The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins- an anxiety and panic attack sufferer turned author... 2nd author review for Women's History Month
Mel Robbins, another talented female author, used to suffer from anxiety and had panic attacks on a regular basis. Her solution in the book 5 Second Rule is to reframe your thinking and tell yourself that you are excited instead. I wanted to highlight her book because she is a Life Coach like me and she suffered from mental illness and has been successful... hopefully I will be successful like her. It is encouraging to see many people with mental struggles doing their thing in this world and influencing so many other people.
Anyway, let me back up. What is the 5 Second Rule? The 5 second rule is simple yet powerful. The next time you get an impulse to make a positive change, count down from 5-4-3-2-1- and start taking action. The trick is to count down because this does something special in your brain to stop you from procrastinating. (By the way, I took this summary and tried to use my owns words from Flashreads). The book has a few big ideas:
Anyway, let me back up. What is the 5 Second Rule? The 5 second rule is simple yet powerful. The next time you get an impulse to make a positive change, count down from 5-4-3-2-1- and start taking action. The trick is to count down because this does something special in your brain to stop you from procrastinating. (By the way, I took this summary and tried to use my owns words from Flashreads). The book has a few big ideas:
- Act within 5 seconds of getting an idea to advance your goals
- Push yourself to do the things that matter to you whether you are motivated or not
- Get out of bed as soon as the alarm rings
- Establish a morning routine to increase productivity
- Apply the 3-step process for defeating procrastination
- Forgive yourself for having procrastinated
- Think of the person you will be once you achieve your goals
- Finally, get started and the 5 second rule is best for creating a ritual- take small steps like doing 15 minutes of work and then take a break to do something you like.
- Treat anxiety by telling yourself that you are excited- As we all know from my blog posts, I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks as well, especially after traumatic events happened in my life or by the stress of having 3 kids while working full-time. I never heard of using the 5 second rule to reduce anxiety, but it's worth a try! Here is what she recommends doing:
- Use the 5 second rule to interrupt the pattern- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go!
- Then tell yourself you are excited and repeat this a few times if you have to. If you tell your brain you are excited, it might think it and help you... you at least will stay in control of the situation and your thoughts. Your physical symptoms won't go away but your mental state won't get worse either.
To learn more about the author:
I purchased the Companion Workbook that helps you eliminate bad habits. In the companion book, Robbins gives examples of using the 5 Second Rule in the areas of:
- Health
- Productivity
- Procrastination
- Worry
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Confidence
- Passion
- Relationships
I will try this book to see if it works for my weight loss and smoking cessation goals.
Stay tuned for my review of the practicality and effectiveness of the 5 Second Rule. If you want to try it, please join me on this journey to making our lives better!
Peace and Love,
Coach Kerry
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