These are some of the things I’ve found helpful recently…
For Sleep
When I can’t get to sleep/ go back to sleep – slow inhale, short hold, slower exhale. Start with 4 in, 3 hold, 5 out. Principles:
- Shouldn’t be hard – if it is, go shorter
- Aim for longer exhale
- Nose breathing
Stretching
- Get up and do some stretching / very light movement, with conscious breathing
Meditation
I don’t meditate to find enlightenment, and at the time it doesn’t feel like it’s doing much. I mainly started doing it because ‘sitting still for 10 minutes’ was an achievement. That’s it – I only did it so I could feel better about being able to sit still. ‘I am a person who can meditate for 10 minutes’
Now I notice that when I do it, I feel calmer and more able to deal with all the things.
I’ve been using the Balance app (guided) and Insight timer (good timer and nice chimey music)
Neuroscience & supplements
I’ve been listening to a lot of Huberman Lab – especially the episodes on motivation/ dopamine, depression, learning, training. There’s so much packed in to each episode that I’ve listened to some of them 3 or 4 times and taken copious notes.
One of the most practical things I took from this was which supplements can help with mood
- Fish oil (EPA specifically) for mood and cognition
- Creatine for mood as well as strength
- B6 can offset some of the low from dopamine
The ones he’s done on dopamine helped me understand why I feel the way I do
- Dopamine is related to motivation and movement, not pleasure. It is related to surprise and expectation.
- It is the wanting, not the having. thinking about the thing you want creates dopamine.
- When there is a craving, the having involves a downside, which is ‘I want more’ This is the pain side
- the pursuit of pleasure is to reduce the pain of craving
- Serotonin and oxytocin = satisfaction and satiety. The here and now. Being content with what you have. Need a balance between these, and dopamine (which is never enough)
- desire is both how much you want, but also how much pain when you don’t have it. Dopamine is about what we don’t have, serotonin is about now.
The actionable things are not really anything revolutionary – except for me, understanding why and how they work are important for me. Now I understand it a bit better I’m more likely to do the things (compared to reading it in SundayLife…)
- Extend the effect of dopamine – remember and savour. some is objective, some is subjective
- Cold exposure (showers, ice) give you longer term elevated dopamine (up to a few days)
- To avoid procrastination, create motivation including via breathing. Don’t reward finishing a task with treats – this just makes you want the treat more. You gotta learn to love the actual act of doing. Telling yourself ‘you are enjoying this’ (even when you’re not) can help.
- don’t celebrate too intensely.
- love the process, not the goal.
What Liz Learnt 