Fun fact!! Coloring or doing a puzzle is also considered meditation! Meditation is any activity that quiets the train of thoughts and makes you more alert about the present.
Being near the end of my very difficult pregnancy, I've thrown habits out the window. I've just turned to "focuses:" I focus of eating well, I focus on getting rest, I focus on what my body is telling me what I need. This had helped me be so much healthier than doing my habits.
Love this, I've tried journaling and meditating for YEARS and every time, I will do it for maybe 3 days before the novelty wears off and it becomes a chore I resent. I'm going to get a puzzle.
After experimenting a lot I found the only morning routine that works for me: sleeping. Just sleep until 5 minutes before whatever I need to do always makes feel better than sleeping less.
The one thing I absolutely love is the realness of this. The amount of times I've tried meditating, journaling, have the 'perfect 10 step' morning routine and every time I just felt time was being taken away from me for something that wasn't working. Now I've just put little things in place that make a difference. Such as at nighttime, I have an 'unwind' playlist which is filled with relaxing video game music and I play it while I read a book or I'm on my phone before I go to sleep. Nothing I ever thought I would do but has helped immensely with switching off my brain.
Thank you for sharing this! Your unwind playlist idea sounds lovely 😌. Sometimes we just need to make little adjustments that feel natural and don’t add extra pressure to help switch our brains off, rather than forcing an unnatural habit just because it's "supposed to help." Anyways, I’m so glad you’ve found something that helps you switch off. Thanks so much for watching!
Yeah plus is you ban screen time in the morning you’re probably gonna be anxious & thinking about what notifications are on your phone like if there’s important emails you need to see
The problem is that these practices are sold to us as magical fixes to all of our problems when they absolutely are not. Influencers tell you that this stuff will CHANGE YOUR LIFE OVERNIGHT because their videos pop off better in the algorithm when they're selling you the fantasy you're desperate to believe. Many of these practices are things you have to stick with over months and even years if you want to get something out of them and they absolutely will not make all your problems just go away no matter how long you do them. We want these things to fix our problems because we're desperate to escape ourselves. What if the solution wasn't to escape your problems, but rather it's to just sit with your darkness and your pain and allow these parts of yourself to just be? Meditation isn't powerful because it forces you to stop feeling bad. It's powerful because it forces you to sit with the bad feeling and witness it without trying to change it or make it go away. Paradoxically, when we stop trying to force our bad feelings to go away, we can watch them and realize how temporary they all are. You feel scared and sad and you sit with that feeling and then it shifts and you feel something else. I journal every day and watch myself as my feelings and moods constantly shift. One day I show up to my journal with all this pain and anger and self hatred, and the next day I show up with lightness and love for myself. All my feelings are part of me and none of them are "bad" like I used to think, they're just part of the experience of being human. The more I let my painful feelings just be what they are without trying to fix them or make them go away, the greater capacity I develop to love those dark and painful parts of myself. They're just wounded parts of me calling out for love. They're not trying to hurt me they're trying to keep me safe. I'm done trying to fix myself. My new goal is simply to witness all the parts of myself with love and acceptance. I find that a much more grounded and peaceful way to live than constantly chasing something to fix me.
This really speaks to me, I think I've come to the same conclusion. I'm just in a space now where I can face reality head on and decide what to do with the information that is given to me, without trying to pretend that things are different. But it took me a long time to get there. The 'I'm a millionaire' manifestations did not work, while the 'I speak lovingly and kindly to myself' ones did work and have changed my inner voice to be compassionate, rather than letting me tear myself down. I'm fully capable of recognising my bad feelings now, and by being present, I was able to befriend them and when they are heard and seen, they don't tend to linger and fester. Journalling is an amazing tool for that.
This is so true! You'll never be able to get rid of 'bad' emotions and that's not what these habits can do. They help with being present and regulating your emotions, which means you are able to feel your feelings but not be overwhelmed by them.
Manifesting and repeating affirmations makes sense to me in theory, like I understand that if we say something often enough, our brains will try to believe it. So I started intentionally correcting my negative self talk, say from "oh I’m stupid" to "oh, I've made a (silly) mistake" etc. However, repeatedly telling myself things that are objectively untrue (at this moment in time, no matter if they Will be true at some point), e.g. "I am a successful person", "I will reach x goal"… just makes me feel like I’m lying. It felt like I was dismissing all of my (reasonable) doubts about my situation and my future, given that I was and still am not sure what way I want my life to go.
Yep - totally relate to that! Correcting negative self talk is definitely important and valid, but the "manifesting" side of affirmations is lost on me. Like you said, it feels like I'm just lying. I'd rather use the positivity and momentum from concrete feedback and past accomplishments to give me the energy to keep working toward my goals, if that makes sense? haha. But regardless, everyone is different, and I'm glad you've figured out what works for you! Thanks for watching 💛
I love your example of moving from “I’m so stupid” towards “I made a silly mistake.” Instead of dismissing the feeling, you met it with compassion - which is why it probably feels easier to accept than “I am a millionaire,” because your Shadow will tell you 7 days a week that you are not. (But it might be more comfortable accepting “I have the capacity to become a millionaire,” which is more open-ended, acknowledges that you’re not there yet, but also “prepares the mind” to be able to meet the reality someday if opportunity and whatnot arises. But when our “affirmations” are just opposite of our true beliefs and realities (“I am stupid” countered by “I am super smart and wise”) then we’re creating more internal tension between ourselves and our Unconscious, and the Unconscious will try to wake us up from that delusion, emphatically, because it needs to know that we’re working on the things we need to change, not settling into a lie. Thank you for sharing these insights!
I just love how this is a real person real life video of someone not pushing an intense lifestyle that requires a person to get up at 3am. Also love the mess on the floor 🙌🏻
I am on a self growth/discovery journey and I have been trying EVERYTHING for three months and I feel overwhelmed with "advice" and how to live my life to feel more peaceful and my anxiety has never been higher. This absolutely helps me with ways to better align what I want with how I live. Thank you so much for the honesty and suggestions.
@@morganevelyncookI also wanted to thank you for putting content that’s relatable and inspiring. I’ve only watched a few of your videos so I’m sorry if you’ve already said this but are you vegetarian?
Being recently diagnosed with ADHD and dealing with disabling chronic illness for over 20 years now, virtually NONE of the standard self help stuff actually works for me. Affirmations, don't even get me started... My brain IMMEDIATELY says "NOPE! UNTRUE!" Trying affirmations actually made my mental health so much worse! I found some articles online that talked about some scientific studies done that showed that affirmations only benefit those who already have high self esteem. They can backfire for those with lower self esteem and/or trauma. That was so validating, cause all the affirmations and meditations made me feel so much worse and everyone just said I wasn't doing it right. 🙄 Nope, they just don't work if you have trauma or are neurodivergent. Hi, that's me... I started doing word searches and that really helps me. I have a double whammy that too much mental effort/exertion can flare my chronic stuff, so I have to be careful. Oh, guess what meditation is! Mental exertion, even though most people don't want to acknowledge that it is. So I was making myself so much worse trying to force myself to do meditation consistently! Another one was gratitude journaling. 🤢 I tried it and it made me feel worse because things aren't so bad so why am I feeling crappy? What works for me is an alternate form of gratitude journaling. I do it once weekly, NOT daily. I start by listing out what sucked this week. Then I list a few things of something good/gratitude. I also am trying to list something fun this week. I'm trying to incorporate more fun into my life. So this is a little reminder for me. But I NEED to list out the weekly suckies first or else the gratitude feels forced and fake. Morning routines... The biggest recommendation is to get up early/earlier. Yeah, no. My body absolutely physically rebels and gets worse if I get up early. Complete no-go. I really like the idea of a morning menu, having options rather than requirements. Also been told it was all in my head to then eventually be diagnosed with multiple ACTUAL physical chronic health issues including an autoimmune issue and a genetic mutation, among multiple other things. I'm a supplement queen but on the recommendation of my doctor and nutritionist, specifically for my chronic health issues. For the average mostly healthy person, a multivitamin, vitamin D, and maybe magnesium are mostly what's beneficial.
Me sitting here coloring as I watch this video🫣🤭 also on the supplement thing- I learned in med school that a lot of supplements just lead to “expensive pee” meaning your body doesn’t actually do anything with the supplement… it just gets rid of it.
THANK YOUUUUUUU, my mom is a big meditation person and has tried to get me into it many many times, but honestly I don't need to sit quietly I need to go to the gym to punch my problems into a boxing bag.
Super relatable! My favorite form of meditation is doing yoga, as I can still focus on my breathing and how my body is feeling (bit like a body scan) and it feels like a really loving thing to do for myself. The scrapbook journal is something I just decided I wanted to try doing, and now you are talking about it in this video, so that feels like confirmation!!
For the screen time thing, I’m the same way. I found I would rush through journaling just to get on technology faster. What I do instead is kinda like what you do, intentional screen time. I have a mood tracking app I log, journal in xTiles, and watch UA-cam videos like this one to start off the day.
Instead of no screen time i turn my phone into gray scale it just takes the interest away scrolling but I can still journal listen to music and whatever else i think benifts me more than scrolling. I implemented your morning menu system a couple weeks ago and it was honestly life changing! I then impemented day menus and night menus ahahah
I have a relax mode that I can turn on that blocks access (temporarily) to any apps I choose. So I set it to allow things like music, reading, journaling/notes, etc and blocks access to internet, social media, etc to prevent doom scrolling.
This is the first one of your videos I’ve seen, and it was sooooo relatable! I’ve wondered for years whether there was something wrong with me because the whole idea of standing in front of a mirror and saying affirmations just made me squirm, and even the thought of journaling sounds like a lot of hard work. Oh, and “switch off devices for at least an hour before bed” while at the same time saying “read, or colour, or listen to music”. All my books, colouring, and music are on my devices! I’m on the fence with meditations - I don’t hate them, but I don’t feel like they provide any benefit for me. But the idea of starting the day with a crossword puzzle - YES! And at 66yo I’m almost at the optimum age for it LOL. So THANK YOU for confirming that it’s not just me. My take-away from this video is that my morning/evening routines/menus should be whatever I darn well choose them to be, as long as they serve me.
I have a love hate relationship with meditation: when I try to do it during the day it actually won't do anything or even make my anxiety worse. But at night, mindfulness and focusing on my breath and counting number (and breath exercises to calm down my parasympathetic nervous system) is the only way I can actually fall asleep (even with meds). Because they make me focus on something that isn't mental taxing and will prevent my racing thoughts for long enough to make me fall asleep
I really love this because it makes me feel like I'm not doing everything wrong. when I feel like I HAVE to jornal or excercise or meditate it makes me feel like shit when I'm not doing these things. but you're so right about having a "menu" and doing what's right for you. I can never be that person with a morning routine and that doesn't mean that I'm living life wrong. your video was very validating in that sense. obviously I'm still trying to live a healthy lifestyle but I have to go at my own pace and do things that work for me
On the supplement point: I have a liver disorder and have to watch what I consume because of it, and alongside the obvious like alcohol and pain killers, I have to avoid a BUNCH of supplements because they're potentially horrible for your liver! Most notably being ashwagandha, aloe vera, and protein powder, especially whey. Those are super common supplements that people eat a lot of! 😵
Never feel pressured to do something just because you hear it’s good because that’s defeating the whole purpose 1. Meditation/hypno- don’t really work for me, but they are actually 2 different different things 2. Self-help- I loved reading a variety because I was able to learn a lot and try different things and got what I needed, I’m now more selective. I rather watch fiction, which I don’t do that often 3. Screentime- overall is not an issue for me, I do it when I need and want to 4. Affirmations- not a big fan, a lot of times they are fake helping ppl. If you are going to do them, I suggest it’s something about your capabilities or values, not just something hyping you up 5. Journaling- it has been huge for me, but I don’t force it or have a routine, I write when I feel compelled; I have a life one and positive one 6. Mornings- I like the menu thing. For me I do things if I feel like it, I don’t if I don’t feel like it 7. Supplements- I only take things that I know help me based on how I feel or improved numbers and do not harm me and are generally low risk
I definitely relate to your sentiment & I was turned off to almost all of these. But I actually came around to meditating when I found out the true purpose that it can have (quieting the constant thoughts), that there’s different types that target very different goals, & the true goal of it is very different & more achievable then what i had previously heard. My therapist really encouraged me to try & it when I learned a lot about it from the Andrew Huberman podcast that changed everything for me. The one that I need is interoceptive meditation or I suppose you can call it mindfulness. Whether you’re taking a walk or sitting somewhere you try to focus on the sounds & sensations around you. I needed this because I have adhd & I’ll literally scream at myself in my head to please just shut the fuck up lol I never stop thinking about crap. The game changer for me was also that achievement that “zen” that ppl talk about isn’t really the purpose of doing this. It’s essentially a re-focus exercise, where every time you catch yourself drifting in thought or forgetting to pay attention to your environment you try again. If you keep messing up & having to restart YOU’RE NOT DOING IT WRONG!! In fact that may be even more effective the more times you can catch yourself & refocus. He said that Buddhists aren’t always staying in the zone, they’re just soo good & refocusing their mind they can do it at such a quick moment it’s almost inconceivable. Another thing to note is that it isn’t always relaxing or enjoyable & that still doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, again the goal is to refocus not necessarily be relaxed. Some days it can be harder to stay focused than others & be frustrating but that’s part of practicing it. He also said even 3 minutes of trying to every day is very effective. It’s supposed to help you in real life situations like catching yourself zoning out in a work meeting & getting back on track, & the more a person is noticing their environment rather than being in their own head, they’re much happier of a person. You can also focus on breathing & body sensations but that never worked for me, I just hate breathing exercises. I’m not good at consistency doing this habit yet but it’s still a goal, & when I go for walks it’s so easy to double it as a meditation walk which makes me present for the walk more & enjoy it! I just wanted to share since this information about meditation was so new & really changed it for me. And doing meditation with the goal of curing a medical illness seems dumb😂
You may be doing this on purpose but watching you do chores allows me to mirror you. I find myself cleaning during your videos with very little prompting. Please don't stop!
I suffer from mental illnesses for the last 20ish years (yay). Always thought I did affirmations wrong cause it did nothing for me. Nowadays, affirmations just feel like pressure for me, like "I manifest to be ok" - yeah, so YOU BETTER GET THE EFFORT IN OR ELSE. Nope, not for me 🙈🙈
11:40 I do this too. On my work laptop I have a folder in my email with every email I get that has a compliment in it. It's my compliment folder and it helps when I feel insecure at work.
I also really enjoy puzzles and colouring as a "mindful" exercise. Another this that works for me is to go for walks. Sometimes it's long 1 hour walks, sometimes just a 5-10 min walk, depending on my time, mood and needs. It helps me clear my head if I have a lot going on and can't really make sense of any of it 😊
I’ve been trying to have intentional screen time, too. One thing that really helps is if I have a specific UA-cam video I plan on watching (or article I want to read, etc.), I’ll put it as a bookmark on my web browser so it’s right in front of my face. If I just go on UA-cam with the intention to search up the video, chances are I’ll get distracted. If you have an iPhone doing this with the Apple Shortcuts app is great, too, since you can keep the link to something on your home screen!
I love that tip! I have the same issue, if I open my phone with the intent on going to a specific video or app, I always end up somewhere else, so having things bookmarked and ready to go is ideal!
I do the same thing with routines (renaming them) because it makes it WAY easier to remember for me. I use gaming terms/things I’ve seen in videogames due to being a huge gamer all my life; “supply run” for food shopping and “inventory restock” for household/etc. shopping, and I found a DnD-themed notepad that I plan to use to track “daily quests” aka general things I do every week. I even have a a Spotify playlist for relaxation called “Save Point” xD
Ah I love that hahah. I bet that makes chores feel a little less "chore-like" too since your brain is associating them with something you really enjoy!
this is so helpful! love your vids! you got me out of a bad depression cycle, so I'm really grateful for that. love you chat and chores, series, really gets me moving.
Thank you so much! This really got me in my feels - as someone who has been in depression cycles, I know how hard it can be to get out of them and the fact that I played any part in helping you out of yours is SO rewarding for me and reminds me why I do this, so I really appreciate you sharing that. Thank you for watching 💛
Excellent advice, also things i learned the hard way when i legit had to google why therapy made me worse..well turns out it's not for everyone! I do coloring and i occasionally do puzzles and crosswords. I've liked that stuff since i was a kid, who knew it would also be therapeutic? Journalling has never worked for me either but I've always had a journal. So now i scrapbook and junk journal and make random lists that have no value except for my mental health ❤
Thank you for giving the people what they wanted and ensuring Goose was in the video. I like the idea of a scrapbook journal for memories. It also sounds more fun than regular journalling, which I remember doing once every few months. One simple habit that I need to do is eat something in the morning; it doesn't have to be right away, but it has to be before noon, and I have to drink water. I like the serotonin hub idea; for my everyday job, I list things/tasks I've accomplished to remind me that I do get things done, but for non-work things, I don't note any of that down to refer to. Like yesterday, I remembered how wonderful my mom was, how she pushed for me to get an education and get my current job and that I should be doing more for her, and then I remembered, wait a minute, I bought her a brand new car (she did not ask for but really needed) that I'm currently paying the loan for lol.
Goose always deserves some screen time haha. And I'm glad ya found the scrapbook journal and serotonin hub tips helpful! Scrapbook journaling has definitely proved to be more fun for me than regular journaling, and SO satisfying to have a whole year of pictures and anecdotes to look back on! Also, so amazing you bought your mom a car - she sounds like a lovely lady, and FWIW, I feel like a lot of people (myself included) feel like they aren't doing enough for their moms. It's hard to repay someone for giving you life haha, but I'm sure she appreciates everything you do more than you realize 💛
if you hear scratching noises in the middle of the night, it is just me stealing your grey sweater. Love this video. Meditation can be useful if your head chattery - two to five minutes usually works for me.
I love this so much. New subscriber! I agree with pretty much all of these. I meditated forever, and it honestly started making me more anxious. Also, do we have the same doctor? Everything gets pinned on my anxiety, so it's pointless for me to even go.
This video is actually super helpful! I love the “intentional scrolling” tip. Also please tell Goose thank you for his protection. We all feel safer knowing he’s on the job 👏🏻😂
Strongly agree with not needing supplements! In fact, it's really weird to me how obsessed Americans are with them. It's getting to the point where people are preaching WATER isn't healthy enough and needs a load of artificial vitamins and supplements put into them to the point where it really isn't water anymore. Like, I am all for fruit in your water, that's cool, but I'm talking about powder stuff from jars. Water is literally the most healthy drink you can get, you really don't need all this powder stuff.
This is my first video of yours and i truly resonate with the way your thoughts come out, I really appreciated what you had to say in this video and it makes me feel better about how my brain works
Definitely not broken! haha. There's just no blanket stress solution for the entirety of humanity is what I've learned. If something doesn't work for you (after giving it a good go), just try something else!
clicked on this video bc most of the typical "self-help"-type advice either doesn't work or doesn't stick. this turned out to be a really helpful video! the points re: meditation, journaling (specifically the why), and the morning menu have given me a lot to think about.
Hey Morgan! I love your videos and they bring me so much calmness and as a fellow anxious person I relate to a lot of things you share and it makes life a bit easier for me :)) but as a person with pharmacology background I have to comment on what you said about supplements - yes the contents sometimes seem overshot but it is very rare that the whole content of the supplement would be absorbed by your body. For example, for magnesium if the supplement is in the form of magnesium oxide, the bioavailability is only 4% so even if you take a tablet with 500% of “the daily dose”, your body will actually get much less of it.. that being said, you also have micronutrients soluble in water (e.g. vitamin C) where if you have plenty you will just get rid of it in urine, but there are vitamins soluble in fats like Vitamin A which are actually more “dangerous” for overdose because they get stored in the body fat and can thus be harmful if you have too much. Nevertheless I totally agree that it’s best to have tests run by the doctor to see what deficiencies one has :)
Love this perspective on all the self-help/care recommendations that flood the internet. My main take away from your video is to be willing to try different habits/activities that interest you, or even try to be creative and come up with your own activity, but only stick with the ones YOU personally feel/see positive results from. Just because one influencer said this "thing" is what did it all for them doesn't mean its the best for you. Thank you for sharing ❤ I will be breaking out a puzzle this weekend in your honor!
Goose needed the screen time to get credit from protecting you from the vacuum man!! This was super helpful! I've been going through a sort of habit/routine discovery thing, and this video is basically easy notes!! ❤
my fav spiritual teacher says the best way to meditate is to dance which i completely agree with as someone who is adhd and has a very hard time sitting still in one place for long.
Okay I just happened to stumble across your account. This usually isn’t the type of media I consume but in SO HAPPY I clicked this video. You are so funny and I love your editing style. I also really appreciate you talking through what did and didn’t work for you because it’s honestly something I should think about more for myself
I love this video- as someone who also doesn’t like meditation or affirmations, it can get frustrating when this is always suggested by professionals and non-professionals alike. I think journaling every single day is pointless, as I feel Ike I’m just writing the same stuff everyday. Thanks for sharing what has and hadn’t worked for you!
I totally get that frustration-journaling every day feels the same way for me sometimes too! I’m so glad this video resonated with you and thanks for sharing your perspective 💛
Love the idea of intentional screen time in the morning and night. I tried giving up screens all together and I hated it 😅 Will definitely try reading a newsletter!
Thiiiiis!! I love this video! I have a very similar story and I know I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without the person I *tried* to be through my 20s but the feeling of finally breaking away from all the noise and finding things that fit who I am is unrivaled.
I have tried most of these and they’ve been awful but affirmations I have figured out if you want them to be more effective to have a list of things that make you feel that way. So like, “I am beautiful” would have a list of ways to make it effective (I will take time to give myself a pressure point massage while washing my face, I will put a moisturizer on, I’ll shave, I’ll use lotion, etc.) and that has really worked for me
YO it was so encouraging to hear you talk about all these things!! None of those work for me either, especially randomized self care books that make me feel like I have problems only the author knows how to fix and I feel so broken while reading it and lost 🥹😂 and I never get to a point with meditation where visualization or focus does anything for me.. and same with affirmations! The more I say something, the less I comprehend it 😂 Definitely loved this vid, can’t wait to see what else your channel has to offer!
I don’t know if it works for everyone, but I’ve found affirmations are good only when I say them at a specific time. Like if I make a hard decision, afterwards I’ll tell myself that I’m glad I acted and it resulted in *whatever good thing happened*, so I’m not constantly thinking I’m doing a good job, it just reinforces the way I want to act. Might be useful for others!
You are amazing!)) I love your casual and easy behavior. Thank you for remembering me about crosswords, paused the video and went to do one. Also "serotonin hub" is a great idea!! Thougt about taking all bithday congratulations or thank yous in one place but didn't formalize the idea.
Love Goose!! Thanks for your ideas-given me a new way of looking at forming good habits-have often beaten myself up for 'not being disciplined enough'-this has encouraged me to reassess my own routines-thanks! x 🌹x
I'm a bit late to this but the algorithm decided I needed to see it today 😁 I am totally with you on all the things you mentioned, though I still do some of them, with modifications. Meditation - traditional Eastern/Buddhist meditation, where you try to focus on body/breathing and emptying your mind of whatever rubbish is in it - never works for me. But I approach meditation from a pagan spiritual direction, where the intention isn't to empty your mind at all, but rather, to take a spiritual "journey". I might start with a visualisation (e.g; I am in a forest, here's a path, let's walk down it and see where it goes). I can learn a lot more about myself from this kind of meditation than I can from counting breaths and trying to make my brain shut up. Affirmations - hell no. These actually make me feel much worse, because I know they are untrue. They make me feel like I'm lying to myself. What works for me much better is Gratitudes. Writing down things that are already good in my life, however small. Like a perfect cup of tea, or a cosy warm sweater. Similar to your serotonin hub, but not just things other people have said to me, but any nice things that made the day a little bit better. Journalling - works for me only when I write positive things more often than negative ones. Hence, those Gratitudes. And the other thing that really works for me is to take some time in my day (usually in the evening) to do something creative. I have a lot of artistic and creative hobbies so I try to do one of them each day. It's a bit like your morning menu. Do I want to paint today? Or write a short story? Draw some doodles? Make a notebook cover? Cook a nice fancy meal? I just pick whichever one of those I feel most like doing on any particular day. And if I don't feel like doing any of them on one particular day, I just read fiction for an hour instead.
I've never managed to have a morning routine, not even a menu, but maybe someday... What i have managed it to use my bullet journal to keep track of things and that is very very useful
Wow I like meditating (including guided meditation), but hypnotherapy sounds awful. I think the stereotypical idea and image of "meditating" is very... Ascetic. Sitting silently, no thoughts. But focused meditation AKA mindfulness is SO GOOD. Jigsaw puzzles and colouring do that. The morning menu sounds similar to how I try to plan my whole day! I identified the non-negotiables dor each day to help me feel good, and one of them is "move"-it's not exercise, so something like dancing to one song counts. I might do this for my mornings and bed time. :)
Affirmations always seemed a bit silly to me. Tried it once, but it just seemed very weird and inauthentic to say stuff like that, or even to write it down. It felt like I was having to write lines in a school detention.
I feel like you and I are the same person lol we seem to have similar ailments hahaha Thanks for sharing, this feels so validating and making me feel very seen because I agree ON ALL OF THESE! I've found myself with similar alternatives.
I was a supplement enthusiast. Realised they all gave me bad side effects. I don’t take any now, not even D3. Feel better. I manage my IBS with the FODMAP list.
I relate to a lot of this. I haven't given meditation as much time as you because I despised it so much. I am like you, I need something physical to take me out of my mind. Focusing on my breath for more than a few seconds has never helped me because I end up breathing really unnaturally and start thinking, Am I breathing right? If I need a break from words, like reading books or articles, or listening, to podcasts or music, I like to play my guitar. It is something physical I can focus on. Also, to piggyback on the book topic, that is why the short form videos paired with infinite scrolling can be so bad. Depending on how the algorithm goes, you can be inundated with information and then have decision paralysis on what you should actually be doing. I find that having a stubborn resolve about things helps me to identify unhelpful information (I've already made my decision about X, Y, Z, and since it isn't an issue right now, I can skip this information.) Thanks for this video, I enjoyed it!
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! Completely get your struggle of focusing on your breath-same thing happens to me, I get so focused on it that it becomes weird haha. Playing guitar sounds like such a perfect way to reset and focus though, especially when words feel overwhelming. I’m glad ya enjoyed the video and found it relatable. 😊
I had to come say I took in a cat from friends. His name is Goose. They named him from Top Gun. I didn't change his name bc I have a dog named Kitty. A pitbull. A pitty named Kitty 😂
Fun fact!! Coloring or doing a puzzle is also considered meditation! Meditation is any activity that quiets the train of thoughts and makes you more alert about the present.
Being near the end of my very difficult pregnancy, I've thrown habits out the window. I've just turned to "focuses:" I focus of eating well, I focus on getting rest, I focus on what my body is telling me what I need. This had helped me be so much healthier than doing my habits.
Wishing you a safe delivery and a healthy baby! Congratulations!
Love this, I've tried journaling and meditating for YEARS and every time, I will do it for maybe 3 days before the novelty wears off and it becomes a chore I resent. I'm going to get a puzzle.
Yep, exactly how it’s been for me too haha. And I will say I have yet to resent a puzzle, so definitely worth a shot!
good idea! I started embroidery because I hate to destroy puzzles, but I also have no wall space to hang them all up
Amen to it becoming a chore!!
After experimenting a lot I found the only morning routine that works for me: sleeping. Just sleep until 5 minutes before whatever I need to do always makes feel better than sleeping less.
The one thing I absolutely love is the realness of this. The amount of times I've tried meditating, journaling, have the 'perfect 10 step' morning routine and every time I just felt time was being taken away from me for something that wasn't working.
Now I've just put little things in place that make a difference. Such as at nighttime, I have an 'unwind' playlist which is filled with relaxing video game music and I play it while I read a book or I'm on my phone before I go to sleep. Nothing I ever thought I would do but has helped immensely with switching off my brain.
Thank you for sharing this! Your unwind playlist idea sounds lovely 😌. Sometimes we just need to make little adjustments that feel natural and don’t add extra pressure to help switch our brains off, rather than forcing an unnatural habit just because it's "supposed to help." Anyways, I’m so glad you’ve found something that helps you switch off. Thanks so much for watching!
Yeah plus is you ban screen time in the morning you’re probably gonna be anxious & thinking about what notifications are on your phone like if there’s important emails you need to see
The problem is that these practices are sold to us as magical fixes to all of our problems when they absolutely are not. Influencers tell you that this stuff will CHANGE YOUR LIFE OVERNIGHT because their videos pop off better in the algorithm when they're selling you the fantasy you're desperate to believe. Many of these practices are things you have to stick with over months and even years if you want to get something out of them and they absolutely will not make all your problems just go away no matter how long you do them.
We want these things to fix our problems because we're desperate to escape ourselves. What if the solution wasn't to escape your problems, but rather it's to just sit with your darkness and your pain and allow these parts of yourself to just be? Meditation isn't powerful because it forces you to stop feeling bad. It's powerful because it forces you to sit with the bad feeling and witness it without trying to change it or make it go away. Paradoxically, when we stop trying to force our bad feelings to go away, we can watch them and realize how temporary they all are. You feel scared and sad and you sit with that feeling and then it shifts and you feel something else.
I journal every day and watch myself as my feelings and moods constantly shift. One day I show up to my journal with all this pain and anger and self hatred, and the next day I show up with lightness and love for myself. All my feelings are part of me and none of them are "bad" like I used to think, they're just part of the experience of being human. The more I let my painful feelings just be what they are without trying to fix them or make them go away, the greater capacity I develop to love those dark and painful parts of myself. They're just wounded parts of me calling out for love. They're not trying to hurt me they're trying to keep me safe.
I'm done trying to fix myself. My new goal is simply to witness all the parts of myself with love and acceptance. I find that a much more grounded and peaceful way to live than constantly chasing something to fix me.
This really speaks to me, I think I've come to the same conclusion. I'm just in a space now where I can face reality head on and decide what to do with the information that is given to me, without trying to pretend that things are different. But it took me a long time to get there.
The 'I'm a millionaire' manifestations did not work, while the 'I speak lovingly and kindly to myself' ones did work and have changed my inner voice to be compassionate, rather than letting me tear myself down. I'm fully capable of recognising my bad feelings now, and by being present, I was able to befriend them and when they are heard and seen, they don't tend to linger and fester. Journalling is an amazing tool for that.
This is so true! You'll never be able to get rid of 'bad' emotions and that's not what these habits can do. They help with being present and regulating your emotions, which means you are able to feel your feelings but not be overwhelmed by them.
Manifesting and repeating affirmations makes sense to me in theory, like I understand that if we say something often enough, our brains will try to believe it. So I started intentionally correcting my negative self talk, say from "oh I’m stupid" to "oh, I've made a (silly) mistake" etc.
However, repeatedly telling myself things that are objectively untrue (at this moment in time, no matter if they Will be true at some point), e.g. "I am a successful person", "I will reach x goal"… just makes me feel like I’m lying. It felt like I was dismissing all of my (reasonable) doubts about my situation and my future, given that I was and still am not sure what way I want my life to go.
Yep - totally relate to that! Correcting negative self talk is definitely important and valid, but the "manifesting" side of affirmations is lost on me. Like you said, it feels like I'm just lying. I'd rather use the positivity and momentum from concrete feedback and past accomplishments to give me the energy to keep working toward my goals, if that makes sense? haha. But regardless, everyone is different, and I'm glad you've figured out what works for you! Thanks for watching 💛
I love your example of moving from “I’m so stupid” towards “I made a silly mistake.” Instead of dismissing the feeling, you met it with compassion - which is why it probably feels easier to accept than “I am a millionaire,” because your Shadow will tell you 7 days a week that you are not. (But it might be more comfortable accepting “I have the capacity to become a millionaire,” which is more open-ended, acknowledges that you’re not there yet, but also “prepares the mind” to be able to meet the reality someday if opportunity and whatnot arises. But when our “affirmations” are just opposite of our true beliefs and realities (“I am stupid” countered by “I am super smart and wise”) then we’re creating more internal tension between ourselves and our Unconscious, and the Unconscious will try to wake us up from that delusion, emphatically, because it needs to know that we’re working on the things we need to change, not settling into a lie.
Thank you for sharing these insights!
I just love how this is a real person real life video of someone not pushing an intense lifestyle that requires a person to get up at 3am. Also love the mess on the floor 🙌🏻
finally an actual video about this instead of just someone trying to sell me something, subscribed.
My zen is in a clean and calm environment. Cleaning no longer feels like a chore to me, it feels like self care.
For context, I am the daughter of a hoarder 😅. So this makes perfect sense for me.
I am on a self growth/discovery journey and I have been trying EVERYTHING for three months and I feel overwhelmed with "advice" and how to live my life to feel more peaceful and my anxiety has never been higher. This absolutely helps me with ways to better align what I want with how I live. Thank you so much for the honesty and suggestions.
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Thanks so much for watching and wishing you the best on your self growth journey 💛
As a 23 year old trying to figure out life i find your advice and your channel really inspiring. Thank you for doing what you do💖
Aw you're so sweet - thank YOU so much for watching! I'm glad my content resonates with ya 💕
@@morganevelyncookI also wanted to thank you for putting content that’s relatable and inspiring. I’ve only watched a few of your videos so I’m sorry if you’ve already said this but are you vegetarian?
Being recently diagnosed with ADHD and dealing with disabling chronic illness for over 20 years now, virtually NONE of the standard self help stuff actually works for me. Affirmations, don't even get me started... My brain IMMEDIATELY says "NOPE! UNTRUE!" Trying affirmations actually made my mental health so much worse! I found some articles online that talked about some scientific studies done that showed that affirmations only benefit those who already have high self esteem. They can backfire for those with lower self esteem and/or trauma. That was so validating, cause all the affirmations and meditations made me feel so much worse and everyone just said I wasn't doing it right. 🙄 Nope, they just don't work if you have trauma or are neurodivergent. Hi, that's me...
I started doing word searches and that really helps me. I have a double whammy that too much mental effort/exertion can flare my chronic stuff, so I have to be careful. Oh, guess what meditation is! Mental exertion, even though most people don't want to acknowledge that it is. So I was making myself so much worse trying to force myself to do meditation consistently!
Another one was gratitude journaling. 🤢 I tried it and it made me feel worse because things aren't so bad so why am I feeling crappy? What works for me is an alternate form of gratitude journaling. I do it once weekly, NOT daily. I start by listing out what sucked this week. Then I list a few things of something good/gratitude. I also am trying to list something fun this week. I'm trying to incorporate more fun into my life. So this is a little reminder for me. But I NEED to list out the weekly suckies first or else the gratitude feels forced and fake.
Morning routines... The biggest recommendation is to get up early/earlier. Yeah, no. My body absolutely physically rebels and gets worse if I get up early. Complete no-go. I really like the idea of a morning menu, having options rather than requirements.
Also been told it was all in my head to then eventually be diagnosed with multiple ACTUAL physical chronic health issues including an autoimmune issue and a genetic mutation, among multiple other things.
I'm a supplement queen but on the recommendation of my doctor and nutritionist, specifically for my chronic health issues. For the average mostly healthy person, a multivitamin, vitamin D, and maybe magnesium are mostly what's beneficial.
A “morning menu” is actually genius. Why haven’t I thought of that 😭 great video !!!!
I'm glad ya like it!! And more importantly, I hope it helps! Thank you so much for watching 💛
Frrr tho
Me sitting here coloring as I watch this video🫣🤭 also on the supplement thing- I learned in med school that a lot of supplements just lead to “expensive pee” meaning your body doesn’t actually do anything with the supplement… it just gets rid of it.
I really like the idea of a menu instead of a set routine
I love the "menu" over "routine." So refreshing.
THANK YOUUUUUUU, my mom is a big meditation person and has tried to get me into it many many times, but honestly I don't need to sit quietly I need to go to the gym to punch my problems into a boxing bag.
Super relatable! My favorite form of meditation is doing yoga, as I can still focus on my breathing and how my body is feeling (bit like a body scan) and it feels like a really loving thing to do for myself. The scrapbook journal is something I just decided I wanted to try doing, and now you are talking about it in this video, so that feels like confirmation!!
For the screen time thing, I’m the same way. I found I would rush through journaling just to get on technology faster. What I do instead is kinda like what you do, intentional screen time. I have a mood tracking app I log, journal in xTiles, and watch UA-cam videos like this one to start off the day.
Instead of no screen time i turn my phone into gray scale it just takes the interest away scrolling but I can still journal listen to music and whatever else i think benifts me more than scrolling. I implemented your morning menu system a couple weeks ago and it was honestly life changing! I then impemented day menus and night menus ahahah
Yayyy, all the menus! Hahah. That’s a good tip about the phone too-didn’t even know you could turn it gray scale, I’ll have to look into that!
I have a relax mode that I can turn on that blocks access (temporarily) to any apps I choose. So I set it to allow things like music, reading, journaling/notes, etc and blocks access to internet, social media, etc to prevent doom scrolling.
This is the first one of your videos I’ve seen, and it was sooooo relatable! I’ve wondered for years whether there was something wrong with me because the whole idea of standing in front of a mirror and saying affirmations just made me squirm, and even the thought of journaling sounds like a lot of hard work. Oh, and “switch off devices for at least an hour before bed” while at the same time saying “read, or colour, or listen to music”. All my books, colouring, and music are on my devices! I’m on the fence with meditations - I don’t hate them, but I don’t feel like they provide any benefit for me. But the idea of starting the day with a crossword puzzle - YES! And at 66yo I’m almost at the optimum age for it LOL. So THANK YOU for confirming that it’s not just me. My take-away from this video is that my morning/evening routines/menus should be whatever I darn well choose them to be, as long as they serve me.
I have a love hate relationship with meditation: when I try to do it during the day it actually won't do anything or even make my anxiety worse. But at night, mindfulness and focusing on my breath and counting number (and breath exercises to calm down my parasympathetic nervous system) is the only way I can actually fall asleep (even with meds). Because they make me focus on something that isn't mental taxing and will prevent my racing thoughts for long enough to make me fall asleep
I really love this because it makes me feel like I'm not doing everything wrong. when I feel like I HAVE to jornal or excercise or meditate it makes me feel like shit when I'm not doing these things. but you're so right about having a "menu" and doing what's right for you. I can never be that person with a morning routine and that doesn't mean that I'm living life wrong. your video was very validating in that sense. obviously I'm still trying to live a healthy lifestyle but I have to go at my own pace and do things that work for me
On the supplement point: I have a liver disorder and have to watch what I consume because of it, and alongside the obvious like alcohol and pain killers, I have to avoid a BUNCH of supplements because they're potentially horrible for your liver! Most notably being ashwagandha, aloe vera, and protein powder, especially whey. Those are super common supplements that people eat a lot of! 😵
Never feel pressured to do something just because you hear it’s good because that’s defeating the whole purpose
1. Meditation/hypno- don’t really work for me, but they are actually 2 different different things
2. Self-help- I loved reading a variety because I was able to learn a lot and try different things and got what I needed, I’m now more selective. I rather watch fiction, which I don’t do that often
3. Screentime- overall is not an issue for me, I do it when I need and want to
4. Affirmations- not a big fan, a lot of times they are fake helping ppl. If you are going to do them, I suggest it’s something about your capabilities or values, not just something hyping you up
5. Journaling- it has been huge for me, but I don’t force it or have a routine, I write when I feel compelled; I have a life one and positive one
6. Mornings- I like the menu thing. For me I do things if I feel like it, I don’t if I don’t feel like it
7. Supplements- I only take things that I know help me based on how I feel or improved numbers and do not harm me and are generally low risk
I definitely relate to your sentiment & I was turned off to almost all of these. But I actually came around to meditating when I found out the true purpose that it can have (quieting the constant thoughts), that there’s different types that target very different goals, & the true goal of it is very different & more achievable then what i had previously heard. My therapist really encouraged me to try & it when I learned a lot about it from the Andrew Huberman podcast that changed everything for me. The one that I need is interoceptive meditation or I suppose you can call it mindfulness. Whether you’re taking a walk or sitting somewhere you try to focus on the sounds & sensations around you. I needed this because I have adhd & I’ll literally scream at myself in my head to please just shut the fuck up lol I never stop thinking about crap. The game changer for me was also that achievement that “zen” that ppl talk about isn’t really the purpose of doing this. It’s essentially a re-focus exercise, where every time you catch yourself drifting in thought or forgetting to pay attention to your environment you try again. If you keep messing up & having to restart YOU’RE NOT DOING IT WRONG!! In fact that may be even more effective the more times you can catch yourself & refocus. He said that Buddhists aren’t always staying in the zone, they’re just soo good & refocusing their mind they can do it at such a quick moment it’s almost inconceivable. Another thing to note is that it isn’t always relaxing or enjoyable & that still doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, again the goal is to refocus not necessarily be relaxed. Some days it can be harder to stay focused than others & be frustrating but that’s part of practicing it. He also said even 3 minutes of trying to every day is very effective. It’s supposed to help you in real life situations like catching yourself zoning out in a work meeting & getting back on track, & the more a person is noticing their environment rather than being in their own head, they’re much happier of a person. You can also focus on breathing & body sensations but that never worked for me, I just hate breathing exercises. I’m not good at consistency doing this habit yet but it’s still a goal, & when I go for walks it’s so easy to double it as a meditation walk which makes me present for the walk more & enjoy it! I just wanted to share since this information about meditation was so new & really changed it for me. And doing meditation with the goal of curing a medical illness seems dumb😂
You may be doing this on purpose but watching you do chores allows me to mirror you. I find myself cleaning during your videos with very little prompting. Please don't stop!
I suffer from mental illnesses for the last 20ish years (yay). Always thought I did affirmations wrong cause it did nothing for me. Nowadays, affirmations just feel like pressure for me, like "I manifest to be ok" - yeah, so YOU BETTER GET THE EFFORT IN OR ELSE. Nope, not for me 🙈🙈
11:40 I do this too. On my work laptop I have a folder in my email with every email I get that has a compliment in it. It's my compliment folder and it helps when I feel insecure at work.
No, because this was so helpful, Affirmations really don't work for me and I never thought about screenshotting instead in a "serotonin hub" haha!
So glad you found that tip helpful! The screenshots really are great reminders - hope ya enjoy your own serotonin hub! 🤗
I also really enjoy puzzles and colouring as a "mindful" exercise. Another this that works for me is to go for walks. Sometimes it's long 1 hour walks, sometimes just a 5-10 min walk, depending on my time, mood and needs. It helps me clear my head if I have a lot going on and can't really make sense of any of it 😊
I’ve been trying to have intentional screen time, too. One thing that really helps is if I have a specific UA-cam video I plan on watching (or article I want to read, etc.), I’ll put it as a bookmark on my web browser so it’s right in front of my face. If I just go on UA-cam with the intention to search up the video, chances are I’ll get distracted. If you have an iPhone doing this with the Apple Shortcuts app is great, too, since you can keep the link to something on your home screen!
I love that tip! I have the same issue, if I open my phone with the intent on going to a specific video or app, I always end up somewhere else, so having things bookmarked and ready to go is ideal!
I hate affirmations, they feel like I try to gaslight or brainwash myself.
I do the same thing with routines (renaming them) because it makes it WAY easier to remember for me.
I use gaming terms/things I’ve seen in videogames due to being a huge gamer all my life; “supply run” for food shopping and “inventory restock” for household/etc. shopping, and I found a DnD-themed notepad that I plan to use to track “daily quests” aka general things I do every week.
I even have a a Spotify playlist for relaxation called “Save Point” xD
Ah I love that hahah. I bet that makes chores feel a little less "chore-like" too since your brain is associating them with something you really enjoy!
this is so helpful! love your vids! you got me out of a bad depression cycle, so I'm really grateful for that. love you chat and chores, series, really gets me moving.
Thank you so much! This really got me in my feels - as someone who has been in depression cycles, I know how hard it can be to get out of them and the fact that I played any part in helping you out of yours is SO rewarding for me and reminds me why I do this, so I really appreciate you sharing that. Thank you for watching 💛
@@morganevelyncook oh my god i didn't think you would even see my comment. i'm the one who needs to thank you, you really have been helping me a lot
Nice video, coloring or playing cozy games helps me to be more zen. I often add an audiobook to these habits to put away over thinking too.
Excellent advice, also things i learned the hard way when i legit had to google why therapy made me worse..well turns out it's not for everyone! I do coloring and i occasionally do puzzles and crosswords. I've liked that stuff since i was a kid, who knew it would also be therapeutic? Journalling has never worked for me either but I've always had a journal. So now i scrapbook and junk journal and make random lists that have no value except for my mental health ❤
Thank you for giving the people what they wanted and ensuring Goose was in the video. I like the idea of a scrapbook journal for memories. It also sounds more fun than regular journalling, which I remember doing once every few months. One simple habit that I need to do is eat something in the morning; it doesn't have to be right away, but it has to be before noon, and I have to drink water. I like the serotonin hub idea; for my everyday job, I list things/tasks I've accomplished to remind me that I do get things done, but for non-work things, I don't note any of that down to refer to. Like yesterday, I remembered how wonderful my mom was, how she pushed for me to get an education and get my current job and that I should be doing more for her, and then I remembered, wait a minute, I bought her a brand new car (she did not ask for but really needed) that I'm currently paying the loan for lol.
Goose always deserves some screen time haha. And I'm glad ya found the scrapbook journal and serotonin hub tips helpful! Scrapbook journaling has definitely proved to be more fun for me than regular journaling, and SO satisfying to have a whole year of pictures and anecdotes to look back on! Also, so amazing you bought your mom a car - she sounds like a lovely lady, and FWIW, I feel like a lot of people (myself included) feel like they aren't doing enough for their moms. It's hard to repay someone for giving you life haha, but I'm sure she appreciates everything you do more than you realize 💛
if you hear scratching noises in the middle of the night, it is just me stealing your grey sweater. Love this video. Meditation can be useful if your head chattery - two to five minutes usually works for me.
Didn’t even realize I was beating myself up over my morning routine failures…yep, that’s a thing. Looking forward to a menu…😊
Oh, the back pain from laying on your stomach. Lol! I've been feeling that for the past few years. I'm glad I'm not alone 😂
Isn’t it annoying though. I used to read for hours on my stomach as a teen, then stopped, now that’s no longer an option. Humph.
I love this so much. New subscriber! I agree with pretty much all of these. I meditated forever, and it honestly started making me more anxious. Also, do we have the same doctor? Everything gets pinned on my anxiety, so it's pointless for me to even go.
This video is actually super helpful! I love the “intentional scrolling” tip.
Also please tell Goose thank you for his protection. We all feel safer knowing he’s on the job 👏🏻😂
I love how you described perfectly how I journal. Not a traditional journal, not a scrapbook but somewhere in the middle to keep the memories. 🥰
Yes, right in the middle! I've heard some people describe it as junk journaling which has kind of a nice ring to it haha
Strongly agree with not needing supplements! In fact, it's really weird to me how obsessed Americans are with them. It's getting to the point where people are preaching WATER isn't healthy enough and needs a load of artificial vitamins and supplements put into them to the point where it really isn't water anymore. Like, I am all for fruit in your water, that's cool, but I'm talking about powder stuff from jars. Water is literally the most healthy drink you can get, you really don't need all this powder stuff.
This is my first video of yours and i truly resonate with the way your thoughts come out, I really appreciated what you had to say in this video and it makes me feel better about how my brain works
Awesome tips. Definitely thought I was broken at times when things were more stressful than stress reducing!
Definitely not broken! haha. There's just no blanket stress solution for the entirety of humanity is what I've learned. If something doesn't work for you (after giving it a good go), just try something else!
Oh!!!! I LOVE the morning menu thing. I am way too rigid and feel like a failure if I don't do everything on my list.
clicked on this video bc most of the typical "self-help"-type advice either doesn't work or doesn't stick. this turned out to be a really helpful video! the points re: meditation, journaling (specifically the why), and the morning menu have given me a lot to think about.
Hey Morgan! I love your videos and they bring me so much calmness and as a fellow anxious person I relate to a lot of things you share and it makes life a bit easier for me :))
but as a person with pharmacology background I have to comment on what you said about supplements - yes the contents sometimes seem overshot but it is very rare that the whole content of the supplement would be absorbed by your body. For example, for magnesium if the supplement is in the form of magnesium oxide, the bioavailability is only 4% so even if you take a tablet with 500% of “the daily dose”, your body will actually get much less of it..
that being said, you also have micronutrients soluble in water (e.g. vitamin C) where if you have plenty you will just get rid of it in urine, but there are vitamins soluble in fats like Vitamin A which are actually more “dangerous” for overdose because they get stored in the body fat and can thus be harmful if you have too much.
Nevertheless I totally agree that it’s best to have tests run by the doctor to see what deficiencies one has :)
alright, im saying it. You're my new favourite youtuber.
I’m honored 🥹
@@morganevelyncook I just love your personality! That's what made me subscribe! You're inspiring.
New subscriber! You are hilarious and I love all of your points. I love your laid-back approach to things we all have in common. Awesome stuff.
Love this perspective on all the self-help/care recommendations that flood the internet. My main take away from your video is to be willing to try different habits/activities that interest you, or even try to be creative and come up with your own activity, but only stick with the ones YOU personally feel/see positive results from. Just because one influencer said this "thing" is what did it all for them doesn't mean its the best for you.
Thank you for sharing ❤ I will be breaking out a puzzle this weekend in your honor!
Goose needed the screen time to get credit from protecting you from the vacuum man!!
This was super helpful! I've been going through a sort of habit/routine discovery thing, and this video is basically easy notes!! ❤
That’s right, he protected the home, he deserves his screen time hahah. So glad you found these tips helpful!
my fav spiritual teacher says the best way to meditate is to dance which i completely agree with as someone who is adhd and has a very hard time sitting still in one place for long.
Okay I just happened to stumble across your account. This usually isn’t the type of media I consume but in SO HAPPY I clicked this video. You are so funny and I love your editing style.
I also really appreciate you talking through what did and didn’t work for you because it’s honestly something I should think about more for myself
the best self help book i’ve ever read and the only one that truly changed my life for the better is the easy way to quit smoking
I love this video- as someone who also doesn’t like meditation or affirmations, it can get frustrating when this is always suggested by professionals and non-professionals alike. I think journaling every single day is pointless, as I feel Ike I’m just writing the same stuff everyday. Thanks for sharing what has and hadn’t worked for you!
I totally get that frustration-journaling every day feels the same way for me sometimes too! I’m so glad this video resonated with you and thanks for sharing your perspective 💛
Your point about a morning menu vs. morning routine has just completely set me free. Thank you!
You have the best sense of humor. I love your sarcasm!
Love the idea of intentional screen time in the morning and night. I tried giving up screens all together and I hated it 😅 Will definitely try reading a newsletter!
I just can't tell you how much i love your channel
Screenshotted and added to my serotonin hub-thank you!! 🫶
Thiiiiis!! I love this video! I have a very similar story and I know I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without the person I *tried* to be through my 20s but the feeling of finally breaking away from all the noise and finding things that fit who I am is unrivaled.
I think that I needed this video ♡
Yes, yes, and yes to all of this. You give words to the thoughts in my brain.
I have tried most of these and they’ve been awful but affirmations I have figured out if you want them to be more effective to have a list of things that make you feel that way. So like, “I am beautiful” would have a list of ways to make it effective (I will take time to give myself a pressure point massage while washing my face, I will put a moisturizer on, I’ll shave, I’ll use lotion, etc.) and that has really worked for me
i love how this video helped me do my chores while watching it
I put this video on while I cleaned the living room/kitchen and loved it
YO it was so encouraging to hear you talk about all these things!! None of those work for me either, especially randomized self care books that make me feel like I have problems only the author knows how to fix and I feel so broken while reading it and lost 🥹😂 and I never get to a point with meditation where visualization or focus does anything for me.. and same with affirmations! The more I say something, the less I comprehend it 😂
Definitely loved this vid, can’t wait to see what else your channel has to offer!
I don’t know if it works for everyone, but I’ve found affirmations are good only when I say them at a specific time. Like if I make a hard decision, afterwards I’ll tell myself that I’m glad I acted and it resulted in *whatever good thing happened*, so I’m not constantly thinking I’m doing a good job, it just reinforces the way I want to act. Might be useful for others!
You are amazing!)) I love your casual and easy behavior. Thank you for remembering me about crosswords, paused the video and went to do one. Also "serotonin hub" is a great idea!! Thougt about taking all bithday congratulations or thank yous in one place but didn't formalize the idea.
Embroidery and Gunpla seem to be the ultimate meditative activities. I don't even like Gundam animes they are just so much fun to build
Love Goose!! Thanks for your ideas-given me a new way of looking at forming good habits-have often beaten myself up for 'not being disciplined enough'-this has encouraged me to reassess my own routines-thanks! x 🌹x
this was so perfect and helpful
You’re welcome! I’m so glad ya found it helpful 💛
When I realized last night that you’d be posting a new video today, I was so excited!! Love your videos!!
Ahh this makes me so happy! Thank you!!
we need more content like this on the internet
Wonderful! Keeping it real!
I'm a bit late to this but the algorithm decided I needed to see it today 😁 I am totally with you on all the things you mentioned, though I still do some of them, with modifications.
Meditation - traditional Eastern/Buddhist meditation, where you try to focus on body/breathing and emptying your mind of whatever rubbish is in it - never works for me. But I approach meditation from a pagan spiritual direction, where the intention isn't to empty your mind at all, but rather, to take a spiritual "journey". I might start with a visualisation (e.g; I am in a forest, here's a path, let's walk down it and see where it goes). I can learn a lot more about myself from this kind of meditation than I can from counting breaths and trying to make my brain shut up.
Affirmations - hell no. These actually make me feel much worse, because I know they are untrue. They make me feel like I'm lying to myself. What works for me much better is Gratitudes. Writing down things that are already good in my life, however small. Like a perfect cup of tea, or a cosy warm sweater. Similar to your serotonin hub, but not just things other people have said to me, but any nice things that made the day a little bit better.
Journalling - works for me only when I write positive things more often than negative ones. Hence, those Gratitudes.
And the other thing that really works for me is to take some time in my day (usually in the evening) to do something creative. I have a lot of artistic and creative hobbies so I try to do one of them each day. It's a bit like your morning menu. Do I want to paint today? Or write a short story? Draw some doodles? Make a notebook cover? Cook a nice fancy meal? I just pick whichever one of those I feel most like doing on any particular day. And if I don't feel like doing any of them on one particular day, I just read fiction for an hour instead.
I've never managed to have a morning routine, not even a menu, but maybe someday... What i have managed it to use my bullet journal to keep track of things and that is very very useful
Same I love the puzzling too. Or walking and then I can think
Yess, a good walk can be great for the mind. It's like a nice lil reset :)
Your Notion page is genius and so validating. I try to screenshot my favorite comments too but I’m going to add text messages to it 🤗
Wow I like meditating (including guided meditation), but hypnotherapy sounds awful. I think the stereotypical idea and image of "meditating" is very... Ascetic. Sitting silently, no thoughts. But focused meditation AKA mindfulness is SO GOOD. Jigsaw puzzles and colouring do that. The morning menu sounds similar to how I try to plan my whole day! I identified the non-negotiables dor each day to help me feel good, and one of them is "move"-it's not exercise, so something like dancing to one song counts. I might do this for my mornings and bed time. :)
Affirmations always seemed a bit silly to me. Tried it once, but it just seemed very weird and inauthentic to say stuff like that, or even to write it down. It felt like I was having to write lines in a school detention.
Agreed, it felt very unnatural. I was like, I don't think this is for me lol
I use affirmations not as a goal i want to be, but instead positive self talk. Ie I am able to focus on what I can change
As a person in their late twenties with anxiety and IBS, trying to figure out their life, I find your content very relatable. I wonder why 😅.
Us anxious IBS girlies gotta stick together haha. I'm glad ya can relate 💛
Great video! I feel like I can really relate to the content you make about anxiety/stress, and it makes me feel less along ❤
P.s. I love you goose
I'm so glad it resonates with you - thank you for watching! (and Goose loves you too 😊)
You have a very magnetic personality‼️
That's so sweet - thank you!
I feel like you and I are the same person lol we seem to have similar ailments hahaha Thanks for sharing, this feels so validating and making me feel very seen because I agree ON ALL OF THESE! I've found myself with similar alternatives.
Aw I'm so glad you can relate and have found yourself some alternatives too! Thank you so much for watching 💛
I was a supplement enthusiast. Realised they all gave me bad side effects. I don’t take any now, not even D3. Feel better. I manage my IBS with the FODMAP list.
Amen, sister.
I relate to a lot of this. I haven't given meditation as much time as you because I despised it so much. I am like you, I need something physical to take me out of my mind. Focusing on my breath for more than a few seconds has never helped me because I end up breathing really unnaturally and start thinking, Am I breathing right? If I need a break from words, like reading books or articles, or listening, to podcasts or music, I like to play my guitar. It is something physical I can focus on. Also, to piggyback on the book topic, that is why the short form videos paired with infinite scrolling can be so bad. Depending on how the algorithm goes, you can be inundated with information and then have decision paralysis on what you should actually be doing. I find that having a stubborn resolve about things helps me to identify unhelpful information (I've already made my decision about X, Y, Z, and since it isn't an issue right now, I can skip this information.) Thanks for this video, I enjoyed it!
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment! Completely get your struggle of focusing on your breath-same thing happens to me, I get so focused on it that it becomes weird haha. Playing guitar sounds like such a perfect way to reset and focus though, especially when words feel overwhelming. I’m glad ya enjoyed the video and found it relatable. 😊
What's the coloring app you are using? I love coloring pages on my iPad but most of them are tap, not scribble.
This is incredibly helpful ❤ thank youuu
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed!
I took vitamins and they caused severe muscle spasms in my back. I had to stop :/
THANK YOU for posting this as a reminder that there are no one size fits all solutions.
It's called Coloring Book For Me! It can be a little glitchy sometimes, but it's free! So we love that haha. Thank you for watching!
Holy sh*t, I've never felt so seen just in the first 48 seconds IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.
I had to come say I took in a cat from friends. His name is Goose. They named him from Top Gun. I didn't change his name bc I have a dog named Kitty. A pitbull. A pitty named Kitty 😂
What is that app/thing where you coloured the owl? I've been looking for digital colouring books for a while but never found anything I like.
It’s called Coloring Book for Me!
Same I love adult coloring books