It gives me all the warm fuzzy’s when I hear about a new shop say goodbye to plastic bags. Our local Woolworths have said farewell and now, Healthy Life has became the first major Australian health retailer to ‘ban the bag’, removing single-use plastic bags from its 45 nationwide stores last year, but with bags only part of the plastic problem, the retailer has reminded Australians about some other simple ways to reduce their impact on the environment, and in most cases, reduce the impact on their hip pocket too.
With an estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic already floating around the world’s oceans, and recent studies indicating that by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish, Healthy Life Chief Marketing Officer Simon Cheng said it was time to get serious about reducing plastic in our everyday lives.
“Healthy Life prides itself on being a pioneer in the health space and we want to lead from the front when it comes to how our business impacts people and the environment. While our ban on single-use plastic bags will prevent more than 1.2 million plastic bags from entering circulation every year, the plastic problem is more far reaching than just bags and we all need to do our bit to ease the plastic plague on our planet,” Mr Cheng said.
“At Healthy Life, we stock an extensive range of natural, organic and eco-friendly goods and seek out environmentally conscious suppliers to ensure we’re doing everything we can to help Australians minimise waste and reduce plastic pollution. From compostable packaging to compostable products, our environmentally friendly suppliers are world leaders in sustainability practices.”
Some of Healthy Life’s environmentally friendly suppliers include Loving Earth, which applies sustainable principles to packaging such as wrapping its organic chocolate bars in compostable film made with renewable plant resources; Sven’s Island, which sources recyclable packaging from suppliers who are leaders in producing sustainable packaging; Love Tea, which uses recyclable cardboard and vegetable based ink in its packaging as well clear bags which naturally break down in the compost; and Alter Eco, which uses
Sink your teeth into the problem – We all use them, usually twice a day, and replace them every few weeks, so imagine how many plastic toothbrushes are clogging up landfill sites? Hundreds of tonnes! Bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable and recyclable – you can even toss them in your compost once you’ve shaved off the bristles. Go Bamboo toothbrushes are BPA-free, 100 per cent biodegradable and come in a recycled cardboard box (Go Bamboo toothbrushes $6.95 at Healthy Life stores). Natural toothpaste is also a thing. It cleans sans chemicals using natural ingredients such as spearmint, sage, thyme and tea tree oil (My Magic Mud Activated charcoal $19.95/ Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Toothpaste $12.95 at Healthy Life stores).
Eco essentials – Grown organically and without artificial irrigation, bamboo produces 30 per cent more oxygen than an equivalent area of trees. Australian eco clothing brand Boody creates
ethically produced everyday essentials such as singlets and socks which are made from naturally grown, organic bamboo. Healthy Life staff wear their t-shirts as part of their uniform (Boody women’s briefs from $12.95/ men’s t-shirt from $39.95 at Healthy Life stores).
The last straw – There is a growing movement to ban plastic straws and with an estimated 10 million used in Australia every single day, it’s little wonder they’re among the top 10 items found in the ocean. Because most recycling facilities don’t process the type of plastic used in plastic straws, they often end up in landfill or washed down storm water drains. Plastic straws take an estimated 200 years to break down and plastic waste is responsible for the death of more than a million sea mammals and seabirds every year so opting for reusable drinking straws means you’ll be part of the straw solution, instead of contributing to the plastic problem. Primal Nature’s stainless-steel straws come with a cleaning brush and last forever so you won’t have to buy more and you can sleep easy knowing they won’t end up as a bird’s breakfast (Primal Nature’s stainless-steel straws 4pk $16.95 at Healthy Life stores).
Bottling up the issue – Use reusable drink bottles and spare landfill the 100,000 tonnes of plastic drink bottles we consume each year. Bottles used to package water take over 1000 years to bio-degrade and the process of pumping, packaging and transporting water is also reportedly creating more than 60,000 tonnes of greenhouses gases annually. There’s also growing evidence around the health issues caused by human consumption of micro plastics and toxins. S2U have BPA-free 1.89L bottles ($9.95 at Healthy Life stores) and Enviro offer 2.2L reusable bottles ($14.95 at Healthy Life stores).
Bags not – With nappies and their bi-products contributing a huge chunk of non-biodegradable waste to landfill (it’s said that every single baby uses around 6000 nappies and double that amount of baby wipes in its first few years), nappies, bags and wipes pose a big plastic dilemma for parents. If reusable nappies are too daunting a prospect, there are eco disposable options with 100 per cent biodegradable and compostable nappies, nappy bags and baby wipes available, which are kind on baby’s bottom and the environment (Wotnot Biodegradable Nappy Bags 50pk $8.95 at Healthy Life stores).
Go green to clean – The chemicals in laundry detergent and fabric softeners become part of your wastewater, which ultimately end up in the environment. The sad reality is that detergents damage fish and other marine life so it’s best to go natural. Luckily, nature offers a solution to the problem. The shell of soapberries, aka ‘nature’s soap’, has a high concentration of saponin, which foams when it comes into contact with water and has natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Because you can reuse the same shells over a few loads, it’s a cost-effective alternative to your average supermarket laundry powder (That Red House Soapberries 500g – $22.95 at Healthy Life stores). Using a cold wash when you can and only putting the washing machine on when it’s full, will also reduce your carbon footprint.
Safe sunscreen – Despite concerns about the impact of oxybenzone and octinoxate on coral reefs, many popular sunscreens contain the toxic ingredients. Hawaii has gone so far as to ban sunscreens with these chemicals to prevent further damage to its reefs. Natural sunscreens protect from the sun while also nourishing your skin and preventing damage to precious water environments. While they do cost a few more bux than traditional sunscreens, ensuring our waterways are there for future generations to enjoy is priceless (Wotnot Family Sunscreen30+ 150g $31.95/ Natural Instinct Invisible Sunscreen 200g $25.95 at Healthy Life stores).
So what are you waiting for? http://www.healthylife.com.au
We all know that we should aim for *8 hours of elusive sleep each night because, hello, grumpy and bags under the eyes… BUT, do you know the importance that sleeps plays in your physical health? For example, sleep is involved in things like repair and healing of your blood vessels and heart?
Need more reasons to stop that Netflix binge and get a little more shut eye? Then read on my friend.
Get a new mattress. This is our number one tip and for good reason. For something that should be high on the priority list people delay in purchasing a new mattress for several reasons but delay no more!! We’re loving the brand SleepX because they are as passionate about sleep as we are (just wait until you have a baby that doesn’t sleep and you too will be obsessed with it!)!
Here are some of the reasons we love what SleepX do:
They are an online bedding retailer offering premium Australian made bed in a box mattresses and accessories and have the largestm range of choice to support a good night’s sleep (tick)
Use a hybrid of the highest quality memory foam and high resilience foam for longevity and support (double tick!)
Their Mattresses are available in six sizes / single, long single, king single, double, queen and king with three comfort levels soft, medium and firm.
They were the first company to launch a ready-made customised mattress for couples with different bedding needs, providing alternate feels on each side of the mattress surface.
All products are non-allergenic, anti-bacterial, recyclable and certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia – this was a biggie for us.
Offer a 120-night free trial and a 10-year guarantee on their mattresses.
Sleep for health. High blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease are all linked to ongoing sleep deficiency.
Sleep is restorative on the brain. Memory consolidation occurs during slow wave sleep, meaning that the different pieces of what we’ve learned during the day come together coherently so that the knowledge can be accessed when needed.
Go for the win! Getting extra sleep can even improve athletic performance. Five swimmers were monitored as part of a study in 2008, they extended their sleep to 10 hours a day for six to seven weeks. At the end of the study the athletes could swim faster and react more quickly.
It aids in your creativity. Researchers at Harvard University and Boston College found that people seem to strengthen the emotional components of a memory during sleep, which may help spur the creative process. In addition to consolidating memories, or making them stronger, your brain appears to reorganise and restructure them, which may result in more creativity as well.
Sleep helps you loose weight. Or curb your appetite at least! Hunger is controlled by two hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone that is produced in your fat cells. The less leptin you produce, the more your stomach feels empty. The more ghrelin you produce, the more you stimulate hunger while also reducing the amount of calories you burn (your metabolism) and increasing the amount fat you store. In other words, you need to control leptin and ghrelin to successfully lose weight but sleep deprivation makes that nearly impossible. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinoloy and Metabolism found that sleeping less than six hours triggers the area of your brain that increases your need for food while also depressing leptin and stimulating ghrelin.
Need a little help before counting sheep? Here are some of our faves:
Getting the perfectMattress:
You spend one third of your life in bed, so choosing the right bed is a big decision. You know when you’ve found the right mattress. It’s not too soft, not too hard. It feels just right. SleepX offers you three different mattress ‘feels’ and six sizes.
Choose your new favourite purchase of the year here
Soak the stress away
Little Wildling Co ‘Cleanse + Refresh’ magnesium chloride with botanical bath salts. Combining the best of both worlds – organic botanical herbs with a little extra something something added (ok its Magnesium Chloride) for THE ultimate soak. . Sleep will promote detoxification and prepare you for a peaceful slumber.
Yes please!
Grab yourself a bag here and use the code LWCfriend for freeshipping
Its all about the pillow baby:
So while the mattress is important, an epic pillow that doesn’t kill your alignment is just as important, if not, more. SleepX therapy pillows come in different sizes to suit different sleeping styles. Low profile pillows are ideal for back sleepers. A medium profile pillow is the best pillow for side sleepers or if you need that extra height to support your neck. They’re a combination of memory foam and high-resilience foam – so High profile pillows are designed to be comfortable for people with broad shoulders.
Sip this tea in the evening for a almost guaranteed good night sleep! Been saying yes more than you’ve been saying no lately? So stressed that you are surprised that you are still functioning? Or maybe sleep is calling your name yet you are counting more sheep than zzzz’s.We have all been there. You need a moment, and you also need a strong cup of this calming (valium in a tea pot) tea. Ingredients: oh so calming blend of Chamomile, Passionflower, Lavender, Hyssops, Valerian, and Oats.
It’s 5:45AM, and I’m lying in bed with my eyes closed. I’m exhausted because I managed to have one of my recurring nightmares the previous night where I dreamed my bed was covered in spiders—this happens once every few months, especially when I’m overtired.
It’s real enough to me that about 50% of the time I actually jump out of bed and run into the other room.
And yet, despite being sleep deprived, there’s no WAY I can go back to bed either. Because I have far too much on my mind. It looks something like this:
“ACK! I was supposed to call the dermatologist yesterday to schedule an appointment—it’s been on my to-do list for 10 days weighing me down and yet I can’t get myself to pick up the phone. Why am I so averse to talking to a human on a telephone? Just do it, idiot! Call them today at 9AM.
“Why the hell did I dream about spiders again last night? I have to write thousands of words today. And I have that awkward meeting planned stressing me out. OH **** I forgot to send my mom a mother’s day card! I did send her flowers. Is that enough? She loves cards. Can I express ship one in time? AHHHHH!
“Is that networking event I agreed to tonight or tomorrow night? Why did Past Steve commit Future Steve to that? I hate that guy! Wait, is today Wednesday? Sonofa, today is a training day at the gym too. Good luck finding time for that. Oh GOOD, I’m out of clean underwear. And the fridge is empty. And how do I have a pimple inside my nose? I would like to curl up into the fetal position and opt-out of all responsibilities today.”
They say depression is worrying about the past, while anxiety is worrying about the future.
Like many who read this site, I’m quite good at both of those things!
Even though I’m generally a happy person with a very positive outlook on life, life can get overwhelming at times and my brain likes to take over and shut everything down.
What the inside of my brain looks like: take my crazy stream of conscious above and read it in the style of slam poetry, while a Tasmanian devil plays the bongos with no discernible rhythm in the background. He then eats the bongo and starts Irish step dancing. To salsa music. While setting off fireworks.
The days where this happens are shitty.
And many shitty days in a row only seem to compound the problem.
I can get so overwhelmed that I can’t seem to make any progress on anything, and yet I know making progress on stuff is the fastest path for me to escape this maniacal prison my brain has trapped me in!
I am a logical, rational, scientific person, which means thinking through this logically, rationally, and scientifically makes sense to me.
And yet in those moments, emotions sit in the command chair and start calling the shots.
At this point, you are either nodding your head going “Steve, WTF are you talking about?” orrrrrr ”OMG I totally know what that feels like.”
I’ve been running Nerd Fitness for close to 10 years now. I’ve seen and heard it all, and been through some shit.
In that time, I’ve come to a few universal truths:
“Busy” and “overwhelm” are serious problems that don’t go away without a plan to tackle them. Having a Strategy Guide to deal with these scenarios can be huge.
Knowing that, I’ve created a personal checklist (yes, a real checklist) for myself of things I can do when I can’t seem to get out of my own head.
These ideas help me break through overwhelm—and get back to a more natural state where I can start making progress on tackling what I need to for the day.
And today, I want to share that personal checklist with you!
#1) GET AN EARLY WIN
For me, the best early win? Making my bed.
When I’m stuck in a rut, lying in bed, and faced with a daunting day ahead of me, I try to give myself a quick momentum-building win to start the day.
I learned this philosophy from William H. McRaven, retired US Navy Admiral and author of the book Make Your Bed: how you do the little things will impact how you do the big things. And by starting with a simple little thing, it can help me build momentum and show myself that I do have control and can affect the outcome of things.
Sure, I don’t make my bed with military precision (sorry Admiral!)—I simply pull the covers up as neatly as I can, I put the pillows on the bed and make sure it looks presentable. This takes less than 2 minutes and gives me a quick win before I’ve even left the room.
WHY IT WORKS: “Look, you already did a thing today. Today can be different. What’s next?” It’s an instant, quick, gratifying win that is the first action meant to build momentum.
Note: Comically, this is often the suggestion I get the most vitriol or controversy for. I’m going to ignore the argument of “this makes it easier for bed bugs Steve” or “I read that creative geniuses have messy beds and I’m unique and blah blah blah” or “nobody else sees my bed; why should I waste valuable time making it?” or “I get up early and my spouse is still asleep and thus I cannot make my bed.”
Okay, that last one is totally valid. I hear ya!
If you are vehemently opposed to making your bed (or there is a person still asleep in it!), pick another thing like cleaning up your room, cleaning out the sink, cleaning off your kitchen table, etc. as soon as you wake up to give yourself an early win. OR, just make your bed, take the win, and move on!
#2) QUICK HYGIENE FIX
At this point, I’ve already started off my day with a win in the bedroom.
Wait, that came out wrong.
Next up: self-care! This term is hot these days, like “bitcoin” and “avocado toast.”
But I’ll be damned if it’s not an actually important thing that falls by the wayside when life gets busy. And I imagine if you’re a mom or a dad, you have plenty of other people to care for, and caring for yourself is often at the bottom of the list.
And yet, a little bit of work can go a long way.
Although I work from a home office and often type these articles without pants on (too much? cool), I still find it to be incredibly valuable if I treat myself like an actual adult:
So I take a shower. I shave my face. I put on moisturizer that makes me smell like I have my act together. I actually comb my hair.
Oh, and the big one:
I floss.
Yes, I know you’re supposed to floss every day. I do not floss every day. As the late comedian Mitch Hedberg once said, “It’s as hard [to quit smoking] as it is to START flossing.”
RIP Mitch.
But I’ll be damned if my teeth don’t feel great after a good floss. For whatever reason, flossing is something that I avoid, until I actually do it and realize “that wasn’t so bad, I’m glad I did that, I feel better.”
I like to think this primes my brain to tackle other undesirable tasks later on in the day. Flossing wasn’t bad, and I’m glad I did it. What about that other task I’ve been avoiding? I bet it’s not as bad as my dumb brain has built it up to be.
That first tooth is always the hardest, but once I do one, I know it’s all downhill from there to do the rest of them.
WHY IT WORKS: They say dress for the role you want, not the one you have. And I don’t currently have a spacesuit. So I’m stuck with dressing like a more grown-up, put-together version of me. When I’m showered, shaved, shampooed, conditioned, and flossed, I just feel like a better human being worthy of some compassion and also a guy that can get things done.
Motivation is a consistently flaky friend that shows up when things are good and abandons me when I need it most.
So I don’t let myself be victim to the ebbs and flows of motivation. Instead, I make motivation work for me, and use it to strategically get me out of my own way and back on track.
It’s a video I can put on that takes 5 minutes or less that makes me want to run through a brick wall. In lieu of a brick wall being readily available, it inspires me to start actually getting things done and getting closer to my goals.
So before I do any of the next steps, I often put on this SINGLE VIDEO:
WHY IT WORKS: Motivation is a real thing. And when timed correctly, it can really help me get unstuck and get the ball rolling on a project or a good pump-up talk before hitting the gym. What I don’t do is force myself to watch 40 motivational videos and run out of time to exercise. This is neither productive nor helpful. And I know motivation wanes, so I use the motivation strategically to set myself up so that I don’t need motivation later.
Side note: please don’t get lost down a youtube rabbit hole—that’s how you end up watching 15 videos about baby goats. Not that this just happened to me. Have your go-to video that you watch and reminds you that you can get stuff done, and then go do it.
#4) DO THE 10-10-10 PROTOCOL
When life gets too busy, exercise is often the first thing to get thrown by the wayside. And I know that when I can’t get a workout in, I tend to eat like an idiot too, which makes things even worse.
Which means when I’m overwhelmed and need a reminder that I’m a work in progress trying to level up my life, I do the 10-10-Protocol.
Why is it a Protocol and not a Workout? Because I’m the one writing, and I decided “protocol” made it sound way cooler and possibly makes it connected to espionage or Batman.
So what is the 10-10-10 Protocol?
Think of it like a system reboot for your body and brain:
10 push-ups
10 lunges
10-minute walk
I’m a big fan of the mentality: “do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” (Thanks, Teddy Roosevelt). And this protocol will allow you to diffuse bombs and apprehend fugitives snap out of a funk with a clear head and remind all the muscles in your body: “We’re doing fitness things today!”
This is a workout that can be done no matter what you’re wearing. It can be done in your cubicle. It can be done in a house with a mouse. Or in a box with a fox.
WHY THIS WORKS: The 10-10-10 gets the blood circulating. It gets my muscle fibers firing. It gets my brain working. And that 10 minute walk can really clear my head. It allows me to get out of my head, stop worrying about the past and the future, and just focus on what I can do TODAY.
Unsurprisingly, I get my best ideas walking around, NOT sitting at my desk. And I know I’m not alone on that—this is borrowed from Steve Jobs, who held walking meetings instead of “sit in conference room” meetings.
If you want to stop reading right now and initiate the 10-10-10 Protocol yourself, go for it.
#5) DO THE VERY NEXT THING
There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling so overwhelmed at all of the things that I’m trying to do and not being able to get anything done.
It makes me want to curl up into the fetal position on the ground and hide from my responsibilities. Or play victim and lament the fact that I have so much to do. Or complain that life is so busy.
I do all of those things for about 30 seconds. And then I realize:
Busy is a choice.
It might not be my fault, but it is my responsibility.
And then I do three things:
Get mad at Past Steve for saying yes to so many things.
Make a note to start saying no to way more stuff to protect Future Steve.
Write down on paper all of the crap I have to do.
Sometimes if I feel like I could use a win, I put “make my bed,” “floss,” and “10-10-10 Protocol” at the top of the list and then immediately cross them off.
Progress and momentum for the win!
Next, I try to number these things in order of importance if possible. I ask, “Which of these things can I do today that will actually make an impact on my life?”
Then, I ask: “Okay, I now have my most important priority. What’s the very next step I need to take on this particular item? Good. Now shut the hell up and do that thing.”
As you can tell, I have to have conversations with myself like I’m a 5-year-old.
WHY THIS WORKS: When we get overwhelmed, it’s because our brains like to make Misty Mountains out of molehills. The “stuff” we have to do is nebulous, opaque, and scary. Until it gets broken down into steps.
And then it’s not so daunting. And once you can start to cross a thing or two off the list, or make meaningful progress on a project or activity, you come to the realization I come to every single time: I do have the time to do things. I need to say no to more things, I need to manage my time better, and the sooner I can get out of my head the faster I can be DONE.
No joke: halfway through writing this article I finally called the dermatologist, and timed how long the process took.
It took 2 freakin’ minutes.
This is something that had been on my to-do list weighing on me for the past 10 days, and it took me 2 minutes to schedule the damn appointment!
#6) BREATHE, IDIOT!
The past: I can’t change it!
The future: It hasn’t happened yet!
Today is a pretty good day. And yet, I have NO problem spending all of my time worrying about tomorrow.
This is suboptimal.
So I force myself to “breathe, idiot!”
(Before you get offended at my self-talk here, I mean “idiot” in a joking, loving manner to remind myself that I’m probably overcomplicating things to the point of paralysis and I need to just slow way down. Feel free to use the term “nerf herder or “cotton-headed ninny muggins” instead.)
Cool? Cool.
5 minutes. I just sit there and focus on breathing. In, out. In, out. You get the point.
I’ve tried meditating for 20 minutes a day and kept it up for 60 days (I used Headspace, and I’m also a big fan of Calm). It was like herding cats, and it didn’t unlock the secrets of the cosmos. I did enjoy the Cosmos miniseries on Fox, but that doesn’t apply here.
But just taking 5 minutes to breathe can help me slowwwww way down and just get back to work.
WHY THIS WORKS: I find big time value in reminding myself to breathe and just focus on the day I’m living. 5 minutes is enough for me to settle down and then I can go back to #5 (work on the very next step) of a project without being overwhelmed.
#7) CONSUME LESS, PRODUCE MORE
Whenever I’m overwhelmed and feeling crappy, a look back at my previous week will always reveal one constant:
I consumed more than I created.
For starters, from a pure health perspective, when I consume more than I produce—meaning I eat more calories than I burn—it’s going to result in weight gain.
The whole reason we have survived as a species is due to us producing more than we consume! Saving for a rainy day, thinking beyond just TODAY, growing more crops to share with society, etc.
So let’s get back to this concept of too much consumption.
I look back at how much time I’ve been spending consuming:
Television
Video games
Social media
Outrage news stories
Takeout
Books
In each of these instances, I’m an innocent bystander. Sure, video games are an active activity, but they can take over one’s life and contribute to overwhelm (I see you Fortnite), so I’ll put gaming in the “consumption” category.
If I’m overwhelmed, to borrow from Nate Green (who calls it “Nuclear Mode”), I recognize the things that are contributing to my overwhelm, especially the stuff that I can’t control—I see you political outrage on Facebook—and GET IT OUT OF MY LIFE.
I already don’t have any social media apps on my phone. I then use Freedom.to to block certain websites for the ENTIRE day. No more mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram. No tinfoil hat theories on Zero Hedge.
JUST GET THE STUFF DONE I NEED TO GET DONE.
And that means less consumption, more production and creation!
Writing and creating content, like this article
Playing music (violin, piano, guitar)
Cooking my own meal at home
Creating art, doodling, drawing
Creating conversation with friends
WHY THIS WORKS: Creating makes me happy, and it makes most humans happy. And yet, our default behavior is to consume because consuming is so much easier. So I remove the temptation of consumption by blocking sites and deleting apps, and emphasize creation—even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Who cares if what you create isn’t worthy of being recorded or published or hung in a museum. It’s not the end result, it’s the activity itself!
#8) ASK FOR HELP, TALK IT OUT
When I get stuck in my own head, it’s easy to feel like Chris in Get Out: trapped alone, swimming in a bottomless pit of nothingness. Eeesh, that was dark, Steve.
It’s ALSO easy to tell myself: “Suck it up, Kamb! Other people would kill to be in your position! They have it WAY worse!”
And I have to remind myself that everybody is dealing with their own stuff, and just because others have problems doesn’t mean I can’t be allowed to deal with mine!
So I ask for help. Depending on what I’m struggling with, I’m not afraid to ask for help:
I might reach out to my dad or mentors for business advice.
I might call my mom just to tell her I miss her (moms love this).
I might text my online fitness coach to ask about how I can scale or change my workout schedule.
I might schedule a therapy session to help me manage all of this stuff!
I might reach out to a friend for relationship or friendship advice.
I avoided therapy for years until my friend Lindsay once told me: “Steve, fit people still go to the gym to exercise. There’s no shame in going to exercise your mind.”
We’ve written an ENTIRE article on a Beginner’s Guide to Mental Health, and if this is something you’re interested in please consider it!
Note: if you really struggle with depression/anxiety, speaking with a mental health professional could be a game-changing experience. Please do so as soon as you can!
WHY THIS WORKS: I used to be afraid to ask for help, assuming I had to know all the answers on my own. Or that people relied on me to be the happy-go-lucky person and I wasn’t allowed to be unhappy or stressed. And then I grew up.
Now I have no problem asking for help, saying “I don’t know” even if it makes me feel foolish, and I get to a solution MUCH faster!
I know with everything being online these days, it’s easy to spend a lot of time being friendly but not having actual deep conversations with people. This is something I have to work really hard on, as I’d much rather sit at home alone with a book all day and avoid people.
And yet, in most instances, when I’m with friends or loved ones, my day gets much better as a result. And thus, I prioritize saying YES. (Just not too much, so we don’t overload Future Steve.)
Overwhelmed? Do these 8 Things
Okay! This is my 8-step kickstart kickass strategy to dealing with overwhelm and anxiety.
Feel free to hijack these 8 things and the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take these steps to get unstuck and back on track:
Get an early win
Quick hygiene fix
Watch a 5-minute motivational video
Do the 10-10-10 Protocol
Do the Very Next Thing
Breathe, idiot!
Consume less, produce more
Ask for help
Break this list in case of emergency! Write these down, print it out, design your own checklist and share it with me so I can add it here to the post, whatever you want to do!
You can do this!
I’d love to hear from you: how do you manage overwhelm, and what are the steps you take to get out of that mental quicksand?!
Leave a comment below!
-Steve
PS: This week’s Rebel Hero: Nick T: rocking his new NF Battle Gear!
I can only assume he worked out so hard and flexed so perfectly that he blew the sleeves right off of it 🙂 Nick has been a super supportive member of our community for years and I’m damn glad he’s here.
Want to be the next Rebel Hero? Take a photo of you doing something epic in your NF battle gear, tag us on Instagram with #NerdFitness #battlegear, or email us at contact@nerdfitness.com!
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday… and that might look like a few different things depending on who is reading this.
Got young kids? Congratulations, you have permission to buy your own present while also humbly accepting their home made card and vegemite on burnt toast.
Dads? Time to step up and purchase the mother of your children a kick ass present. While an overseas holiday and diamonds may not be on the cards this year (and that’s ok!), we’ve got you covered with some options that are just (almost) as good.
Have a fur child? A mum or female figure in your life? Same rules apply, be thoughtful, be loving and maybe forget the flowers (they only last a day), forget the choccies (been there done that), and get them something a little different this year.
Jurlique gift set
It comes in a pretty box (tick) is natural (double tick) and the smell of the products? It’s like the flowers you almost gave her, but they just keep going. Seriously the rose fragrant is out of this world and its sometimes the highlight of my day using them before bed – yes, I get it, I need to get out more…
If you cant get to a store don’t fear, they do free shipping for orders over $50.
The Beauty Chef founder Carla Oates believes smooth, radiant skin is an inside-out process and that beauty begins in your belly (and your kitchen).
The Beauty Chef Cookbook is a comprehensive collection of nutritious and delicious recipes to promote gut health and boost beauty from the inside out. The delicious healthy recipes are all gluten and dairy-free as well as super nourishing, and easy to prepare.
The book includes simple family meals, healthy spins on traditional dishes, fail-proof ferments, smoothies, lunchbox snacks and special occasion treats that pack a powerful nutritional punch.
Lux Aestiva’s Gypsy Oil is a fast absorbing dry oil that boosts overall skin tone and texture, leaving it feeling smooth and revitalised. Combining delicate, infused oils of Neroli, Prickly pear, Meadowfoam, Camellia, Apricot Seed and non-phototoxic Bergamot, Lux Aestiva’s Gypsy Oil is the ultimate skincare saviour for all over body use. With a delicate fragrance that lightly scents the skin and has a calming effect, Lux Aestiva’s Gypsy Oilis perfect for daily use, and maybe even more importantly is SO pretty!! Trust me, these things counts and it will be loved!
If you’re feeling extra generous, pair it with their Jade Roller. Its basically cucumber slices x100, and is the best way to de-puff your face and calm the skin. This traditional Chinese anti wrinkle and anti aging beauty tool has been used for thousands of years to promote youthful appearances and smooth skin, now available for you at home. This time honoured, traditional practice has been handed down through generations, a practice that has stood the test of time due to its highly effective skin benefits.
Check out their range will you’re at it, I’m sure you will spy one or two things you want as well!
Forget $5 teas where you have no idea where it was grown or what chemicals have been used, and instead, go for local made, organic and dam pretty blends by Little Wildling Co. We think ‘I Am A Goddess’ (formulated for beauty and taste) is the perfect one for Mother’s Day!
is a fast absorbing dry oil that boosts overall skin tone and texture, leaving it feeling smooth and revitalised. Combining delicate, infused oils of Neroli, Prickly pear, Meadowfoam, Camellia, Apricot Seed and non-phototoxic Bergamot, Lux Aestiva’s Gypsy Oil
