Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s how to stop the spiral.
Own Your Calm in 5 Minutes. Use Sense Check.
Ever felt like your brain just won’t shut up?
The thoughts keep looping. Your stress levels climb. You try to focus, but your mind is racing.
You tell yourself to “relax,” but it doesn’t work. The noise in your head just won’t stop.
Enter Sense Check.
This is a 5-minute, foolproof tool to get out of your head and back into the present moment, without meditating for hours or forcing yourself to “think positive.”
In this guide, you’ll learn:
✅ Where Sense Check comes from in a little story.
✅ How to stop stress in its tracks using your five senses.
✅ The exact method to ground yourself instantly, anytime, anywhere.
✅ Why Sense Check works (and how to make it a habit).
✅ What mindfulness actually is (and why you don’t need to meditate for hours).
✅ The science of grounding – how focusing on the present calms your mind.
✅ Real-life scenarios where this tool can be a game-changer.
If your mind runs at 100mph and you need something that actually works in real time, this is it.
🔥 Ready to take control of your overthinking? Keep reading.
Where does Sense Check come from?
I was overthinking like crazy.
My mind was running wild like a puppy that had just drank a red bull.
I need to reply to those messages, I need to get dinner for this evening. What am I going to eat? I forgot to take the trash out. I didn’t say hi to that person that looked at me. Was that rude? Maybe I am a rude person. What am I even doing? How am I going to build my business if I get this flustered?
I had heard on a podcast about the process of grounding. Bringing the awareness to the present moment. I knew about mindfulness, I had 2 years of practice in it. Yet here I was, knowing all the strategies and hacks but not being able to make it work.
Engage brain.
How can I create something that makes it easy. Something simple, tangible that doesn’t require a yoga mat, 528hz music playing and incense sticks.
Boom.
Use my senses. The very things that are constantly taking in information about my surroundings. The connection between myself and the present moment.
And with that, Sense Check was born.💡
What Is Mindfulness? (And Why It’s Not What You Think)
Mindfulness is not about sitting cross-legged, chanting, or forcing yourself to empty your mind.
At its core, mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the current moment without judgment, without resistance.
Most people live in their heads, constantly replaying the past or worrying about the future.
Mindfulness brings you back to right now.
Instead of:
🔄 Overthinking a conversation from earlier → You tune into the sensations of your breath.
🔄 Worrying about tomorrow’s workload → You notice the sounds around you.
Mindfulness is a tool, not a mystical concept. And Sense Check is one of the simplest, most practical ways to apply it without hours of meditation.
Why Does Bringing Awareness to the Present Help Us Ground?
Think of your mind like a web browser with 100 tabs open.
One tab is replaying an awkward moment from earlier.
Another is stressing about a deadline.
Another is wondering why you haven’t heard back from someone.
Each thought is competing for your attention, draining your mental energy.
Grounding is like hitting the reset button.
When you bring awareness to the present moment, it’s like closing all those tabs.
Your focus shifts from chaotic mental noise to what’s actually happening right now.
This shift instantly lowers stress, calms your nervous system, and helps you think clearly.
And Sense Check is your shortcut to grounding yourself anytime, anywhere.
How To Use Sense Check (Step-by-Step Guide)
When you feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, pause and ask yourself these five questions:
1️⃣ What can I see?
Colours, shapes, textures – observe the world around you. Notice five distinct things.
2️⃣ What can I hear?
Distant traffic, a ticking clock, birds outside, your own breathing. Listen for three different layers of sound.
3️⃣ What can I touch?
Your clothes, the ground beneath you, the feeling of your hands in your lap. Focus on physical sensations.
4️⃣ What can I smell?
Fresh air, coffee, rain, the scent of your environment. Take a deep breath and identify at least one scent.
5️⃣ What can I taste?
The aftertaste of food, gum, water, or even nothing at all.
🔁 Repeat the cycle until you feel calmer, more grounded, and in control.
To lock it in, take three slow, deep breaths before moving on with your day.
Real-Life Example: Using Sense Check in the Wild
🚶♂️ You’re out for a walk, feeling stressed. Your thoughts are racing. You’re replaying something embarrassing from earlier. You’re thinking about tomorrow’s tasks. You’re spiraling.
You find a bench and sit down. You decide to try Sense Check.
👀 You notice the deep green of the trees, the way the wind moves through the branches.
👂 You listen to the faint chatter of people in the distance, the soft rustling of leaves.
✋ You feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, the solid bench beneath you.
👃 You smell fresh-cut grass, the subtle scent of coffee from a passerby’s cup.
👅 You taste the last sip of your drink, lingering in your mouth.
After just one minute, you feel calmer. Grounded. In control.
You’re no longer lost in your thoughts. You’re here.
That’s Sense Check in action.
When Should You Use Sense Check?
✅ Before a high-pressure moment: meetings, interviews, first dates
✅ When you feel overwhelmed and need an instant reset
✅ After a stressful interaction to stop overanalyzing and move on
✅ When you feel disconnected and need to anchor yourself in reality
The more you use Sense Check, the faster it works.
The next step?
There’s no paid subscription here. When you are ready, we walk together.