I just recently cleared my place of much bullcrap and have consequently been able to keep cleaning up after myself moment to moment so it doesnt build up and its basically alwaya clean 🤩
When I feel bad, I clean. If I’m going to feel like crap anyway, might as well get some use out of it.
I stopped using antiseptic mouthwash, even zero-alcohol versions, because the microbes in your mouth produce nitric-oxide and killing them off might be linked to high blood pressure.
Flossing every day. Never had issues with my gums ever since.
Drink a glass of water upon waking up.
Twenty years ago someone mentioned this to me, how the body tends to be dehydrated upon waking and that’s part of why waking up sucks.
Since then I’ve been drinking a glass of water almost immediately after waking up.
I used to lose my keys until I decided to stop losing my keys because they always go “right here.”
“Don’t put it down, put it away” is a mentality I came across recently and am trying to incorporate into my life, because putting something down means it’s gone forever according to my brain.
+1 to this and taking it up a notch: as I grow older have to pee once at night and I get that glass of water in before returning to sleep.
Hacks 👴👌
Force yourself to sneeze and cough inside your elbow all the time. Even when you’re alone. Then it becomes a reflex and you’ll protect those around you from infection a lot better.
I use org-mode to maintain a todo list. A very important detail. All todo must have a schedule or deadline.
Every time I open my editor it shows the agenda view that present me the list of tasks to do today and the ones I haven’t completed in the past.
Mainly, if you can have a similar habit it will work as a meta habit that will improve and grow other time.
Plus org-mode can do so much more, this becomes really useful. Like help with creating new habits, write dynamic documents, etc… I wrote an article about my workflow here https://yannesposito.com/posts/0015-how-i-use-org-mode/index.html
I take a break from caffeine for a week every two months. I do the same with alcohol every month. It helps me stay objective about the amount I’m consuming. It helped me cut way back from pandemic-levels of coffee especially. Hoo, boy, I was one jittery, confined ball of anxiety and despair.
Pro tip: don’t schedule both during the same week.
I am, in a non-self deluded way, a “social drinker”. I don’t keep any alcohol at home. I only drink around friends, and I keep company that does more things than just go to bars. This makes alcohol actually seem like more of an upbeat treat than something habitually consumed.
I took an involuntary tolerance break from cannabis for 4 days, and it reduced my daily intake by 90%
What do you mean involuntary? Did you get locked up or something?
For 4 days? Sounds more like his dealer ran out.
I was locked up for 3-4 days in Finland for weed.
Jail =/= prison.
Or his bank account.
I was traveling and the laws at my destination had changed since I’d last been there.
FYI caffeine and alcohol don’t actually build tolerance unless you really drink a lot.
It’s not about tolerance, it’s about monitoring how much I’m consuming so I don’t overdo it.
Me and my wife have started doing Dry January. There was a study about how it led to drinking less year over year. I like it!
I’ve read similar. A full, continuous month would probably be more effective than my week-long dry spells, but I have alcohol-related hobbies (brewing, distilling, other fermentations) that I don’t want to shelve for that long. So more frequent week-long spells are for me.
Happy journey with your spouse, I hope it’s a positive for you!
Honestly the first couple times I would make exceptions for birthdays and whatnot but it’s gotten easier. Also in your case it seems like tasting booze for hobby purposes is different than having a drink… anyway good luck to you too!
like tasting booze for hobby purposes is different than having a drink…
Weeeeell, it’s a better excuse, innit?
- I used to brew beer as well and going completely dry when there’s delicious homebrews in the fridge isn’t as easy as when there are none.
Walking places instead of driving.
Yes! It gets addictive too. You start to like being able to just walk to everything you need. So independent and flexible and relaxing!
Or cycling!
I do this for anything nearby (including work) but oh my God it’s so hot right now. And also the rainy season.
Want an electric bike by the time the rains end but have saved only 1/10 of the price so far they are so expensive.
What about umbrellas?
I have one but when I say rain, I don’t mean a light rain shower, there is a lot of lightning and wind. No big deal, mornings are usually clear, I walk in then if needed get a ride home. (E-bike won’t help in those situations at all) But I agree with you, moving at a human pace is a good habit, it feels good and is good for you, improves sleep too. I just am irritated arriving at work sweaty.
Putting stuff in a calendar. Now that I’ve started doing it, I’m not sure how people live without it. I have too much stuff going on to remember exactly when things are happening and some of them are scheduled weeks or months in advance. Everything has to go in the calendar app. For things that are further out, I set reminders one week and one day before. Other than that, I also check at the start of every week, and ofc I check whenever I need to schedule something.
Agree completely! I don’t know how people remember random Wednesday night plans without putting it on a calendar.
Plans just go in one ear and out the other unless I write them down immediately
This and the to-do list. My wife and I are totally committed to these. It really does make life a little bit easier.
If I ever remove the spare tire from my car, I put air in it.
Probably not super helpful since most people don’t ever remove their spares or work on cars AND many new cars don’t even come with spares. But it helps me.
org mode
I now do 30-45 strength training at home 3 times a week, and 2 short 15m sessions of HIIT. I spread it throughout the day as an addition to my lifestyle (between meetings, when showering the kiddo, etc) with a tiny investment in equipment and no real impact on leisure time.
It’s part of a change to deal with a very unexpected type 2 diabetes diagnosis and it’s had an outsized impact on my health for the effort.
Coupled with weight loss - Blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate and blood sugar have all dropped significantly within 3 months. Would recommend, exercise for health doesn’t mean grueling classes, stupid long workouts, or 20 hours of cardio a week. Downside, an utterly ridiculous amount of misinformation online.
Are you effectively “cured” or on that trajectory consequently?
My doctor/specalist suggest I will likely not have it ‘come back’ if i keep weight off and stay healthy, but no 100% guarentee. This is more to do with catching it early and actually making lifestyle changes to deal with it - talking to healthcare professionasl about it most people dont really bother. They very specifically use the term ‘remission’ when discussing it to drill home that you can’t go back to bad habits and expect to be fine long-term.
Type 2 Diabetes is usually a trajectory you end up on that progressively gets treated with levels of medication, but heavily depends on where you catch it, what action you take and your personal body makeup/individual circumstances.
Each day, I have a reminder shoot off on all my devices to think of three things for which I’m grateful. Today’s list:
-1. I get to wfh today (we’re hybrid)
-2. I don’t look like Andrew Tate (pic of him in last post where I commented; what a toad)
-3. The vase didn’t shatter when a kitty knocked it off the table eating flowers
(Lemmy wanted to be stupid about how it formatted my numbered list, that’s why the hyphens to stop it from mangling the list.)
You’re grateful that you don’t like Andrew tate?
I mean, the guy is a rapist loser that is best locked up for life, but it’s a weird thing to be grateful for
I don’t look like Andrew Tate (pic of him in last post where I commented; what a toad)
That’s what I said.
Ah, I see I need new glasses
The cat will try again, as it wants on its list “broke the fancy vase”. It’s always on the list for cats, they just keep trying to check it off!
It was not easy to train, nor to keep, but meditation upon waking is vital to me now. I find whatever my biggest struggles are, money, relationships, work stress, family… those anxiety demons are waiting to pounce upon waking. If not, my phone will deliver fresh demons. So I claim my mind as my own before allowing any other influences to set a tone for the day. Start with a 10 minute guided practice from a voice you trust easily. Go from there.
Listening to audiobooks!
I always listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I am driving to office :D
I’m currently learning Spanish on my morning drive, it feels very rewarding not to just waste time.
I love my local library because they’re keeping me sane on my work commute! I looove audiobooks and it’s so nice to be able to try so many and not have to worry about if I will like them because it’s all free!!!
Libby and your library card.
I read for like 10 minutes every morning on my iPad with the Libby app (usually) and it’s great. I’ve read so many books now!
I play videogames while I drive to the office. (Decent) public transport is great like that. Auďiobooks are indeed great for driving though. I listened to about 300 books per year when I was an international driver.
