But I must admit, counting backwards from five thousand isn't much of a way to pass the time.

He's using visualization as a way of helping himself count backwards.

All right, then, I'd like you to count backwards from one hundred.

In other words, for 30 seconds, a person would count backwards by 3 from 999.

Looking at him, Jim found himself counting backwards, trying to remember exactly when he'd changed his shirt last.

When you are finished, return to alertness by counting backwards from 5 to 1.

I had to count backwards in my head to be sure.

You have to count backwards in order to reach this 1% threshold.

But my bet would be a week or more, counting backwards from today.

She counted backwards from ten, her voice low and calming.