Mel Robbins – It is so easy – 5-4-3-2-1

„I use the countdown technique 5-4-3-2-1 to interrupt that jerk in my head that says, “It’s too cold to work out today,” or “The project can be a day late.”

I also use it to silence my worry about pretty much anything (as an anxious person, I have a PhD in worrying)

I just count down 5-4-3-2-1 and say, “I’m not thinking about that,” and move on with my day“ – says Mel Robbins.

What do we know about Mel Robbins, who says that we have to stop screwing ourselves?

She is a leading voice in the desert of our personal wanderings.

She is a former lawyer and skeptical about quick fixes.

150 days per year Mrs. Robbins is one the road.

One of favorite virtual walks is Pinterest where she creates her mood board for the next trip and it transports you out of the negativity.

According to her “hesitation is the kiss of death” and it sounds so scary.

Nowadays Mel  is over 50 years, don’t like to hesitate and her priorities are clear – perfect meal, nice drink and quality sleep.

It is interesting to describe her personality in numbers:

millions people interact with her on social media,

over 700 000 subscribers on her newsletter,

2 millions copies sold of her books about motivation,

her audio book ‘The 5 Seconds Rule” is one of the most successful self-published audiobook of all time,

26 millions views on her TEDx talk – “How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over”…

It sounds fantastic and impressive but what was going on behind the scene of Robbins’s life?

“Having struggled with anxiety for most of my life, I probably spent 45 years with a dysregulated nervous system.

I was constantly on edge due to childhood trauma, and anxiety became my learned coping mechanism.

Coming out of the pandemic, every single human being is living with a dysregulated nervous system, anxiety, and possibly some trauma.”

There were days when she couldn’t get out of bed without bad thoughts crushed her.

Now she is joking with herself:

“Maybe, if I launched myself out of bed like NASA launches a spaceship into space, maybe I wouldn’t be in that bed when the anxiety struck.”

The key moment in her personal life was when she created “The 5 Second Rule”.

 It is so simple and effective.

The first step is to start count backward 5-4-3-2-1 just to leave the comfortable bed.

 Then to take action in these five seconds of hesitation.

What is the mechanism behind this action?

“Psychologists explain this as a brain hack that moves you from “a bias towards thinking” to “a bias towards action.”

In one interview famous doctor Daniel Amen, one of the leading voices on brain issues, shared that this habit is a source of boosting your mood, energy and confidence.

“Why? Because your brain gets a drip of dopamine with every high five.

That’s how it switches your mood from “Blah” to “OMG” in seconds” – says Mr. Amen.

But that’s not all.

In fact giving to someone a high five it whispers in the best way:

“ I love you, I believe in you, We can do it together…”

Let’s invite science to prove it:

“The 5 Second Rule works like a cheat code for motivation.

It interrupts the self-sabotaging habit loops programmed into your basal ganglia,

and the counting backwards makes your prefrontal cortex come alive.

Habit research classifies this as a starting ritual of change”.

Now it is time to move on and to “start before you are ready. Don’t prepare, begin” as Mel Robbins says.

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