Trainer Shares Five-Minute ADHD Calming Routine

Bronté Terrell, a Les Mills group fitness presenter, uses a five-minute mindfulness exercise called glimmer hunting when ADHD symptoms or a demanding schedule leave her feeling overwhelmed. The practice focuses attention on small, enjoyable details that can interrupt racing thoughts and create a calmer mental state.

Her method is simple: she deliberately notices five things nearby that inspire gratitude, pleasure or beauty. Examples include morning coffee, sitting in a garden, bright green parakeets, sunshine, a sunset walk, changing colors in the sky, or light reflecting on water. Terrell sets aside a few minutes at the beginning of her day for these moments and returns to them when her emotions begin spiraling.

Glimmer hunting comes from trauma-informed therapy and Deb Dana’s work. Dana presented the idea in her 2018 book, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. It builds on neuroscientist Dr Stephen Porges’ 1994 proposal that the autonomic nervous system has three states, including one linked with safety, steadier heart rate, reduced defensive arousal and greater mental flexibility. Terrell uses the practice to help manage ADHD, while the calming and connecting effects may also be useful to people without the condition.