Low-effort ways to improve life

I’m generally happy and positive but have found extra happiness and felt more satisfied with life this year through regular, short calisthenic sessions, so I say try doing a bodypart each day (well most days).

And after a 4 weeks of good behavoir boozewise followed by a week back on it, its now clear that I feel way better with less booze. I have no doubt this in large part due to better quality sleep.

Newswise, listening to podcasts with a more global outlook has made me realise that the UK isn’t as bad as we make it out to be in comparison to everywhere else. Or more truthfully, the worlds a shitshow but I can’t change it so I aren’t going to worry about it.

batfinkWork from home if you can.  Switching to being 100% home based in 2017 has had the biggest impact on my quality of life.  I was spending 45 minutes x 2 each day OF MY OWN TIME getting to the office.  that’s 7.5 hours of my own time back each week – the equivalent of a whole working day.  Crucially, you have to claim this time as your own, and not work those extra hours.

Interesting to read the comments re working from home – I thought this would be a huge improvement for me (now only go into the office two days per week) and to start with it was. But unlike batfink I now seem to find I’m just working longer hours – with no train to catch it just means I keep on working. Just dont seem to have the discipline I need.

Might be for another thread but interested to see how people make working from home work best.

Don’t drink crap coffee

fixed

Slacking off makes you feel more anxious, not more relaxed

Love it.
Change It.
Leave It.

Applies to almost anything in life and you end up with stuff you love, things that you can improve and have left all the crap behind

Work less.
Forget about work when you go home.

small change here that just came to me whilst opening a tin of tuna…..

splash the cash out on a kuhn rikon tin-opener.  no more false economy £1 seized up sh1tty old openers that either hurt your fingers when opening cos theyre that stiff or dont work at all.  just a few quid more on the ‘luxury’ of smoooooth tin opening with no sharp edges.  you know you want to…..

Sleep with a heavy blanket or duvet over you 

We recently bought a wool duvet and it has quite a bit of weight to it, far more than the duvet it replaced and I have since been sleeping better and deeper than I have for years. 

This in turn has resulted in me feeling much less tired (if at all) in the morning, less irritable and zero anxiety.

You can also buy weighted blankets that are supposed to work really well. A couple of the mental health specialists I work with recommend them 

Gratitude !!

Practice Gratitude …..  it’s blooming ace and super easy.

Before you drift off tonight have a little think about ….

I’m grateful for three things I hear, see, touch, taste, smell…

I’m grateful for these three family members or friends….

I’m grateful for these three things in my home.

I’m grateful for these three things I’ve done.

Then tomorrow morning the real kicker….

Before you get up, be grateful for things you will do later today*. Be grateful for the people you will see later today. Be grateful for things you might have later today.

*This one is a game changer….  As well as being grateful for the good things, be grateful for that boring chore you know you have to do. When it comes to it, you’ll get it done sooooo easy.

Good luck, have fun.

Thanks all.

Consensus settling no quitting social media and STW!

Get a proper fitting for walking boots.

Get a couple of really good, not too complicated board games.

Buy a guitar or a bass.

Wear hats.

Get a silly haircut.

Go dancing.

Walk barefoot, even if just in your garden. 

Say no. Say yes. 

Get yourself on top of a hill. Raise your pulse. 

Do nothing. Breathe. 

Dance like nobody is watching.  Preferably naked. 

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/five-steps-to-mental-wellbeing/5 ways ways to well being is worth looking at. Was developed as a public health message- a bit like a mental health version of the eating 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day.

1. connect with people 

2. be physically active

3. learn something new

4. be present/practice mindfulness 

5. volunteer

You can practice them as short “micro joys” that can be easy to do. For example rather than looking at the phone when you have your morning coffee, sit in the garden and enjoy the moment. Works best when sunny obvs. Nice way to tick off the being present one whist the sunlight exposure will set you up better for sleep that night 👌.

Alot of people could benefit from reading this post.

Music. It saved me from a spiral of post early-retirement drifting. 

Take up an instrument, whatever takes your fancy but get in-person lessons if you can. Find a buddy and jam- or join an ensemble or band/group  and play for playing’s sake. No one cares what standard you are, you’ll  be up and running before you know it. 

Join a choir. You don’t have to read music or have an operatic standard voice to sing in most community or local rock choirs and you’ll have a ton of fun doing it.  The regular rehearsals give you the best excuse in the world to get out and join up with like-minded folk. 

Stop thinking you need to improve your life. ☺️

Put things back after using them.

It is so much easier when you know where to find tools, cloths ……

Keep your bikes, boards, boots, suff clean and ready to go just incase you get some  unexpected free time.

Dr. Andrew Huberman: The Science of Small Changes [The Knowledge Project Ep. #133]

This chap seems to be one of those ‘gurus’ in an area but there’s some interesting stuff in the podcast that I’d found works for me before hearing this to confirm why. Generally the points about sleep and light, early morning routines etc. If can you get good rest so many other things fall into place.
The podcast series is full of good points, can take a bit of wading through but if you have a regular >90 mins commute they’re worth exploring.

+1 for going for a walk early am. Great thinking time or mental space at any time of day but beneficial for your light response / sleep patterns if it’s early am.
Also +1 on limiting social media and news. Pretty sure that link ^ covers some of it, about impulse control. Poor impulse control is the root of a lot of problems and you can train yourself there, ignoring the phone when you get the urge to pick it up is one way.
Stacking habits is a good tip I heard on one of the podcasts. Can’t make time for / CBA with stretching in the morning, or the small tidying up job that always needs doing? Do it while you wait for your coffee to brew, so combining one habit you have with another you need. Worked for me.

Don’t feel you have to express an opinion on everything.

And most that has been said already, as I can’t express my opinion according to point 1 🤦‍♂️

Joking aside, it is live and let live for me. 

Agree with much of the above. In addition, for me at least, I find listening to music and reading are good activities to take my mind off other stuff. I wish I had time to read more than I do, but there is something satisfying about getting lost in a good book (or even a trashy one) and it sits well with spending less time on social media. Decent headphones are a great investment (or were for me at least, because most of my listening is when the kids are in bed) and there are some excellent high quality streaming services these days (Tidal etc) to find new music. TV off, lights off, feet up, headphones on, press play…

Walk in nature – a wood, a forest, your own park or garden.
Plant/grow something.
Watch wildlife and learn what species birds visit your local area.
Leave the phone alone unless it’s important or for fun things.
Eat good quality foods, buy less rubbish food.

On the “getting good sleep” point that many other people have made… An eyemask and earplugs help massively with this for me.

I initially bought them for travelling and camping, when you never know how quiet or dark your bedroom’s going to be (or in the case of summer camping, know it’ll be light at 4am).

I started keeping them by the bed for nights when there’s noise outside, or my partner (or the dog) is restless. Recently I’ve been wearing the eyemask habitually, even though the room seems like it’d be dark enough anyway, and I’m sleeping noticeably better.

If I could change one thing about myself, being one of those people who can fall asleep and stay asleep anywhere would probably be high up the list.

Fasting.

Just check with your GP before attempting.

I fast for a week last week and it was great but I was so low in energy I slept like a log.

Dance like nobody is watching. Preferably naked.

I hope no-one would be watching, for their own mental health 😉

Dance like nobody is watching. Preferably naked.

—

I hope no-one would be watching, for their own mental health 😉

Have you seen me dance?

Or is it my nakedness that you’re worried about? If it is, then you’ve probably got a point.

Turn off all notifications and put your phone on silent. Works for me. If phone rings, my watch notifies me and I may or may not answer. It doesn’t ring very often.

And go outside every day. Every day.

Walk at least 30 minutes a day.

Get at least 7 hours sleep a night (ideally 8 but 7 is better than 6)

No caffeine after 8pm

Get up nice and early so you can have breakfast and leave with enough time to get to work 10-15 minutes early. 

Drive slower, especially when commuting to work, allow extra time so driving is less stressful.

Eat regular meals, a nice small breakfast and lunch helps me keep the hunger at bay but does not make me sleepy during the day.

Prep as much as you can, this means that life is less stressful as everything is already taken care of and helps avoid last minute rushing.

Try to plan ahead so you have something to look forward to and work towards but don’t try to over plan as this can actually cause stress when something doesn’t go exactly to plan.

Try not to get stressed about things that are out with your control. But do focus on things you can change like sleep, diet and exercise.

Everything in moderation, try to have balance in life especially around work and life.

Don’t eat after 8.
Cut down on alcohol
Quit smoking
Cut down on caffeine
Cut down on sugar and basic carbs
Cut down on salty processed food. Try to cook your meals from scratch.
Don’t shop when you’re hungry
Be nice to people, try to speak and listen to as many people as you can.
Try to look at the positive in any situation no matter how shitty it is. I make my son talk about at least one positive thing that has happened that day. I don’t allow him to just moan about how terrible everything is.
Hug your family and friends, and tell them you love them as much as possible (obviously more than once a day can get a bit much).

Interesting thing about alcohol and sleep. When I look back at a nights sleep after being in the pub, my garmin watch shows more stress and less proper sleep. My body battery doesn’t charge at all. No wonder I feel so tired the next day.

Who knew that drinking copious amounts of poison was bad for us 🤔😉

Alcohol is an interesting one.

I’ve stopped drinking for last 3 weeks, mainly because I wanted to be a bit healthier but also because bit bored with how it is always the thing people go to whether celebrating, stress, relaxing or whatever.

Must admit I feel no better for it and if anything do think my life is a little bit better with it so why not drink in moderation.

Do a wheelie

The idea of sleeping with ear plugs makes me nervous.

Must admit I feel no better for it and if anything do think my life is a little bit better with it

I guess it depends on how much you drink currently. Most GPs will tell you that no amount of alcohol is OK, and that at the very least, you should be giving your liver a few off days off a week. If you’re necking a couple of pints or most of a bottle of wine a night, then you’re probably going to notice the benefits if you stop. If you’re drinking half a glass of wine with your supper, probably not so much. But the thing to bear in mind is that even if you’re in that second category, your body will still thank you for not doing it occasionally .

The idea of sleeping with ear plugs makes me nervous.

Use cotton wool – dampens the outside sound

You can also buy weighted blankets that are supposed to work really well

I have several and they do work, but the ‘totally confined by the weight of the blanket’ takes a bit of getting used to.

Usage with a wool duvet is recommended as they regulate temperature much beter than down.

Baavet wool duvets are lush.

Lots of good stuff in this book :

https://amzn.eu/d/0p7OXXP

Ok. I’ve done every single thing recommended in this thread.* Now I’m exhausted, though my life IS better. Thanks.

*the wheelie wasn’t very good 

Stop buying self help books I never actually read 🙂

I have a weighted eye mask and weighted blanket, work for me, and have stopped me moving about quite as much as night and booting my wife in my sleep (major benefit to improve my life!)

I also find if I wake early, which is most of the time, just getting up and getting on with life is better than lying there being angry I’m awake a couple of hours before I need to be….

I sleep with a fan on for the white noise even in the winter.

Partners think I’m very odd.

I was thinking of getting those “sleep bud” type earbuds, but they’re very expensive and have mixed reviews.

Agree that boozing is detrimental to good sleep.

Another one for the bedroom is having it a bit colder, Studies have shown improvement in sleep quality, how fast you fall asleep, (more quickly in a cooler room) it’s anti aging (body produces more melatonin in colder environments) better for insomnia, some have even suggested it might be better for weight loss, and decreases the risk of disease, and because you’re getting better sleep; less stress, and better moods.

Open that window…