you can touch.
You can touch and again, maybethis is something that's outside
or in your car, or maybe it's afavorite blanket that you have

(02:17):
or a pet.
And once you've done those,what are?
Three things that you can hear.
For instance, right now I canhear the air conditioner, and
I'm very grateful for that, andI can hear my cat snoring, and

(02:46):
so, thinking of the things thatare around you that you can hear
, that don't have to be anythingbig or dramatic, but just
things that make life better.
Two things that you can smellRight now.
Here it's summer and we've justgot all those great summer
scents going on.
You know where you smell someflowers, and sometimes you're
not even sure where they'recoming from, or that fresh smell
that you get after it rains.

(03:07):
And then what's one thing thatyou can taste?
And maybe that's an actual foodor drink, but sometimes it's
just that little bit ofdeliciousness that's in the air,
that little bit ofdeliciousness that's in the air.

(03:35):
And then, of course, let's thinkabout the people in our lives,
and specifically about one tothree people that you're really
grateful for.
And not only does this make youfeel better in the moment, but

(03:58):
studies have shown that when wepractice gratitude, it improves
our relationships and our healthand our sleep.
There's so many benefits and nonegative side effects to
focusing on the things thatwe're grateful for instead of
all of the things that maybearen't going exactly the way we
would like, either in ourpersonal lives or in the world.

(04:18):
You know, despite what's goingon, there's always things to be
grateful for when we just stopand take a look for them.
Until next time, remember thatself-care isn't selfish.
It's the only way that we cancontinue to show up for the
people that we care about.
I'm very thankful for you.

(04:40):
Have a great week.