How to use your body to soothe your mind.

Calm Practice

5, 5 or 5 Tool

The 5, 5 or 5 tool helps with procrastination and overwhelm and can kick-start your motivation. Which 5 will you choose?

5 Seconds

When you think about a positive behavior, take action within five (5) seconds.

Have the idea to go for a walk? Stand up and put your shoes on right away. Think you should tidy up your bedroom? Pick up something within five (5) seconds and put it away.

If you are feeling unmotivated and think about doing something helpful or productive but then do not act quickly, chances are you will talk yourself out of it.

Your brain loves comfort and familiarity. It likes to take the habitual, easy path, which can be staying firmly on the couch or continuing to mindlessly stare at your phone or computer screen. 

Acting quickly breaks that circuit. Even though you may not enjoy it, you will feel a sense of positivity and achievement afterwards.

5 Things

When you have a big task at hand or a full to-do list it is easy to get overwhelmed and not take any action at all.

This tool asks you to break your tasks down into manageable chunks and do just five (5) of them. You could write five (5) paragraphs of your work project, read five (5) pages of your book or pick up and put away five (5) things in your home, to offer a few suggestions.

The momentum of doing something can often motivate you to keep going.

5 Minutes

Give yourself full permission to do only five (5) minutes of a task and then stop. Five (5) minutes walking, working or cleaning, to offer a few suggestions.

You might be motivated to continue. But if not, it is okay to stop after five (5) minutes. After all, that is five (5) more minutes that you would have done otherwise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Ballagh, R. (2024). 5, 5 or 5 tool. 101 Ways to Find Calm: How to Use Your Body to Soothe Your Mind. P. 150-151.