Page 172 - The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

You can stop worrying. And the #5SecondRule will teach you how. Worrying is
a default setting that your mind goes to when you aren’t paying attention. The key is
catching yourself when you drift into worry, and then regaining mental control by
using the Rule. Here’s an example.

My husband recently got his motorcycle license and just bought a small, used
motorcycle. Yesterday, I was sitting inside the house and noticed him on the bike
pulling out of the driveway. As he drove down the road, I noticed that my mind
immediately started to drift toward worry.

I started worrying about whether or not he would get hit by a car, become a
statistic, and if I would soon get a call from the police telling me that he’s been in
an accident. The worry hijacked me within five seconds. That fast. And you know
what? My worrying about it won’t keep him safe and it won’t prevent an accident.
As one 83-year-old in the study said, my worrying “won’t solve anything.” It will
just put me on edge for the entire time Chris is out riding his motorcycle—which
robs me of enjoying the present moment.

As soon as I catch myself worrying, I use the Rule, 5- 4- 3- 2- 1 and I think of
something more positive—like the thought of him smiling as he drives down the
road.

The funny thing is that Chris is also a huge cyclist. He competes in triathlons
and is out on the road taking 40 to 50 mile training rides by himself all the time. I
never worry about that. But here I am worrying about the motorcycle he is driving
down our road at 10 miles per hour. Could something go wrong? Of course it
could. But it usually doesn’t.

When you start to use the Rule to end worrying, you’ll be amazed by how often
your mind just drifts to something negative. Mine does it every day. It really sucks.
And each day, I fight against it. There are some days that I have to use the Rule a