Who is Mel Robbins? Mel Robbins, an inspiring woman, is a lawyer, television host, author, and motivational speaker. After 40 years she feels as though she has changed her habits and because of it, become a much happier person all around.
She has sold 2 million copies of her book, The 5 Second Rule, and performed a TEDx talk. “How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over.” She struggled with anxiety for 35 years and has made it her mission to share tools that have helped her change thinking and behavior patterns. Intrigued? You should be… Follow on for Mel Robbins: Top 3 Psychological Hacks for Anxiety!
1. High Five Your Heart
Since Covid-19, most people’s nervous systems are in flight or fight mode. This is due to the prolonged level of uncertainty. Mel suggests that every morning you should high five your heart.
This practice is to flip off the fight or flight response and turn on the parasympathetic nervous system. To do this, you take your hands and push them on the middle of your chest, take a deep breath, and repeat the sentences, “I’m okay, I’m safe, I’m loved.” Repeat these phrases until you feel a shift in your body.
Scientifically, by doing this, you’re tapping into the vagus nerve, which is the on and off switch between the stressed versus cool nervous system. This technique will help you start your day off on the right note and gradually change your mindset.
2. Turning Fear into Excitement
Fear and excitement are the exact same physical state. The only difference between the two is what your brain does when your body is agitated. When you ignore your fears or only do positive thinking, it can make the fear worsen.
Mel describes a strategy that has helped her overcome fear every time and turned her into someone who can handle the high-stress situations. It is a combination of the 5 second rule along with an anchor thought, which reframes what is going on in your mind during the fearful moments from agitation to excitement.
No matter what’s going on you can always control what you’re thinking about and how you act. The 5 second rule is important because it awakens your prefrontal cortex and tells your brain that you are in control.
Afterwards, you insert the anchor thought. An anchor thought is a thought to keep you focused to avoid panic attacks or mess-ups. It’s also important to choose a thought that is on topic and related to the fear in a positive manner. These two steps reframe your brain into an excitement groove, essentially tricking your brain.
3. Be Kind to Yourself
Being kind to yourself seems so cliché and underrated, yet it is the most important of life hacks. Treating yourself nicer holds the most power to change your life, however self-love and respect is the least common positive habit.
Mel stresses two very simple ways that you can be kinder to yourself. The first one is to change or lower your expectations to fit a certain situation. Going in with high expectations and being underwhelmed can automatically shift your mood. It is normal and okay to be anxious or do less than was anticipated.
However, if you’ve already altered your expectations, you can be much kinder to yourself. The next one is to celebrate all wins, big or little. Even if it is not a big win, it is important to lift yourself up and be proud of yourself. Recognizing your self worth is important and will increase your daily positivity quota.
These three tips are quick, and easy habits to get into that can change your life and the way you handle daily fear or anxiety. Mel Robbins took control of her life after 12 jobs, living in debt, and battling the struggle of anxiety.
