Out of Sync

How do you handle “falling out of routine”?

Do you cuss and complain and blame the world for taking you off track?

Do you try your best to get back into the “usual flow” of things?

Or do you say “fuck it!” because you deserve a pass to skip (whatever you’re supposed to be doing)?

This usually happens when you go on holidays (less or no time to work out). It happens on special events (staying up later than the usual or eating more than usual). I can come up with more examples but you get my point.

But anyway, that’s how this week went. I fell out of sync: I skipped my work out, ate more than usual and slept later than the usual. I complain a little because I didn’t get to do the usual things I wanted to do. BUT at the same time, I’m perfectly fine with it because I did why I did for a good reason (much more important than skipping the routine).

Routine can get boring at times and these little surprises are what makes life more interesting.

Because that’s how I discovered a better way to…

Sleep

Last weekend’s sleep quality was poor. My deep slumber gets cut-off whenever I have to pee in the middle of the night. That led me to feel tired in the morning. Which led me to push the snooze button. Which shortened the time I allowed for my morning rituals. I ended up skipping: the cold shower and mini workout. That lack of sleep also gave me a little headache. This explains why I value sleep so much. But for some reason, I also felt alert. I wasn’t sure why but I have a theory.

Later on that day, I came home from work, did the Happy Body for an hour, light dinner and added that 30-sec cold shower (I missed earlier) before going to bed. I also kept my water consumption to a minimum at 7:30 PM. The result?

GOOD QUALITY UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP.

Did that again for the next few days and the result was consistent: good sleep. Going back to my theory, I realized that the 30-sec shower (that was supposed to make me feel more energized and awake because that’s what you feel when you’re on it) was doing the opposite. I feel more tired instead of feeling energized (but I don’t notice it until after 15-min or so). It’s like that crash you feel after being wired and fully awake for 5-hours from drinking caffeine. The explanation (as to why I feel tired) was something I learned from”Mate“. Cold shower for 5-mins could knock you out to bed. I only do 30-secs but it seems like I get the exact same result. I tried also tried melatonin but I don’t find it that effective. Plus, why take pills if there’s a better alternative?

This proves the fact that there’s no “one size fits all” solution to cure a problem. What may work for me may not work for you. I started doing the 30-sec shower in the morning because I heard (from an expert) it helps you feel more awake in the morning. A scientific explanation was provided and I believed it though I don’t fully understand.

Two sources, opposite results, which is why I insist my friend to try this solution I proposed and just don’t take my word for it. Anxiety took over and made her night restless. I told her to relax. But forcing yourself to “relax” is not relaxing. So how do you do it? Take the time to learn how to…

Cage The Monkey Mind

When anxiety kicks in, your mind is filled with thoughts, scenarios, and fears that overwhelm that shit out of you. I advised her to learn how to meditate. Meditation helps to deal with your thoughts. Instead of dismissing the thoughts, you acknowledge them. I asked her to download Headspace to learn the basics of meditation.

Word of caution: “if you half-ass the process, you get half-assed results”. 

That said, it’s up to her if she wants to get better at dealing with her anxiety. If she really wants to put an end to the panic attacks, then she needs to put in the effort to end the panic attacks. Easier said than done (I get it) but it is what it is.

Again, there’s no “magic pill” in this world that could cure your problem once and for all.

If there was a magic pill that exists, that would be called…

A Healthy Lifestyle

Or “healthy habits”. It’s that thing you consistently do to keep you at your best version of your (current) self. Which is why I try to follow the idea of ‘human optimization’ as much as I can. Especially these days because I have to step-up my game up at work. Since my supervisor (who’s currently training me) became a manager, his plate became way more full than the usual. That means, less time for training me and more time on figuring stuff out on my own.

To do that, I need to learn how to focus.

To focus, I need to be healthy (physically and mentally).

To be healthy, I need healthy habits.

This explains why I’ve been experimenting with incorporating healthy habits (such as meditation, The Happy Body, and mushroom coffee) into my lifestyle.