You Are Not Alone ๐ซต๐ฝ
Table of Contents๐Survey + Subscription Giveaway๐ง Why You Should Never Sleep With Your Phone (ft. Jack Winston)PAID: ๐ซYou Are Not Alone ๐งMore Salt, Not Less
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๐ง The Science Behind Why You Should Never Sleep With Your Phone
(featuring Jack Winston of BePresent)Whatโs the first thing you look at in the morning, and the last thing at night? You want to say your pet or your partner, but itโs probably your phone, right?
Screen time in bed is like dinner in the bathroom. Bad mix.
Itโs a habit thatโs super hard to break, and itโs more than your willpower โ itโs psychology. Our addiction to our phones has been intentionally engineered by social media companies using decades-old psychological techniques. And it primarily relies on one simple chemical: dopamine.
Commonly misunderstood as the โpleasureโ chemical, dopamine is actually the โmotivatorโ chemical because it's what's released in the ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ of a reward. Through various techniques, the apps on our phones constantly trigger dopamine release in our brains. As our brains release more and more dopamine, we get motivated to search for more.
The infamous reload icon is designed like a slot machine, making you anticipate more content.
The constant dopamine hits and overstimulation from scrolling on our phones is a vicious cycle - after getting our first hit, we want another. Then we want more. And more. And more. What can we do to intervene in this cycle? ย My strongest advice is to not sleep with your phone next to your bed.This is because we have the most self-control in the morning. Delaying your phone use, and the dopamine hits that come with it, allows for more self-control throughout the day. I.e. it's harder to stop than to never start at all. If you can, buy an old-school alarm clock, and leave your phone in another room when you go to bed. If you must use your phone before completing your morning routine, put it on airplane mode. โ I aim for at least one phone-free hour in the morning. ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ? ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ? I want to hear how this habit affects you, and what you've tried to curtail it.
You Are Never Alone ๐๐พโโ๏ธ
We all feel stress, and we tend to experience it in a very personal way.
There's a notion that it's only us experiencing the stressful event, or that weโre subjected to stressful situations more often than others.
We have the idea that โnobody is more stressed out than me right now.โ
Though this idea is very natural and normal, it can be isolating and exacerbate feelings of stress.
Itโs hard for the brain to operate like this.
Allowing yourself to reframe your experiences can be most beneficial.
Itโs easy to feel alone. But are you?
How to Deal With Stress ๐ฅ
In moments of high stress, first pause and notice how you feel emotionally and physically.
Then, shift your perspective away from yourself. Leave the โwoe is meโ mindset behind. Instead, think of others who may be having the same kind of stressful situation, or have experienced one in the past.
Thatโs a lot of people, right?
As a child, you may have been told that the less fortunate have it much worse. This is that same idea, gently pulling you out of that isolation.
โA problem shared is a problem halved.โ
So weโre by no means ignoring how you're feeling, instead, we are acknowledging your experience, and seeing what it feels like to shift into a space of empathy.
This practice helps in letting go of stress and also helps in your relationships with others.
Itโs the quickest route to understanding and peace.
The more you see, the more you may understand.
By expanding our awareness and shifting into a space of empathy, we're able to transcend the confines of our mind and emotions, better processing stress.
You may find that your stress levels have actually decreased.
In addition, we're training the mind in empathy, compassion, and awareness. It connects us to the people around us and all living things throughout the world.
As much as it might feel like weโre the main characters of this TV show, we arenโt. Itโs an ensemble cast, and playing our part in good faith is about the best we can do.
U Salty Bro? ๐ง
Iโll bet youโve been told to ease up on the salt.
โStay away from it!โ They shriek. โItโs bad for ya heaaart!โ Cries Grandma.
But today, weโre dispelling all rumors surrounding the mineral of life, instead learning how it can supercharge our workouts and focus sessions.
They used to fight wars over this stuff.
If youโve been paying attention, a cornerstone of this newsletter is debunking notions of conventional wisdom that arenโt serving us well. That continues here.
๐คจ Why Salt?
- Sodium: A key component of salt, sodium is crucial for the proper function of muscles and nerves. It acts as an electrolyte, facilitating electrical impulses in the body. Your brain wouldnโt be able to function without it.
- Hydration Balance: Salt plays a critical role in keeping you hydrated. Itโs the hydrating part of sports drinks. If you work out, live in a hot climate, or sweat a lot, listen up. Higher salt intake is critical for people like you. It replaces the salt youโve lost through sweating. It also helps to prevent hyponatremia, aka low blood sodium levels.
- Health Treatment: Increased salt intake can assist with blood flow conditions like POTS, (a condition that leads to an abnormally large increase in heart rate when standing up) Addison's disease, and cystic fibrosis. Iโve personally noticed more alertness, focus, and ease of tension in the two years since taking more salt.
The bottom line: Unless you have chronic hypertension, a little more salt is good.
Using Salt To Your Advantage ๐
For a morning boost, try a generous pinch of salt in your water. Thatโs sure to perk up your workout, lock you into focus, and replace any lost salt throughout the day. Itโs like a Gatorade without the Red 40.
Why? It's the best quality salt out there because of its high mineral content and low processing. It has an exquisite taste. If you like the ocean, youโll love this stuff.
I donโt recommend Himalayan Pink Salt because it often contains microplastics and heavy metals. The sourcing with this kind of salt is tricky at best.
โTable salt is an absolute last resort โ itโs bleached, highly processed, and unpure. I donโt like that synthetic taste in my food either.
If anyone ever gets on you for adding extra salt to your water or food (and trust me, they will) tell them just like this: donโt be so salty!
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