Strength of Mind and Stress Management Recipes
Health Recipe List
1) Don’t Be Afraid of Change or Your Big Life Transitions
2) Be Confused and Frustrated
3) Captain’s Log Entry 001—Journaling
4) Breathe Stress Away in Three Breaths With the Physiological Sigh
5) Money, Free Time, and Health
6) Do Hard Things, Accept the Discomfort
7) Think About Your Own Mortality
8) Turn Stress Into a Good Thing
9) How to Prepare For a Project, Big Test, or Big Interview
10) Simplicity is Key
11) Follow YOUR Greenlights
12) A 4-Week Dopamine Fast For Any Behaviour You Want to Stop
13) Get Back to Leisure Time
14) The Ebbs and Flows of Mood
15) Hold Yourself Accountable
16) Sit and Think
1) Don’t Be Afraid of Change or Your Big Life Transitions
Timing: When change happens, take some time to stop and think
Level of Difficulty: Easy to think about, but hard to face change sometimes
Serving Size: Small - Large depending on the size of the change
Spiciness: Change can be hard to accept, so this can get pretty spicy!
INGREDIENTS
Yourself, your mind, and those changes in your life
REASONING AND BENEFITS
There are few guarantees in life, but I think we can all agree that changes happening in your life is definitely a guarantee. So why is it that we struggle with change so much when we know that change is going to happen? The Buddha once said that it struck him as the greatest irony that the central characteristic of the universe is change, and this is the thing with which we are most uncomfortable. In order to be at peace, we must accept the impermanence of life and existence. (Brooks, 191) We talk about discomfort a lot throughout our recipes, and life changes can be pretty freaking uncomfortable. Do not always look at that as a bad thing. We are talking here about the changes that don’t permanently alter your health or quality of life. It has been said that we go through significant changes in our lives on average every 18 months. A lot of these changes are not our choice, and often go against what we want to actually happen. So we may not want them to happen, but when we look back on these unwanted changes, most of the time we will look at these changes as a success. These important changes that go on in our lives can be scary when they happen, they can be uncomfortable, but while you are in the middle of the change, try and look to the future to see that you will actually look back on these changes with a positive view of them. Painful transitions can often yield the greatest understanding of purpose in our lives (Brooks, 196).
INSTRUCTIONS
Recognize that you are going through a big change or life transition, and think about how that makes you feel. If it terrifies you or makes you very uncomfortable, that is okay.
Stop and tell yourself that it is okay to be uncomfortable, in fact, it may be better for you in the long run. Compare this change to other big changes in your life, and think about how those changes made you better off.
Look into the future. Think about how this change will make you better off in the long run. This is the hard part. Try to use these thoughts to make you feel better in the short term.
If you are still really uncomfortable with the change, that is okay. Remember, it is okay to be uncomfortable, it is okay to be uncertain, and just keep telling yourself that this may just be the change that helps you understand your purpose a little bit better.
PRO TIP: Think about your changes with regards to your intrinsic goals instead of extrinsic goals. Focus on fulfillment and relationships, not money, stuff, power, or reputation. If you look at these changes intrinsically, you will most likely be happier in the long run.
* Try and make a list of the possible positive outcomes from the change that is occurring even when you think it is a negative.
** Try not to feel like a victim, it is hard to find any positives and move on when you feel like a victim.
*** Remember, change is one of the only guarantees in life. It is hard to get ready for change when you don’t always know what it is going to be. The best way to be ready is by strengthening your mind. Be open to change, think about it logically when it happens, find the positives.
2) Be Confused and Frustrated
Timing: Could be a while based on how long you allow yourself to be confused and frustrated!
Level of Difficulty: Hard mental workout
Serving Size: Start small, the more uncomfortable the better
Spiciness: She can be a spicy one
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself and your brain in a battle of discomfort
REASONING AND BENEFITS
When you face new problems in your life, they often bring confusion or frustration. You can respond in 2 ways: (1) Look for a way to be rescued as quickly as possible to avoid any and all discomfort. (2) Lean into the confusion and frustration and respond with curiosity and interest, and struggle to find the answer. Being confused or frustrated means that you have an opportunity to learn. You are up against something that you are unsure of, so instead of avoiding the feeling of being wrong, lost, or incompetent, you can learn in the best way possible: by being curious, trying, and maybe even being dead wrong. (Grant, p. 199) These can be called ‘desirable difficulties.’ Obstacles that make learning harder, slower, and more frustrating in the short term, but exponentially better in the long term compared to avoiding these feelings. If you take a shortcut, and have the answer given to you right away by someone else, or by the magical all knowing device in your pocket, then you are helping your short term self, but sabotaging your long term self. Struggling to come up with the answer on your own, even if it is completely wrong, will help you learn far better than having the answer given to you. (Epstein, p. 85)
INSTRUCTIONS
You are facing a problem or situation that you are unsure how to solve, and you start feeling some frustration and confusion.
Instead of avoiding these feelings and having the answers given to you, lean into the confusion and frustration and try to work on it yourself.
Be curious, be interested in solving the problem. Allow yourself to make mistakes, to be wrong, to be totally out in left field.
Maybe you will figure it out on your own, and maybe you will be dead wrong. If you are wrong, then you can learn the answer. You will learn far better if you struggle with the answer or if you are wrong.
PRO TIP: This is a great one to do with your kids. Try putting an end to excessive hint giving, and let them struggle through their learning. Mistakes create learning, discomfort helps them grow, and doing it together will help you grow together.
* The more confident you are with your wrong answer, the better the information will stick when you learn the right answer.
** Trial and error is a popular saying for a reason. Try, fail, learn. And repeat.
*** Trial by fire is another popular saying. You will find many that mean the same thing. Why do you think that is? Listen to the people before you and: Try. Fail. Learn. Repeat.
3) Captain’s Log Entry 001—Journaling
Timing: 1-10 minutes. Whatever you can make happen!
Level of Difficulty: Easy, you just have to get in the routine
Serving Size: Start with a short amount of time to create a consistent habit to fit it in most days
Spice Level: Mild-medium
INGREDIENTS
Just you and a journal
REASONING AND BENEFITS
The exercise of journaling has been around for millennia, since the dawn of ink and parchment, and for a good reason. There is tremendous benefit to the simple practice. Contrary to how it may seem, we are not the most efficient thinkers, and tend to ruminate on things without making much ‘mental’ headway. Two ways we can help ourselves think through something are talking with people, or writing it down. The act of writing things down can be immensely helpful in terms of working through things we may be struggling with. Even being more conscious of what is causing us stress, and writing that down, is a powerful tool. Journaling allows us to get in a better habit of identifying how we’re feeling and more importantly, why we are feeling that way, as well as turning our inner thoughts into coherent written words. Beyond improving communication and aiding stress management, journaling also has the benefit of helping us with memory and awareness, taking stock of what we have and what we’ve accomplished, goal setting, tracking and personal growth. Grab a pen, start small and enjoy the process of journaling.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Begin by setting a daily timer to remind you to carve out three minutes in the evening, before bed to reflect on your day.
2. Jot down a few daily highlights and what’s coming up over the next few days
3. Start with a few key words or phrases.
4. Once you get in the habit you can start logging longer entries with more details and thoughts.
5. Start leveraging journaling to help identify what is causing you stress, set goals, take stock of what you value, and track progress.
PRO TIP: If you don’t know what to write, just start by writing a few things you did during the day that you enjoyed, and a few things you would like to do tomorrow. Start small, and go from there.
* If you are looking for inspiration on where to begin, start with daily highlights, things that stood out for the good or bad. From there you can expand to personal goals you are working on and what level 0(rookie)-10(master) you consider yourself at that moment.
** Journaling is a great way to keep stock of what you are enjoying, and those things that are causing you stress.
*** Make note of your skills in communication, stress awareness, general awareness, goal setting and tracking at day 1 and after one and two months of journaling to see how these things progress over time.
4) Breathe Stress Away in Three Breaths With the Physiological Sigh
Timing: 0.5–2 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy (no learning required)
Serving Size: A few breath cycles when feeling stressed
Spice Level: Mild and calming
INGREDIENTS
You and your breath
REASONING AND BENEFITS
When we think about reducing stress, we often think of going for a massage, meditating, taking a break, or going on a vacation. What about reducing stress the moment it’s happening? The neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman teaches us that the physiological sigh is a quick, in-the-moment stress reduction strategy. This technique allows you to use your physiology to calm yourself down. The sigh is something humans and animals automatically do before falling asleep. What better way to calm down than to do what your body already does before you fall asleep? It is very hard for us to calm down using our minds. Telling ourselves to calm down can make us more stressed, especially if it isn’t working. Instead of using your mind, use what your body is already trained to use to calm down: your breath. All you have to do is a double inhale, followed by a long exhale, and repeat that a few times. When we get stressed, carbon dioxide builds up in our blood, and the alveoli sacs in our lungs collapse like deflated balls. The double inhale acts as a pump and reinflates the alveoli sacs so that they can get rid of built-up carbon dioxide. After you reinflate the alveoli sacs, a long exhale will be much more effective at getting rid of the built-up carbon dioxide, relaxing your mind and body. (Huberman, episode. 112) There is no better or faster way out there to reduce your stress in the moment, definitely give this one a shot.
INSTRUCTIONS
Take a full breath in through your nose then immediately inhale again (called a double inhale).
Perform a long exhale out your mouth. Longer exhales slow down your heart rate.
Repeat even just one to three times to notice a benefit.
Repeat as much as you’d like to feel the calmness you’ve been searching for.
Bonus: If you can find 5 minutes in your busy schedule to do this most days per week, you will be getting very similar benefits as a regular meditation practice.
PRO TIP: We have both used this during stressful moments at work when we need to be calm and make quick decisions. We highly recommend the physiological sigh as a strategy to let your body recognize how to limit the stress response in the moment.
* The physiological sigh is thoroughly grounded in physiology and neuroscience as the most effective way to calm down.
**The diaphragm is a bad$&@ organ because it is one that we can control through our breath.
***The physiological sigh is the fastest hard-wired way for us to eliminate the stress response in our body in real time.
Learn more about the physiological sigh and proper breathing:
Huberman, A. 2023. “The Huberman Lab Podcast,” ep. 112, 1h34min timestamp.
5) Money, Free Time, and Health
Timing: 10-30 minutes to check in with yourself and make a plan
Level of Difficulty: Easy, fun, motivating
Serving Size: Make the plan once, and check in with it every now and then
Spiciness: Mild - Spicy depending on how getting real with yourself makes you feel
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself and a true view into what you should be focusing on
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Money, free time, and health, what do these have in common? These three aspects of your life are intertwined and impacted by each other. When you focus a lot of your time and energy on one of these, you have less time for the other two. Creating an awareness on how you would like to split your time between them will create a life plan for yourself to avoid stress, and will lead to a more intentional life. This health recipe is inspired by the author Bill Perkins from the book “Die With Zero.” He describes money, free time, and health as the three main buckets in your life that need filling. You can find yourself filling them evenly, or you may be focused on filling one bucket at the expense of the other two. A great example of this is the quest for money. We are not saying that is a bad thing, we just want you to be aware of what the quest for money is doing to your health and free time. In order to reduce stress about what you are focusing on, create a plan for yourself describing which buckets you are focusing on now, and in the future. Maybe by filling up one bucket now, you will be setting yourself up to fill the other two after that one is filled, or even equal filling. This is a great activity to do at any stage in your life. Sit down by yourself or with your partner and jot down which buckets you want to focus on right now, write how you are filling them, and create either yearly plans, or plans in 5 year periods. Life goes in stages, think about when you want to focus on money, free time, and health during each stage. “Realize that every moment you have a choice. The choices you make reflect your priorities, so be sure you’re making those choices deliberately.” (Perkins, p. 190)
INSTRUCTIONS
Sit down by yourself, with your partner, or with your whole family with pen and paper. Make 3 columns on the paper with the headings “Money,” “Free Time,” and “Health.”
Start filling in the columns with what you are doing in your life that fits into each bucket. Ask yourself if you are more heavily weighted in one or two of the buckets. If there is a bucket that is barely filled, are there things you could be doing now to fill it up?
Once you have a good grasp of how you are living now with regards to your buckets, it is time to look long term. This can be a rough outline of what you would like to do and focus on moving forward. Decide on any time frame you want such as quarterly, yearly, or even multi year grouping like 5 years.
What buckets do you want to focus on in each time frame? What are some examples of things you want to do to fill up those buckets? Set goals, create plans, fit in different trips, activities, and experiences in the time frame that you think it would fit best in.
Have fun with it. Do you want to do an African safari one day or visit ‘The Shire’ in New Zealand or hike the Camino de Santiago? Throw it in the time frame of your life that you think makes the most sense.
Sit down and look at your plan every now and then to make sure you are following it or if you want to tinker with it. Be honest with yourself, and have fun.
PRO TIP: “Nothing has a greater effect on your ability to enjoy experiences at any age, than your health.” (Perkins, p. 120) Try to make sure health is always a part of your yearly plan. During the really busy times in life, make sure to sneak in little moments of healthy behaviour.
* “As you get older, your health declines, and your interests narrow, creativity declines. The utility, or usefulness, of money declines with age. Shift the money you have earmarked for late in life to earlier to really enjoy it.” (Perkins, p. 115)
** During your early and middle years, if you earn enough money to lead a comfortable life, consider being happy with that current income in order to add more free time to your life to do the things you want to do.
*** “In order to enjoy the experiences in your life, you need a combination of health, time and money.” (Perkins, p. 156) Make sure you think about this while you create your life plans. Instead of waiting for retirement when your health is a little more unknown, how about you do some of the things you plan for retirement right now.
Sources:
Learn more about deciding how to focus on money, free time, and health:
Perkins, B. (2021). Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life. Mariner Books.
6) Do Hard Things, Accept the Discomfort
Timing: 1-10 minutes. Whatever you can make happen!
Level of Difficulty: By definition, hard.
Serving Size: Start with a short amount of time to create a consistent habit to fit it in most days
Spice Level: Spicy – by design
INGREDIENTS
Just you and a challenge
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Just as failure is a requisite ingredient for growth and improvement, hardship and discomfort play an important role as well. Doing things that at first you may be hesitant or apprehensive to do is surprisingly good for you. As Michael Easter puts it in the book ‘The Comfort Crisis,’ “a radical new body of evidence shows that people are at their best—physically harder, mentally tougher, and spiritually sounder—after experiencing the same discomforts our early ancestors were exposed to every day. Scientists are finding that certain discomforts protect us from physical and psychological problems like obesity, heart disease, cancers, diabetes, depression, and anxiety, and even more fundamental issues like feeling a lack of meaning and purpose.” We’re not suggesting reverting back to stone tools and living in the forest, although that would probably be fun, but trying to highlight the importance of not giving in to things you find tough. In today’s age we are naturally faced with fewer challenges, so you may have to seek them out. Even overcoming small obstacles triggers growth and confidence, and signals to us that we can accomplish things that are challenging.
INSTRUCTIONS
Think of things you typically don’t like to do, for some people this is exercise, but it could be cold water exposure, social interaction, reading that book that’s been on your list for years, or learning a new skill.
Force yourself to do it once a week.
If it starts to become less challenging for you, try doing it twice a week, or for longer, or add in something else that is difficult.
Let yourself enjoy the feeling of the struggle.
Don’t get discouraged. If you find yourself still avoiding difficult things, that is okay, but don’t give up, it will be that much more rewarding when you finally do the hard things.
PRO TIP: Doing hard things that you do not want to do is where you will experience the most growth in your willpower and drive to do things. There is an area in your brain called the anterior midcingulate cortex that will literally grow as you do the hard things you do not want to do. The more it grows, the more willpower and drive you will have in all aspects of life. Scientists are learning that this may even increase your will to live as you grow older. That is the science that we absolutely love. (Huberman Lab, ep. 157)
* Don’t do things that are unsafe.
** To help overcome the first difficult challenges you’ve set yourself, have a friend join in and support you through it.
*** Start expanding these activities outside your initial list and really tackle the things that you have historically not wanted to do.
Sources:
Learn more about discomfort in this amazing book:
Easter, M. (2021). The comfort crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Rodale Books.
Learn more about increasing your will and drive:
Podcast “Huberman Lab: David Goggins: How to Build Immense Inner Strength,” Episode 157 46 Minutes into episode
7) Think About Your Own Mortality
Timing: 10-30 minutes
Level of Difficulty: The process is easy, can be hard to think about
Serving Size: Start with one session, and check in every now and then with progress
Spiciness: Can get spicy thinking about death
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself, some free time to think, and a pen and paper to write down your thoughts
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Some of the most common regrets on one's deathbed are not living in the moment, working too often, and living a life the person thinks they should rather than the one they truly want to. Thinking about this now while you are healthy is incredibly important. It forces you to look at your life and think about what you would say to yourself if death all of a sudden came knocking at your door. What would you regret? How do you wish you had been living your life? What would you want to change right now if death was coming to you in the next 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years? If you can learn to face the thought of death head on, think about how you truly want to be living, you may just be able to live a life true to yourself now and for the rest of your life. And don’t just think about death one time, this practice is optimized when you think about death often, and are constantly analyzing your life to see if you are living the way you want to live. “The country of Bhutan often turns up second to Disneyland as the happiest places on earth, and has made it a national curriculum to think about death anywhere from 1 to 3 times daily.” The thinking of Bhutan says, “You see yourself as not always a living person, but also a dying person, is a very important pedagogy of life. Death is a part of culture and communication.” (Easter, p. 186/191) Death is a common part in life, and we are often too scared to think about it, and too busy to consider it until all of a sudden one day it is knocking at our door. Follow the lead of the country of Bhutan and start thinking about your own mortality, think about the things that you want to do in your life, and get out there and do them.
INSTRUCTIONS
Start small and set aside 10-30 minutes of your time to sit down and ask yourself some heavy hitting questions.
If death came knocking at your door right now, what would you regret not having done in your life?
Would you be able to say that you have been living a life true to yourself?
Have you been spending your time with the people you love, and doing things that you want to be doing?
What if you were told that you only had 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years left to live? How would you spend your time?
This is an exercise that only you can do. Be honest with yourself. Write down your answers and check in with them every now and then.
During your check ins, see if your answers have caused you to make small changes in your life. Are your answers still the same or have they changed?
** This can also be a great time to be proud of the bomb diggity things you have accomplished during your life so far. This exercise doesn’t have to be about changing what you do in your life, it can be a time when you confirm you are on the right path and are doing what you want to do.
PRO TIP: As an emergency room doctor and a firefighter, death is a common thing that we see during our work. Take it from us, seeing death around you is always a reminder to live a healthy life, it is always a reminder to live the life you want to live, it is always a reminder to spend time doing the things that you want to be doing because you never know what life will bring.
* The Dalai Lama said “Those who have prepared for death do not have those regrets because they have lived in the moment.”
** This is a great time to nurture the relationships with the people around you. Who do you want to be spending your time with?
*** This can feel like a strange exercise, but power through the uncomfortableness of the idea and you might just make a discovery about yourself that could change the course of your life for the better.
Sources:
Learn more about the importance of thinking about death:
Easter, M. (2021). The comfort crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Rodale Books.
8) Turn Stress into a Good Thing
Timing: A few minutes every day until it becomes second nature
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Serving Size: Small
Spiciness: Medium tang
INGREDIENTS
You and your stress
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Stress is all what you make it. It can be extremely detrimental, or a very good thing. Those people that tend to perform best in life and stay healthy late into their lives are not the ones who avoid stress, but the ones who learn to harness it. So, we have to ask ourselves how do we make stress a good thing? The first order of business is to become self-aware enough to recognize stress when it is present. The next step is to determine what is driving the stress. The big thing here will be to let go of the stress that is caused from things we have no control over. This can be tough, but that stress will not be helpful. Stress from things we need or want to do is what we are after. When this stress is present do not view it as a bad thing. To be functional in society means we will have degrees of stress. Start to view it as fuel to get you going and something that can be honed into energy, focus and motivation.
INSTRUCTIONS
First, recognize when you are feeling higher levels of stress and acknowledge that it can be a good thing.
Figure out what is causing your stress and whether or not it is something you can control.
Try to let go of the stress caused from things out of our control.
The stress that remains from those things we need or want to do can then be looked to as a source of energy, focus and motivation.
PRO TIP: Start to look at stress as a good thing. If you don’t have stress maybe you are not getting enough new experiences, or you are maintaining too much comfort.
* Be aware that sometimes no matter the cause of stress, it can be too much to handle so have ways of coping with it such as increased rest, help from friends, offloading things to others.
** Utilize the energy of stress to stay focused and energized by reframing it as a fuel to get stuff done.
*** Seek out new opportunities or experiences that lead to healthy degrees of stress but match it with the capability to harness it.
9) How to Prepare For a Project, Big Test, or Big Interview
Timing: 10-30 mins to make a plan and create your process
Level of Difficulty: Hard to start, easy to follow through when your plan is in place
Serving Size: As much time as you need to complete your small steps every day
Spiciness: Spicy at first, but once you trust your process, it will be as smooth as a strawberry milkshake
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself, a plan to break your project into small pieces, a process to complete your steps, and some deep work to achieve your process
REASONING AND BENEFITS
You are looking at your calendar and you see a big X on a date months in the future. It is something important to you, something a little daunting, overwhelming, something that you may think will be too much to handle and prepare for properly. When you feel the anxiety rising a little bit, this is a perfect time to stop, close your eyes, take some slow breaths with long exhales, and then open your eyes back up, make a plan, and create a process for carrying out your plan. Preparing for a big moment can feel chaotic, so creating this process, this plan, will provide you with clarity and direction. The first thing you should do when creating your plan is to break it down into small steps. Next, create a process to help you carry out each small step, do them well, cross them off your list, and move on to the next small step. Complete each step fully so that your brain can focus on each individual task instead of worrying about the task that you stopped halfway through because it was a little hard. Crossing things off a list is incredibly satisfying, and it will provide you with something to look at to track your process. Once you have this process in motion, evaluate it. Check in with yourself periodically to determine if you are giving yourself enough time to complete all the steps. Make a plan, create a process, schedule in time to carry out your process, do some deep work, and TRUST THE PROCESS.
INSTRUCTIONS
Mark the date on your calendar of your big exam, interview, presentation, or project. Use this process for completing small goals, big goals, and implementing new habits.
Make a plan with a series of small steps to reach your end goal and create a process for carrying out your plan.
Get specific with your process. Write down when you will work on your small steps, for how long, schedule it in your calendar, and give yourself time to evaluate the process.
During the time blocks you set aside to work on your small steps, get DEEP. Read the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport. Put your phone away, take away the distractions and allow your mind to fully focus on the task at hand.
If you are studying or learning something new: Instead of just rereading information over and over, after a study session, think about what you just learned and test yourself on that material very soon after it, and then teach someone else what you just learned. (Huberman Lab, Aug 26th)
Some tips to keep your body and mind working in top form: consistently get 7-9 hours of sleep at night, exercise every day (even 5-10 minutes on a busy day will go a long way), focus on quality nutrition by eating foods that make you feel good while avoiding sugars and hitting your protein numbers of 1 gram or protein per pound of body weight daily.
Bonus tips: (1) Use cold water exposure, exercise, or Wim Hof breathing to fire you up for a study or work session. (2) Get some chill time every day to give your mind a break such as going for a walk, reading, or enjoying the sunrise with your morning coffee (3) Rest your mind and body a little every day with some relaxation, meditation, non sleep deep rest, or some sessions of slow breathing.
PRO TIP: When you feel stress rise inside of you, consider this as good stress, not bad stress. Harness the focus that comes with an increase in stress, harness the energy that comes with the increase in adrenaline. Use this good stress as a tool to help you complete your tasks.
* “We are A-to-Z thinkers, fretting about A, obsessing over Z, yet forgetting all about B through Y.” (Holiday, p. 90)
** “The unordered mind loses track of what’s in front of it—what matters—and gets distracted by thoughts of the future. The process is order, it keeps our perceptions in check and our actions in sync.” (Holiday, p. 88)
*** If you remember nothing else, remember to trust the process you create!
Sources:
Learn more about creating a process and how to view obstacles:
Holiday, R. (2014). The obstacle is the way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. Penguin.
Learn more about how to improve focus and carry out deep work:
Newport, C. (2016). Deep work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Hachette UK.
Learn more about the best ways to study and learn:
Huberman Lab Podcast Episode Aug 26th, 2024: Optimal Protocols For Studying & Learning
10) Simplicity is Key
Timing: Daily
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Serving Size: Small - Medium
Spiciness: Mild tingle
INGREDIENTS
You and the elimination of life-clutter
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Think about how life was before cell phones and the internet (if you were around back then). Simplicity in life was much more achievable, almost automatic. With how much we are bombarded by digital information and images, and with the more fast paced feel to life, there is more risk of life getting too cramped and crowded. Simplicity is vital to wellbeing because it allows us to focus on what is most important to us, and really sink into those experiences. If we prioritize only what is most essential we free up mental and emotional space, reduce stress and find more clarity in all of our decisions. Simplicity encourages us to live intentionally, valuing quality over quantity and creating deeper connections with ourselves, our daily lives, others, and our goals and challenges. Ultimately cancelling out some of the noise of life will allow us to lead a life of more meaning and awareness.
INSTRUCTIONS
Clarify what is most important to you by writing down your top priorities for your daily routine.
Eliminate the non-essential things by slowly stopping those things that don’t make your top priority list.
Don’t fill in empty time with things that are not important to you just to fill in the time. It is a good thing to have some down time and will allow you to reflect.
Be mindful of your intention to live simply, and try to create habits around those things you most prioritize; maybe this is time with family and friends, exercise, cooking good foods, reading or making music or art.
Regularly set time aside, 5 or 10 minutes to reassess your priorities and simplify things further as needed.
PRO TIP: Be aware of what you are consuming, both materially and cognitively. Try to decrease how much of this is really not that important to you.
* It may help to do an audit of your most important values and the most important activities in your life.
** Start with one area of your life; your schedule, your home or workspace, your relationships, your commitments, and then go from there.
*** Limit the input in your life by decluttering, unsubscribing, deleting apps, and limiting screen time.
11) Follow YOUR Greenlights
Timing: Give yourself a little time every day to be open to new ideas
Level of Difficulty: Easy-hard depending on mindset
Serving Size: All you need are small moments throughout your day
Spiciness: Can get spicy when you chase a greenlight, but that spiciness shows you that you are on the right path
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself and an open mind to capitalize on the greenlights that come your way in your life
REASONING AND BENEFITS
This health recipe was inspired by the book “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey. This is a fantastic book that teaches you to keep your eyes open for the greenlights in your life, and go after them. A greenlight in your life is something that presents itself to you, and only you, to do something, to try for something, to go for it. You have to be on the lookout for these greenlights because if you don’t stop to notice them, if you travel through life with your head down, they may pass you by. Whether it be about relationships, about a new career path, about a trip, about something that you HAVE to do, greenlights can present themselves in any facet of your life. In order to notice these greenlights and distinguish them from a hard red or a soft yellow, you have to learn to be more open minded, listen to your inner voice, check in with yourself to see what you want to do in life, what you want to get out of life. This comes down to awareness. Increase your awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and interests, and give yourself the time to explore them. In your busy life it is very easy to let the days go by without giving yourself any time to stop, slow down, and look at your life. You have one life. Be on the lookout for greenlights at any time. Be open-minded, be aware of who you are and who you want to be, and live the life that you are meant to.
INSTRUCTIONS
Start living in a way that allows you to spot the greenlights in your life. Be open-minded, listen to your thoughts, feelings and interests, talk to people you look up to, talk to people with different ideas.
The more you live this way, the more you will start noticing these greenlights. Separate the greens from the reds based on what you want to get out of life. Not every opportunity that presents itself to you is a greenlight. Learn what a greenlight is to YOU, not someone else.
Start saying yes to the things you want to do that you have historically said no to.
Consume knowledge through books, podcasts, and talking to people that will expand your views, and feed your brain the proper fuel to be open to new thoughts and ideas.
Create the opportunities to find the greenlights and get after them.
PRO TIP: It may not always be clear what a greenlight is to you. If you are unsure, follow how you feel. Does the opportunity that is in front of you excite you? Do you want to spend time on it? The things that excite you, the things you spend your time on are usually the paths that you should explore further and chase that greenlight.
* Read the book “Greenlights,” by Matthew McConaughey.
** One of Connor’s greenlights: Taking a year off of work and travelling across Canada and the US with my wife and two sons. The greenlight presented itself as an idea, we were excited about it, then we went after it. We made the decision, we planned for it, we made it happen.
*** One of Nick’s greenlights: Becoming an emergency room physician after medical school. The path presented itself to me, I made a plan to attack it in a way that still provided me with work life balance to avoid burnout. I made it happen, and I have prioritized time for myself, my partner, my family, and my friends ever since.
Sources:
Learn more about living the life you want to live:
McConaughey, M. (2020). Greenlights: Raucous stories and outlaw wisdom from the Academy Award-winning actor. Hachette UK.
12) A 4-Week Dopamine Fast For Any Behaviour You Want to Stop
Timing: Around 4 weeks to truly reset your brain’s reward pathway
Level of Difficulty: Easy - hard depending on the behavior
Serving Size: Try this out with a small behavior first to give yourself a win
Spiciness: Mild - spicy depending on how much reward the behavior brings you
INGREDIENTS
Yourself, your mind, your willpower and desire for change, and the thing or behavior you want to change
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Is there a behavior or a habit that you have always wanted to stop doing? This could be drinking pop, playing video games, an afternoon chocolate bar, or anything in between. Have you tried to give it up before, and then given up after a week or two? If you have answered yes to either question, we are asking that you give it a shot again, but try for 4 weeks this time. The reason for this is because this is the minimum amount of time it takes to reset the brain’s reward pathway. (Lembke, p. 76) Everybody knows the feeling of craving even after you have just had or done that thing that you crave. The easy next step is to just feed that craving and go back again and again, but this is a great example of choosing the harder path, and feeling uncomfortable in order to grow and achieve a goal that you set. When you continuously give in to the craving, your pleasure will actually get less and less, and your brain will adapt to requiring more and more of that thing or behavior that you crave. Eventually you will never be satisfied, and you will constantly want it more and more. This dopamine fast will make it way easier to avoid this behavior in the future after the pathway is reset. Teach your brain to make its own choices again.
INSTRUCTIONS
Pick a habit or behavior that you want to either stop or do less of.
Write out your plan. Think of things that could cause you to fail. Maybe there is a place, a thing, or a person you have to avoid for the next 4 weeks because they are associated with this habit, and will make it hard to fight the craving.
4 week dopamine fast time. Do not do this behavior for 4 weeks.
We say 4 weeks, but it could be shorter or longer to reset your reward pathway. Aim for 4 weeks, and see how you feel. Decide if you should push it longer or not.
Sometimes it is not realistic for your lifestyle to cut something completely out, so stop for 4 weeks, and then allow yourself to do it every now and then in a healthy manner after the reset. Make it an exception to your normal, not your normal.
PRO TIP: Think about the current behavior that you want to stop doing or having. If you don’t try this dopamine fast, where will this habit or behavior bring you in 1, 3, 5, 10 years? Is this something that you want to fix now for your future health and happiness?
* We often just roll through life without thinking of the decisions we make, this recipe will remind you and your brain that you can make choices for yourself.
** Choosing to fast from this behavior will translate to other habits and behaviors and habits being questioned. You will be holding court in your mind again!
*** We humans are really good at searching out pleasure, so this can be a tough battle, but it will feel pretty amazing when you complete this 4 week dopamine fast and show yourself that you can still make decisions around here!
Sources:
Learn more about how to stop a habit, and create new ones:
Lembke, A. (2021). Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. Penguin.
13) Get Back to Leisure Time
Timing: Start with small bouts of leisure, build from there
Level of Difficulty: Easy - hard depending on your schedule
Serving Size: Every day would be great, start with a few days per week, then build
Spiciness: Leisure will create calmness and less stress. Nothing but mild baby
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself and whatever leisure activity you enjoy
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Do you allow yourself to have any leisure time throughout your day, or is leisure time a foreign concept that was forgotten many moons ago? If you have forgotten what leisure is, it is when you slow your life down, do something that you enjoy, and forget about work and your to-do list. A lot of us have become caught up in the efficiency and productivity mindset trap and feel like we always have to be doing something productive. This may just be making you less productive. When you never give your mind a break, your brain cannot enter into the default mode network. This state of mind is when your brain sorts through all of the memories and emotions that have entered it recently and tries to put them into context with what you already know. This is very important for learning, creativity, insight, empathy, self-reflection, for letting your mind wander in new directions, and for your overall well being. (Headlee, 127) It is hard to have a look at your own life to see if you are living the way you want to live when your brain is always working on a task or a problem. When you do decide to shut your mind off and take a break, DO NOT think about work. People who are more detached from their work while at home are emotionally happier, sleep better, and are just happier with their lives in general. (Headlee, 212) So if you can take work off your mind while you bask in some leisure time, you will be happier, you will have more energy, and you know what, bonus time, you may just solve that work problem you have been struggling with. When you actually give your mind time to chill out and catalogue everything that enters it, your brain will compare the new information and memories to past memories, and this is when you will actually solve problems!
INSTRUCTIONS
Sit down and get real with yourself for a couple minutes. Ask yourself if you have been fitting in leisure time. Have you been spending any time with your mind shut off? Or are you constantly thinking about work and your to-do list on your fridge?
If you do fit in leisure time, awesome, good for you, keep it the heck up. Can you fit more in, or are you happy with the amount? Also, are you truly shutting your mind off during your leisure time? Make sure that you are getting the full benefits.
If you do not fit leisure time in, that’s okay, you are not alone, and it is not your fault. We have been convinced that leisure time is a waste of time because you should be doing something “productive.”
Start by scheduling it in. Ideally every day, but start with small chunks for now. Schedule it once a week if that is all you think you can do, but don’t miss it, and shut your mind off if you can. Spend an hour walking without your phone, or play that game or sport you used to love, or pick up a pen and write or draw, whatever floats your boat.
We all get busy and miss out on the leisure that we want. That is okay. But, make sure that when you get out of that busy spot, you prioritize leisure again. It is easy to get stuck in the busy mindset and make yourself think you don’t have time for leisure again. Check in with yourself, make sure you are fitting in leisure time, shutting your mind off, and doing things you enjoy.
PRO TIP: Leisure time is not a waste of time. You are not being lazy. You are allowed to do things that aren’t based on work or your to-do list. The tasks will still be there after you enjoy some leisure time.
* It is easy to fall into the trap of working longer hours in order to make more money, but once you have enough money to meet your fundamental needs, it is usually leisure time that will increase your happiness, not more money. (Headlee, 180)
** If all you have is 5 minutes in your day to unplug and do nothing, just sit or lay down, focus on slow inhales and slow exhales and try to do nothing. Don’t move, don’t think about anything, just sit, breathe, and unwind for 5 minutes, and then carry on with your day.
*** Being productive is great, but keep it out of your leisure. Allow your leisure to happen at its own pace. Enjoy it without any constraints other than maybe time as you fit it in between your life.
Sources:
Learn more about harnessing the power of leisure and doing nothing:
Headlee, C. (2020). Do nothing: Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving. Hachette UK.
14) The Ebbs and Flows of Mood
Timing: Whenever you remember
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Serving Size: Small - Medium
Spiciness: Medium
INGREDIENTS
You, your awareness and your memory
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Just like the fluctuation with our habits, our mood also fluctuates. This is based on all kinds of factors; some we are well aware of, and others we are not. Sometimes even when you are doing everything right your mood will not be where you want or expect it. The key is to think about this, and care about it. Improving mood and making ourselves more resilient involves first having self-awareness and then choosing to prioritize those things that help. These things include regular physical exercise, balanced nutrition, sufficient sleep, a balanced work life, balanced social habits and the ability to reframe negative situations; to name a few and some of the most important. The reason why it can be so useful to hone our time, focus and energy on this is because consistent emotional well-being and mood can enhance our decision making, relationships, overall health, creating a positive feedback loop that affects all other areas of our life. It starts with just checking in, keeping track and learning what affects our mood and why.
INSTRUCTIONS
Set yourself on the right path for a resilient mind and mood by first recognizing that it fluctuates by its very nature.
Keep track of the patterns of your mind. Take 5-10 minutes every day or once a week to better understand your triggers or what affects your moods most by journaling or mindfulness practices.
At the end of each week think about reframing or altering those things that negatively impact your overall mood, replacing them with better alternatives or taking them out of your schedule.
Incorporate things to improve your physical health, understanding this is one of the best ways to improve your mood and prevent downswings. The main things here are restorative sleep, regular exercise and good quality, nutrient dense foods.
Incorporate things that better help regulate your mood and emotions. Build awareness of your emotional states by regularly checking in with yourself and thinking understand that things like mediation practices, breathing routines, journaling or chatting with others can help with this significantly.
PRO TIP: Sometimes you will be doing everything right and still suffer the natural shifts in mood, that is normal. Give your mind time, and keep moving to strengthen your mental resilience.
* Gradually start setting goals and integrating habits that boost long term mood stability such as journaling, working on social connections, engaging in hobbies that reinforce purpose, wellbeing and having fun.
** You need the trifecta of; 1. having self-awareness of what factors most affect you, 2. the capacity for realignment or course correction, and 3. the follow-through to modify lifestyle optimization.
*** Just like anything this takes time so set this as a long-term goal that will likely help with most of your other goals.
15) Hold Yourself Accountable
Timing: Just a little time each to make sure you work toward your goals
Level of Difficulty: Hard at first, easier as you start crushing through your goals
Serving Size: Depends on what you are going after
Spiciness: Mental battles always have a chance of being spicy!
INGREDIENTS
Just yourself, a plan, and a system to make sure you hold yourself accountable
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Who is responsible for creating your routines, setting your goals, and forming your habits? That would be you. Who is responsible for making sure you follow through with them? That would be you again. It is up to you to hold yourself accountable to what you want to accomplish. This is very different from school, work, and sports where you have a teacher, a boss, or a coach who will be evaluating your work and sharing the responsibility of accountability. If you were your teacher, boss, or coach, how would you evaluate your performance on these important aspects of your life? Have you been following through with what you want to do? Our routines, goals, and habits are interesting things. They are so often the first things that get pushed aside. This could be due to becoming busy, a lack or interest, or a myriad of other reasons. The core issue though is usually accountability, more specifically, a lack thereof. How you improve your accountability is up to you, but once you start holding yourself accountable for your routines, goals, and habits, the sky's the limit. Come up with a way that works for YOU and enjoy the feeling of following through with what you want to do.
INSTRUCTIONS
Sit down and write out the routines, goals, and habits you would like to accomplish.
Make them easy, realistic for you, and make sure they interest you.
Write them into your calendar so you remember to do them, and cross them off as you crush through them. Circle them when you miss them to hold yourself accountable to the misses.
Think of a reason why you want to carry out your goals. Maybe you want to be healthy for your kids or grandkids. Maybe you just want to feel better. Maybe you want to be able to do something that you used to be able to do. Whatever your reason, make it unique to you.
PRO TIP: Start with a goal that really interests you, something you are confident you will be able to do. This will build momentum to start tackling all the others!
* Deploy the buddy system. Have someone else hold you accountable.
** What you do when no one is watching is a true testament to who you are. Make yourself proud.
*** Do not start by reaching for the moon. Start by reaching for the low hanging fruit, and then build up from there once you re-learn how to attack your routines, goals, and habits.
16) Sit and Think
Timing: Daily
Level of Difficulty: Challenging
Serving Size: Small- Medium
Spiciness: Intermittent zings
INGREDIENTS
You and a quiet place
REASONING AND BENEFITS
Developing a routine of sitting with our thoughts in a quiet place can help break through many walls in our minds, and improve awareness which will help in all areas of life. As far back as humanity goes, there has always been some sort of mindfulness practice. They stand the test of time for good reason. Mindfulness meditation cultivates present-moment awareness, reducing stress and enhancing mental clarity. By observing thoughts without judgment we foster emotional resilience and improved focus, and can help get to the core of what may be bothering us. Regular practice strengthens the mind’s ability to remain calm under pressure, promoting overall well-being.
INSTRUCTIONS
Start with setting up a time and quiet space for this activity. Mornings are ideal.
Close or soften your eyes. Start by focusing on your breathing as a place to begin.
Choose the meditation style that suits you; mindfulness meditation where you simply observe your thoughts without judgement, guided meditation where you use audio to guide you through a practice, mantra meditation where you repeat certain words or phrases, body scan meditation where you bring awareness to different parts of your body, or one of many others. You don’t need to know anything about these styles to begin, but can grow into them.
Start with 5 minutes.
Start to become aware of what thoughts come and go, and instead of fighting them acknowledge them and return to your practice. Some thoughts are worth sitting with and allowing yourself to sort out why they continue to pop up.
Bring the practice to a close and try to keep up awareness of your thoughts throughout the day.
PRO TIP: Don’t stress about keeping your mind “blank” meditation is about presence, not perfection.
* Close your meditation practice with a small intention for the rest of your day such as patience, or awareness.
**This practice, like anything, gets easier with time. The ultimate goal of meditation is to become more aware of your own brain and its coming and goings.
*** Try to track your meditation habit and see if you become more present and more relaxed.
