Welcome back to Week 2 of A Challenge Worth Taking.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to be teaching this topic on the podcast because it is helping me to remember all the reasons why it’s so unhealthy for my brain and my goals to let my phone be the first thing I give my attention to every day. I know that it’s not easy to overcome this habit. But I am dedicating myself to it and I hope you are too.
I’m curious.
Did you do it this morning?
Did you go without looking at your phone or computer for the first hour of your day?
What did you experience?
Did you feel drawn to it?
Did you take a minute and recognize that uncomfortable feeling and take care of yourself instead of just moving on with something else? I’d love to hear your experience with this. Let me know how it went.
On the last episode we talked about dopamine and the way we’re messing with it by using our phones to give that amazing chemical to us instead of the things that we choose that give us happiness and all the feel goods.
What have you learned during this week that you didn’t know before?
Did you look into dopamine or brainwaves or phone use early in the morning?
I read an article by the neurobiologist Andrew Huberman and I learned a few new things I wanted to share with you. Here’s what I learned:
Dopamine hits from electronics give you pleasure without having to pursue it.
Our devices create internal buffers
Addiction is a progressive narrowing of the things that bring you pleasure
A good life comes from the expansion of the things that bring pleasure through motivation and hard work, not the ease of scrolling.
Pain/pleasure balance bring greater rewards when the reward comes
Too much electronics use takes away the edge of dopamine.
Self-regulation. That’s what we’re going for right!!
Today we’re going to talk about WHAT to do instead.
After last week’s episode, I’m sure it felt like giving up your phone first thing is a terrible horrible thing you’re going to have to work so hard to be able to do it.
Today, I want to paint a different picture.
I want you to feel like you are choosing to give it up for something WAY better.
What if giving up your first hour phone fix is for things that you want to do even more?
What if doing this makes your 1st hour of the day, your very favorite hour of the day!
Did you know that the 1st few hours of your day are your most productive?
That’s why you need to fill it with the things that are most important to you.
-This gives you the opportunity to train your brain to be OK with less stimulating — yet more beneficial — activities.
It’s important at this point to plan how you’ll spend your time instead of the mindless scrolling or you’ll slip back into old habits very quickly.
No one wants to do this part, but you can’t change a habit unless you fill the space with something that you want to do. Deciding what you feel like doing in the moment is not a plan.
So, I’m going to share some ideas.
Get a pen and paper and start writing down some of the things that sound like something you’d like to do.
You don’t have to love every idea. We’re all different.
Maybe some of these ideas will spark ideas of your own.
Write those things down too.
*Exercising.
Get your daily cardio over with early (or um, enjoy your daily cardio, if that’s choice that brings you a lot of joy!) Or take it easy and go for a brief walk.
Pace doesn’t matter here! Getting some early morning sunlight may help you feel more energized, so take a leisurely stroll to soak in the vitamin D.
*Do some yoga or stretching.
• Spending time with family.
*Journaling. This is my personal favorite. I combine it with the sunshine idea above. I have a Happy Light that I turn on during my journaling so I can get two things done at once, especially in the winter months when it’s dark first thing in the morning and walking in the dark doesn’t give me that sunshine I need.
*Reading a physical book, not your kindle or phone. A real book made of paper. I can’t be the only one here that enjoys holding a book more than on a device!
*Take part in a Spiritual practice
• Look at your schedule for the day and prioritize tasks. Write out a to-do list
To help you organize your day, have a clear end of day goal and work backward from there. This way, you’ll be better equipped to have healthy boundaries between work and play.
*Remember how looking at your phone can actually mess up your ability to prioritize tasks? So, decide on your priorities for the day before your brain waves get too active so they’re more in line with what you really want.
*Savor a nice drink
I make a brewed cacoa drink every morning and I look forward to it! I make sure it’s all ready to brew before I go to bed at night. It’s one of the things I love most about my morning routine!
* Take a warm shower. Yesterday we talked about theta brain waves being more active in the shower, that’s why you get great ideas there.
* Record your dreams. I recently heard a discussion about starting a “Want” journal. What if you allowed yourself to write down things that you really want. Not adding WHY you want it, just allowing yourself to express what you really want.
*Meditate and set intentions for the day.
-focus on taking deep breaths and think about how you want to feel.
-Slowly breathing can simultaneously calm you down and spike your energy.
Did you know that you can actually decide how you want to feel?
I teach this method in Camp Connection.
There’s a link in the shownotes about Camp Connection. If you’ve never taken it, I highly suggest it.
*Repeat affirmations that fit with your beliefs and core values. Try something like:
“I expect good things to happen today” or “I’m going to achieve my priority tasks today” are a good place to start.
My personal favorite affirmation right now is, “I have exactly enough time to do what’s most important today”
Find an affirmation that makes you feel confident and compassionate towards yourself.
* Listen to a favorite playlist
I actually feel worse on the days when I don’t integrate music into my morning routine. Make yourself an upbeat or inspiring playlist and feel free to dance if that’s something you enjoy.
*Diffuse an uplifting scent
I love to burn a candle while I journal and while I do my spiritual practice. Makes it feel even cooler somehow! I change scents according to the season or my mood.
*Have a tall glass of water
Your body tends to be dehydrated upon waking up as it is, so drink a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning.
*Change out of your pajamas
This might feel a little crazy, but I promise that getting out of your jammies helps you to feel like the next part of the day isn’t so hard to face.
*Write out what worries you.
You can do this in your journal or get a separate notebook for this if that’s more your speed.
*Take care of your plants or your garden
Catering to your ferns and flowers can be a type of self care that allows you to naturally de-stress without needing to do a full on hike, which I just learned is called “Forest bathing”.
* Write a list of things that make you grateful
As I said a few weeks ago, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for. Look for them, and I promise, you’ll find them!
Unlike checking your smartphone, these activities decrease stress, help you become more focused & productive, and provide clarity of thinking and more than that, they just make you feel really good.
“While we can’t control the world, we do have a great deal of control over our own thoughts and behaviors; starting your day off with a joyful attitude can change the tone of your entire day.” —Carla Marie Manly, PhD
HOMEWORK:
–DON’T LOOK AT YOUR PHONE FOR ONE HOUR AFTER YOU WAKE UP.
Come prepared to share how you felt. Pay attention to your feelings. Do you feel anxious? Do you even think about the phone? Do you find yourself thinking and wondering what you’re missing?
None of those feelings are wrong, we’re just going to pay attention to them. I’d like you to take the chance to give yourself some love no matter what feelings come up. Let yourself feel the feeling.
Compare this with how you felt during the first week of giving up your phone for one hour in the morning. See if it is getting easier this week.
Take deep breaths.
Give what you’re feeling a name. What are you feeling? Sit and feel it. Think about it. Why am I feeling this? Remind yourself that you can handle it. If you stop and do these things, and repeat as often as necessary, your brain will stop sending those signals because it doesn’t feel threatened by the feeling anymore.
YES! This is the same assignment as yesterday. Did you perfect it in one week? Me neither. Let’s try it again this week. I have a few extra ideas to go along with the homework that might help.
-Put a sticky note next to you during the hour. If you think of something you need to do or want to check on your phone, write it down. This will signal to your brain that you’re not ignoring it, you’re just going to do it later.
-For this week, make a list of things you’re going to do for the 1st hour of your day and try to decide the night before so you don’t have to make a decision when you’re groggy from just waking up.