5-4-3-2-1 Grounded

 

This brain break is lightning fast!

 

To put it more concretely:

To perform the exercise calmly and deliberately, you’ll likely want at least 5 seconds.

 

If you need a bit more, you might stretch it up to a full 60 seconds.

 

Theoretically, you may stretch the exercise out as long as you would like. However, you’re likely to have diminishing returns at some point.

 

A Brain Break that is 5 – 60 seconds can be incredibly helpful!

 

In law school and bar prep you don’t always have time for a nice long brain break.

 

More importantly, this is a brain break you could do in the middle of a Final Exam or the Bar Exam!

 

 

“Distraction” is usually not a word you would like to associate with your studies or exams. Hence, the qualifier: “controlled.”

 

The negative connotation arises because usually a “distraction” is seen as something that (a) pulls your focus away from where you want it, and (b) has no definitive, built-in end in sight. There’s a chance you might spin out, rather than come to a controlled stop.

 

We’ll address (a) below.

 

As to (b),

With this exercise, there is a definitive end—well-within view.

 

You will be counting down from short numbers—usually five or lower.

 

Not only will you know when to stop, you will come to a stop naturally after you finish “1.”

 

 

As I mentioned above, “distraction” is usually seen as something that pulls your focus away from where you want it.

 

However, a distraction can also help pull your focus away from where you do not want it.

 

Example 1: Disconnecting from your Studies

 

Example 2: Disconnecting from a Previous Question

 

Example 3: Disconnecting from Life External

 

For each of these examples, there is an effective way to disconnect your brain from its current distraction.

 

Use another—quick and controlled—distraction.

 

A quick, controlled distraction can stop your brain in its tracks. This gives you the ability to then redirect your brain to where you want to focus.

 

To distract your brain, you could try thinking about something else. However, a particularly effective strategy is rather to shift away from analytical thinking.

 

Shift from the cerebral realm to the sensory realm.

 

 

If you’re at home studying, you might be able to take a sensory brain break, in which you actively engage your senses. Some examples include:

 

 

Peppermint is a particularly fantastic tool for sensory brain breaks because peppermint can powerfully engage three of your five senses.

 

If you’re in an exam—or otherwise unable to actively engage your senses—you can try this "5-4-3-2-1" sensory grounding exercise.

 

This grounding exercise uses passive sensory awareness.

 

Identify:

 

5 things you can see,

 

4 things you can feel,

 

3 things you can hear,

 

2 things you can smell, and

 

1 thing you can taste.

 

The final two can be a bit more difficult. Depending on the items allowed in your exams, you might be able to come prepared (i.e. snacks, gum, mints, water, scented markers).

 

Here's an example of how this exercise might go:

 

Our brains operate rather quickly, so you might be surprised how quickly you can go through all five senses. Plus, you might need that amount of distraction to actually disconnect your brain from its former focal point.

 

Yet, for some, going through all five senses—particularly in a timed exam environment—might feel too long, with the adverse consequence that your anxiety level increases with each passing second not spent on completing the exam.

 

Ask yourself to identify five things around you

within a certain category.

 

Simply stating five things you see—as in Option 1—might not engage your brain sufficiently to do the trick. Providing a category is key. A category requires your brain to focus just enough to hunt those objects.

 

 

Examples:

 

Five things that are red

 

Five things that are metal

 

Five things that are wood

 

Five short-sleeved shirts

 

Five pairs of closed-toed shoes

 

etc.

 

 

Perhaps you like the “classic” version of the exercise with 5 senses, but the “smell” and “taste” categories are more stressful than they’re worth.

 

You could just do the first three categories.

You could substitute other categories for “2” and “1.”

or

You could substitute other categories for all the numbers!

 

These categories can be as Random as you’d like.

 

The point is simply to momentarily shift the brain’s focus to anything else—so long as it’s not something that will hold your brain captive.

 

This is not likely a good time to relive any embarrassing moments.

 

 

 

Your current hobbies—or rather, your hobbies before law school or the bar exam became your hobby—are actually fertile ground for coming up with categories.

 

For example, if you dabble in art, you might list a few mediums, tools, artists, artworks, museums, etc.

 

You can also use this exercise as an opportunity to refuel your motivation, inspiration, confidence, and zeal.