13 tricks that changed my life.

Transitioning — photo by Michella Sfeir.

These lessons were life-changing for me, I learned them the hard way, and someone may read my piece and resonate with my experience.

1. Set time limits for apps [11 pm — 8 am].
   No matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could keep my phone in a different room around bedtime. If you are like me yet committed to stopping passive scrolling, this option on both Apple & Android could be the solution. The phone blocks all apps, and even when picking up the phone by habit, there is nothing to see or do.
2. Listen to affirmations.
   Shamelessly, listening to affirmations impacted my healing journey in magical ways. I hesitated at first because none of the tracks clicked with me until I found “PowerThoughts meditation club”; the voice and words of “Kenneth Soares” were a turning point for me.
3. Force a big smile for 1 minute before leaving the bed.
   Some mornings, when nothing makes sense, smile with your eyes for a minute or so. Yes, it is silly. But it is such a great mood booster and gives so much energy to get up and keep going.
4. Morning pages.
   Or what I would like to call “self-therapy.” Pouring our thoughts and feelings on paper can be extremely therapeutic. It feels like a weight taken off the shoulders and helps reveal many dormant ideas.
5. Brush your teeth with the opposite hand.
   Jim Kwik advised that brushing teeth with the opposite hand helps build new neurological pathways in the brain and trains us to do hard things starting with small actions.

“When you train yourself to do difficult things first thing in the morning, it will show up in other areas of your life.”

Jim Kwik.

All the previously mentioned tips are great for early mornings or before sleep. This is the best time to hack your subconscious mind when the brain waves transition from Delta to Beta, the most magical time to feed on healthy habits and positive thoughts.

6. Walk barefoot in nature.
I will not talk about the importance of wearing shoes that respect our feet’ shape, but I must highlight the benefits of walking barefoot in nature. Whether in your garden, the mountains, or the beach, try to take off your shoes for a few minutes and let your body connect with Mother Earth in all its elements. This energy exchange is called “earthing” or “grounding”; many studies confirmed its healing effect in reducing chronic diseases, anxiety, depression, and much more.

7. Learn a new language.
Just for the fun of it! Learning a new language opens the gate to new cultures, meeting new people, improving memory, training the brain, and so much more. For example, the easiest way to do it is using Duolingo instead of Instagram for 5–10 minutes daily.

8. Practice gratitude for small things.
A warm bed, food options, hot water, the sun shining, tree branches moving with the wind, access to the internet, breathing… Practicing gratitude every single time is like taking one step closer to peace, happiness, and receiving greater things.

9. Set weekly goals.
Dreaming big is amazing. Setting small goals is even more amazing. Every Monday, write 2–3 reasonable goals to achieve. The following Monday, go through your checklist and notice the joy of scratching what you have done.

10. Skip the elevator; take the stairs.
Our bodies are made to climb, sweat, and constantly keep moving. One of the tricks I do to help my body remember what it is made for is to forget that elevators even exist.

11. Delete the most used social media account for one month.
Perhaps this is the most difficult one, depending on how high our addiction is. But what is life if we don’t challenge ourselves and live it like no one is watching?

12. A happy dance, one minute a day.
Just put on some happy music and dance!

13. If you can: donate or volunteer.
Community work helps a lot in minimizing our own problems. Helping people with bigger issues allows us to see the bigger picture. It is a way to give back to the world and ourselves.

Wrapping this piece with a quote that stayed with me:

A wise man will be a master of his mind,
A fool will be its slave.

David J. Schwartz, The magic of thinking big.