🔦
figuring out the small things i can do that i know will make me feel at least 5% better has been so helpful to build momentum throughout my day.
some of mine:
groggy -> coffee, go outside and walk around, or a mini nap
lethargic/irritable -> taking a shower and deep breaths, opening a window
sad -> get sunlight, stand outside for ten minutes, hug my cat
anxious/unable to focus -> writing a brain dump of everything that’s on mind or cbt journaling
unable to sleep -> reading a book
bored -> create/output something (input(watching/listening to/reading something, scrolling on my phone) vs output(making something, writing my thoughts on something i watched, trying something new))
bloated -> ginger tea, activating pressure points, yoga
uninspired -> revisiting something formative, figuring out the unexplored territories in my taste and going into them, looking through my collection of art books
Oct 19, 2024
Related Recs
⭐
here are some things you can do that might help
-clean ur space
-journal (brain dump)
-meditate
-move ur body
-take an everything hot shower
-change into comfy clothes
-eat a warm, comforting, nutritious meal
when i notice i'm in a rut i like to do these things to feel better and then slowly start getting into my routine again
Jan 12, 2025
🗓
the work-eat-scroll-sleep-repeat pattern had me in a chokehold for ~3 years after I graduated from college, realized that a large part of the reason I struggled to break the cycle was because I’d want to “rest” after work but eventually do something enriching in the evenings, but didn’t actually have an idea of what I wanted to do so the lift to get off [app] was less willpower and more decision paralysis; the friction of figuring out what to do was what was keeping me in the cycle ~90% of the time.
what has worked for me:
1. going outside immediately after work (especially if working from home) to run an errand or go to a book or record or coffee shop
2. keeping a list of projects i want to / am currently working on or skills i want to develop and making progress on those
3. reading a book
4. (most effective) taking a class (writing, pottery, filmmaking for me) and either going to the sessions or doing the assignments
but also sometimes you literally just wanna rot and that’s cool too!
————————————————
i tried a couple different ways to structure my time:
1. daily timeblocking (3*/10): setting 5-6 to wind down; 6-7 for dinner; 7-9 for enrichment; etc… didn’t work at all for me. too structured.
2. theming days: (5*/10): mondays are for reading; tuesdays writing; etc… worked slightly better but sometimes you wanna do a different thing than the theme, introduces decision paralysis of whether to power through to build routine or to follow your instincts and have max fun
3. big list: (7*/10): here are all my projects (and subtasks) or hobbies or chores or errands i want to do; i give them a number score of how urgently i want to do them, then do the one i want to do most thats higher priority. bonus points if at the start of the week or month, you put some activities on a calendar for specific days even randomly to just have a schedule when you don’t have something you’re particularly called to do so that’s your default activity and not scrolling. works the best*!
(*for me)
Jan 16, 2025
📶
1. 15 minutes of cleaning, organizing, something task oriented that feels productive and you can SEE. after that timer goes off you’re DONE! Good work.
2. next, it’s outside time. Maybe you walk to get a treat, find a flower, see a nice building, smile at a stranger. This can be a quick trip if you need it to, or find a podcast or album to listen to on a longer walk.
3. Food that makes you feel good nutritionally and food that makes you feel good emotionally. Chocolate cake and an apple. carrots and hummus and twizzlers. Indiana food! Get both.
4. Guilt free SCHEDULED relaxing Of any kind- bed rot, tv time, video games, whatever. its Your job to do it.
This basic formula helps me.
Apr 10, 2024
Top Recs from @soapiedishes
🖼
i found a box of my parent’s photos from when they first started dating to their wedding and around when i was born and made me realize:
1. there is so much more life to live!! and i hope i can look back on my 20’s with the same fondness they do
2. how nice it is to have physical photos - i never go through my camera roll but i love revisiting old journals or scrapbooks and i think printing photos would have the same effect. i find that the phone camera effect almost makes taking pictures feel more disposable or practical rather than artistic (for me personally, ik a lot of people who have really nice camera rolls on their phones) so maybe getting a camera or just thinking about memory capture differently would aim me in this direction
Dec 18, 2024
🥟
embrace the leisure!!! those afternoons where you literally have no social or practical obligations are so delicious and even more so with food and entertainment.
during the holidays my family would always make dumplings for korean new year’s soup, and then freeze the rest to eat later but this is also something you could totally do by yourself too! find any type of dumpling recipe you like and make a double or triple batch of filling, then sit and fold your dumplings while u watch a good movie (linked my list of wintery movies). the best part is eating them as you go along and having a wealth of dumplings ready to eat later on when you don’t feel like cooking!
after writing this i realize this may not be helpful if you actually hate dumplings 😭 but i think any simple but productive task would be great to spend an afternoon or evening at home to unwind! (puzzles, cookie decorating, making decorations to put up)
Dec 18, 2024
they’re mostly silent but so calming and wholesome!! the bakeries always have this cozy charm to them and i have so much respect for all the bakers that wake up at 3am to bake with their small team. also super fun to see how they make all the different types of bread. as the sun comes out they set out all the prepared bread and the customers come in to buy, so cute! very good head empty before bed videos.
my favourite is one that has cat themed purple bread!! linked to this post
Oct 11, 2024