The idea for this site came from the discovery of how much power ‘5 minutes’ can have. From journaling, meditating, or just chatting to someone close to you, 5 minutes can make a big difference in improving our mood.Β
I think there’s somewhat of a gruelling and unattractive stigma to things that are good for us; we like the feeling and product we get after, but we aren’t as motivated to actually do it in the first place.Β
I’m thinking of things like going to the gym, starting a healthier diet, or getting more work done. Losing ‘x’ amount of weight, getting that so-called ‘ideal’ body type, or things of this nature require a dedicated commitment and a supreme amount of work.
We all want things like this, but the ease and simplicity of basic tasks like watching TV, or good ol’ fashioned procrastination often take advantage of us any time we’re feeling less motivated.
The thing is, things that are positive and good for any aspect of our health don’t demand this type of rigorous action that seems to drain us even just by thinking about it.
This is where 5 minutes come into play.
It’s a seemingly inconsequential slot of time – it’s usually used to describe the simplest and easiest of things. But 5 minutes committed to virtually anything can start paying real, valuable dividends to us should we actually start doing something.
It doesn’t matter what it is, starting with an action of 5 committed minutes to something we care about starts to become an investment. Whether it’s exercise, reading, mindfulness, or anything positive, 5 minutes is the deposit you can make into the account of ‘you.’ There’s evidence showing how Olympic athletes gained more aerobic capacity by training in short intervals that totalled 4 minutes than training for a total of 60 minutes. Done in the right way, the athletes had less overall stresses on their body and more time to take care of themselves by stretching and moving onto other aspects of training.
Of course, it’s not all about physical exercise, but the same concept applies to other areas. By starting a 5 minute meditation, you can lower your stress, anxiety, depression, and increase protective grey matter in your brain.
By using 5 minutes to make an effort in reaching out to people you care about, you can increase your social connection, which is actually a vital need of ours that has a habit of being grossly overlooked in modern society.
The possibilities go on and on, and it’s up to us how we choose to use these valuable little slots of time. As I mentioned earlier, it’s an investment into ourselves and the things in life that serve to help and make us better.
And as with investments, these things grow. Cementing a habit for 5 minutes has the potential to snowball in the direction we like, with the habit making it easier to ‘slip’ into doing more because of that coveted feeling of being on a roll.
Many times, once we feel good about doing something it’s easier for us to keep going, because we gain a little more motivation from the addicting feeling of achieving something.
By dividing these important things into manageable, seemingly ‘insignificant’ chunks of time, we’re kind of hacking our brain by making them much easier and accessible.
5 minutes can be the vehicle that moves us along positive, life-changing routes, by making them simple, doable, and ready for us to start.
What can 5 minutes give to you?
Practice happiness, reduce your stress with a simple guided journal, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced writer.
Order your copy of ‘The Five Minute Mind’ here:
https://www.amazon.ca/Five-Minute-Mind-Jordan-Britton/dp/B08PJPWLGK/
thefiveminutemind.ca 