To “calm down” and reduce stress: Physiological sigh - double inhale through nose and long exhale through mouth. Fun fact- humans do this naturally when in claustrophobic situations or during sleep when there is a buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.
Cold showers in the morning, hot showers at night. Saturating your body in cold water releases chemicals in your brain that enhance mood, and increase wakefulness, energy, and focus. The increase in “feel good” chemicals lasts for hours. Confronting the cold, even when your brain is screaming to avoid it, helps build mental toughness and improves your ability to stay calm during high-stress, real-world situations.
Hot showers lowers your internal body temperature which helps induce sleep. This naturally occurs in your body before bed so a hot shower speeds up the process.
Cast iron/stainless steel/glass is significantly better than nonstick and plastic for your body and the earth. We use Lodge Cast Iron pans for most of our dinners. Easy cleanup, durable, versatile, and produces great tasting food. At first, my mom was skeptical about cast iron pans because they are heavier than regular pans, and they recommend against using soap to clean them. But she got used to the extra weight (builds hand, wrist, and forearm strength :), and learned to love how easy they are to clean. We will use stainless steel pots when necessary and glass containers to store leftovers. We avoid anything nonstick and plastic for a variety of reasons. Link to Lodge Cast Iron: https://www.lodgecastiron.com/
Some kind of movement after getting out of bed: stretching, a 5-minute walk, or anything that gets your blood flowing and loosens the body after a long night of being still.
Saline rinse with a Neti Pot at night. Cleans out any bacteria that accumulated in your nose during the day. Also helps you breathe better throughout the night which could improve sleep. My mom and I splurged, and each bought ceramic Neti Pots. As you can probably tell, we have no issue spending a few extra dollars on high-quality products since we know they are healthier and will last longer.
Link to my Neti Pot: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085XX2HC9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Link to Saline solution: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TW1GTXS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Every Sunday, create 5 goals you’d like to accomplish for the upcoming week. From small goals like making your bed every day or drinking 1 less alcoholic drink than last week to bigger goals like walking 10,000 steps every day or drinking alcohol 1 less day this week than last. Start small and make these goals attainable. Consistently accomplishing even the smallest goals will make you feel good and inspire bigger and better goals. The good feeling you get (reward) is the root of creating and sticking to healthy habits because it reinforces that you will be rewarded by feeling good after you do “enter good habit”.
My family started using a shower filter and noticed immediate differences in terms of water quality and skin/hair health. Our skin soaks up everything that touches it. Similar to how tap water isn’t ideal to drink, it’s also not ideal to shower in. This filter softens the water and removes most of the bad stuff. It’s another expense, but I believe it’s worth it. Your skin and hair will thank you. https://www.hydroviv.com/collections/hydroviv-water-filters/products/hydroviv-clearrain-shower-filter
When needing to focus, like while writing this cheat sheet, I wear Bose Quiet Comfort 45 noise canceling headphones and listen to something soothing with no words. Lyrics tend to distract and prevent me from fully focusing since I’m listening to the words in my brain and words from the song simultaneously. Lyrics often throw off my train of thought, whereas instrumental music helps me get into a flow.
On Spotify or YouTube, I search for “40hz binaural beats”, “chill synthwave”, or “lofi focus”, and pick one of the already made playlists. My favorite playlist right now is “Lofi covers of popular songs 2023.”
“Peace in Emptiness by Blanke,” “Intro by lokash,” “Otherside by owlh”, and “Under the Bridge by owlh” are my go to songs right now. Some songs flow perfectly and vibe well with my ears, so when I find one, I will legit listen to it for hours straight every day until I want to switch to another.
I will also put my phone on “do not disturb” since it is the biggest distraction that exists for humans.
