#1: change one small thing at a time
for the past year, if I had to upload a video by a certain time
whether it be self-imposed deadlines or ones from brands..
I'd work well into the night like 2, 3, 4 a.m.
tonight, however, I'm going to change one thing
which is to choose sleep over work and power down at a reasonable hour
as the saying goes, mornings really do start the night before
so if I want to ensure I'm up by a desirable and desired time in the mornings
I have to make some compromises at night
so close the laptop, step away from work, stop checking emails, and cut away the phone
#2: that thing you do everyday? do it a little differently
a little more mindfully
be present when you're doing the things
all the things, the little things, the big things
so here engaging in my skincare routine
I just want to make sure this is all I'm thinking about
if I'm wiping my face with beauty water I just want to wipe my face with beauty water
when I'm applying toner, serums, moisturizers that's all I want to be focusing on
and continuing on to our day..
let's use brushing my teeth as an example
this is something I do everyday, twice a day
when I'm busy or stressed and I can't sit still for even 10 seconds
because I feel like I should constantly be doing something
I force myself to take at least two minutes to ground myself
by really focusing on what I'm doing
~ earth to Rowena, hellos ~
yes, brushing my teeth
that fresh fresh explosion of mint to wake me up in the mornings
the gentle soft vibrations and the pulses to remind me
that I need to switch to a different quadrant every 30 seconds
for most humans which is most of us..
our brains generally need downtime to remain creative
and we can find this downtime throughout our day even if it's just two minutes
because two minutes 2x a day is four minutes
and four minutes per day for a week is 28 minutes
28 minutes per week for a month is 112 minutes
which is almost a solid two hours
that's a lot of time that we can spend on ourselves
like they really compound and they really add up
so I'll stop being mom here
but just want to reiterate that self-care encompasses so many day-to-day things
that we tend to overlook like oral care
which is why I'm super grateful that brands like Quip
decided to innovate electronic toothbrushes of all things
it's these little tweaks and enhancements that we add into our lives
that turn out to be the big things in the long run
like our teeth not falling out by the time we're 80
because we didn't take the time in our youth to take care of it
anyway, if you're not familiar with Quip
they're an oral care company focused on helping you brush better
they also offer a subscription service for brush heads and toothpaste refills
because did you know toothbrushes should be changed every three months
I definitely did not know this before I started using Quip almost a year ago
so if you're in the market for a new toothbrush
Quip is the way to go my friends
check out the link in my description box and you can get a $10.00 refill credit
moving on
#3: cruise in "diffuse" mode more often
our brain operates in two modes: focus mode and diffuse mode
focus mode is when we are learning something new..
engaging in creative work or doing some specific task
when we're fully fully concentrated
we shift gears into diffuse mode when we are relaxed and daydreaming
so depending on what mode we're in, different parts of our brains are activated
studies have shown that activity in many regions of our brain
increases when we allow our minds to wander
this is why sometimes we get those epic ~ aha ~ moments
while we're washing our dishes, we're showering, doing our skincare, brushing our teeth
psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman said that..
mind wandering serves multiple adaptive functions such as future planning..
sorting out current concerns, cycling through different information streams..
distributive learning versus cramming, and creativity
so for overachievers who want to be "on" all the time
and be productive all the time
doing something all the time because there's no time to waste
a growing body of evidence has actually shown that
taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improve creativity and output
so you know skipping breaks..
skipping these diffuse modes can lead to more stress, exhaustion, and creative block
which is I'm sure most of us have experienced
all this to say when we're too focused for too long..
we're actually blocking ourselves off completely from diffuse mode
so despite how some of us may feel about how idleness is a waste of time
or that we should not be idle because we should constantly be moving forward..
it's actually a very very important thing for us to make unexpected connections in the brain
and help us become more creative when we are idle
and when we are daydreaming and when we're not in focus mode
and this goes back to what my dad tells me all the time
to 发呆 or empty the brain for at least five minutes every day
thanks dad - hi dad, I miss you ~
all right, so of course morning meditation is great
or when you make a morning tea or coffee
while you're sitting on your cloud of a couch
looking at the clouds outside the window
times like these are great for reflection
to think back on how you've been spending your time
see what's been working, see what's not been working
see what you'd like to add to your routine
and see what you'd like to subtract from your routine
because we really need to know where we currently are
and what our current routine is like before we can spice things up and move forward, right?
before you know where to go, you need to know where you've been
all right, moving on
#4: lighten the dialogue in your head
in the mornings and just my life in general
I'm almost always running five minutes late
I don't like it, I'm not proud of it
but it's been my reality for as long as I can remember
and because I am very aware of this
and I'm honestly not a big fan of myself for being perpetually in a rush and late
I'm not the nicest to myself when I'm running late
I don't talk to myself that nicely
so what I've learned over the years is that
how we talk to ourselves actually plays a huge role
in how we interact with the world around us
you know that's saying "you are the company you keep"
if you hang out with successful, ambitious, self-driven individuals
you're bound to be more successful, ambitious, and self-driven
and I believe that the dialogue in our heads work exactly the same way
if we constantly indulge in negative self-talk, we're bound to be more negative overall
although if we're able to lighten the dialogue in our heads
learn to accept and forgive ourselves a little more
and think more positive rather than not so positive thoughts
this is where the magic happens
and according to physicians and psychiatrists..
when you're experiencing a lot of internal tension and anxiety
you can reduce your stress by up to 50% by simply noticing and naming your state
like I'm angry at myself because I'm late again
okay, what can I do in the future to prevent myself from being late
so that I'm not stuck in this state of anger
and this ability to stand outside of your experiences will help you free yourself
from the automatic flow of experience
just basically autopilot
so with this self-awareness..
we'll be able to choose what direction we want to go
and redirect our attention to what's more important
or to things that we can change instead of things that we can't change
if we're late, we're late.. like can't change that
we can change how you prepare in the future
so out the door we go
and while I walk to work, I'm listening to..
this brings us to the last point
#5: make use of "found time"
pockets of down time you have throughout your day
between meetings or classes, those 10-15 minutes before or after lunch
time spent on your commutes
what is our default when we come across these pockets of "found time"
are we scrolling our phones?
are we making a call to our parents?
or are we writing an email of appreciation or sending a text of appreciation
when we're traveling from point A to point B
driving, subway, walking, flying by plane
or washing the dishes, doing our hair, putting on our face..
doing chores, cleaning our rooms, cooking..
these could all be turned into "found time"
I like to spend the time I'm physically doing something
that doesn't require much mental focus
to listen to things like podcasts, audiobooks..
or the 9-day audio lectures from my spiritual practice, Falun Dafa
it's basically a crash course on what the practice is
it pulls from Buddhism, modern scientific principles to explain qi gong, meditation..
why it's beneficial, why it works
and how it can help you improve your physical state and your mental state
and just your overall existence
and yeah, beautiful day out in New York City
walking to work
got to work a little late today because I had to film this video, but I made it
in an ideal morning, of course I would be on time
and being on time means
I'm 5-10 minutes earlier, not 5-10 minutes late
but life is a work in process and I'm a work in progress
and so are all of us, so it's ok!
tomorrow's a brand new day
we have a lot of time in the future to continue improving on ourselves
as long as we're actively taking strides
and taking the steps in the right direction
to make sure we are being the people..
the person we want to be and that we'll be proud of
when we're looking back 10, 20, 30, 50, years from now
and for our kids to look up to, for our grandkids to look up to
I'm getting really deep with this.. anyway
yes, just make.. give yourself some credit
give yourselves a pat on the back
make more time for diffused.. diffuse mode
and I hope you guys spend this weekend
existing more in diffuse mode then in focus mode
because we need our breaks to function as productive human beings
and with that, here is the ~ biggest voice hug ~
that wasn't the biggest
that was just really high-pitched in a singing voice
but anyway, voice hug ~
love you all, take care ~
baii ~