Time flies so fast. I still remember living in Bali, going to the beach to watch the sunset, visiting some waterfalls with friends and coffee shops, and hanging out at different bars every weekend. That was my life for about a year ago. Sometimes it was magical! Now, a lot of things have changed. I got a new job and moved back to Jakarta. No beaches, no waterfall; I need to come to the office a few days a week, and all I can see is a crazy traffic jam daily. It sucks, but it is what it is, at least for now.
At the same time this year, I turned 30th, when things felt more emotional and heavier. But, I can see new days ahead of me waiting to be explored that are different from my twenties and new challenges. These new days need a new me so I can spend at least the next 5–10 years, then looking back, I make life choices that are less likely to regret despite what will happen. After all, what got you here won’t get you there rings true now. It will take a lot of changes in me to become a better human being.
If 2022 can be summarized into a few words, that would be “into the mind and body.” Never once in my life could I listen by diving inside of body and mind to understand what it was trying to tell me. This year has opened my consciousness to another level as I can listen more to what my mind and body need, at least to a certain degree. I can start to understand when my mind is feeling anxious, tired, and low motivation, along with some steps to address it.
Some of the reasons are mainly partially driven by aging, but I’ve also been consistent in having a morning routine and doing meditation daily. Once you do this at a certain level of consistency, you can start feeling if there’s something off at any particular moment of the day, so you can take a step back trying to understand why you feel what you feel right now. For example, I’ll feel sleepy after a big lunch with a lot of carbs and glucose, but if I eat healthy food (fewer carbs, more protein), more energy comes in throughout the day, and I won’t feel hungry or crave any snacks. I need to be mindful of what kind of food should be put in my belly because it will impact my days. On top of that, if I don’t start my morning with a bit of exercise, whether it is weight lifting or running, the rest of the day is, I’ll be at shallow energy, which will impact my alertness and focus level.
I can spend my days better if I have my morning routine or habit. I wish I could have realized this earlier in my mid-twenties. So here I am trying to share some practices that I find impactful in my life to feel good and make sure that I can spend my days feeling productive and also energetic:
Be active in the morning
Morning has been an integral part of how my days will turn out. So ensuring the day with something that can trigger adrenaline and dopamine is necessary to keep me sharp throughout the day. Most of my options will be gym and running. There’s something good about pushing yourself to do the hard things in the morning. Some early achievements that I could do for the day.
Previously, I was mainly doing gym to bulk up my body. Still, at specific points, I had second thoughts that having a variety of the workout is also essential to keep things interesting and more colorful, so I’ve been mixing this with running to push myself with longer distances and endurance training.
Now I’m trying to mix it further by learning boxing as my new 2023 resolution. Wish me luck in getting better at this new workout regime!
Sleep and wake at the same time every day
To have a good morning ritual (workout), having a good night’s sleep is necessary. One way to do it is to set up a schedule of waking up and sleeping at the same time every day. 10 pm is my sleep schedule, while 6 am is my wake-up time, so having a total of 8 hours of sleep is required here. Now, I’m at a point where I can start to feel sleepy close to 10 pm and then sleep like a baby. But, things got different if I slept at midnight and then woke up at 8 am, though it’s still the same 8 hours of sleep, but somehow, post, the wake-up effect is so tired don’t have the energy to go for a morning workout.
Here are some simple tips to get better sleep quality:
- Get your body to move early in the morning.
- Get morning sunlight to your body and feel its warm touch.
- No caffeine post 2–3 pm. For caffeine to leave our system can take up to 8–10 hours. Hence, if I sleep at 10 pm, I need to ensure I don’t take any caffeine around 2–3 pm.
- No phone, or ensure you have less exposure to blue light around one hour before you go to bed.
- Make sure your room is cold. There are scientific reasons why a room temperature of around 65°F (18.3°C) is optimal for good nighttime sleep. This relates to your body’s internal temperature regulation.
You can check for further tips on how to get better sleep by listening to Andrew Huberman’s podcast here since I’ve been a fan of his:
Eat healthy food (more protein, veggies, low carbs, and don’t overeat)
As previously highlighted, every time I overeat and have high carbs and glucose, I’ll feel sleepy and a bit tired, impacting my mood for the rest of the day. By ensuring that I have a proper balance with the food, especially with more protein, vegetables, and low carbs, and eating the right amount, I feel fueled for a longer time to keep me motivated.
In addition, I also don’t find myself craving snacks, so there’s no need to keep snacks close to me. Here are more reasons why you should eat more protein.
Meditation
Doing meditation is intimidating as I’m unsure if I could do it as it’s hard for my mind to focus and not think of anything else in this world. Some mention many benefits of meditation, such as being mindful, having more clarity, being happier, calmer, and focusing. These references made me more anxious that my mind kept wondering, “What if I failed? What if I couldn’t do it? What if it’s just not for me?”
First of all, this is a wrong mindset to have at the beginning of the meditation journey because same as any other skill (martial arts, tennis, basketball, painting, etc.) that you want to learn, it will take time and a lot of trials before you can succeed to do it. The key is it’s a skill that anyone can understand. So what if you fail? Then you try again until you can do it. It’s that simple.
But, at the beginning of this, I decided not to pursue it as it was hard, and I failed. I didn’t realize this was a new thing for me. It took some new muscles to be activated before it was possible. So after some trial and error, I finally could do it. Yes, it makes me happier, calmer, and more mindful with more clarity of thinking, and it boosts my motivation to do the tasks in front of me. It has a net positive impact on my life, not to mention I have a bit of “high” by doing this, the same “high” that I feel whenever I run. I love it. The key to getting into the present state is by focusing your thoughts on your breathing and then observing your thoughts as someone else’s without any judgment at all.
In addition, I also use an app by Sam Harris, Waking Up, as a guide to enter the flow. It helps me understand what we can do while meditating to dive more deeply into the mind.
Go for a walk outside
Lastly, what turns out to be simplest is just going outside and walking!
Walking is a meditative activity. It helps me think well, reduces stress, and lowers blood pressure. Every time I feel anxious and need a quick refresh, I go for a walk. Seriously, try it!
Those are five habits that help me feel more productive throughout the day. These suit me well. As 2022 is coming to an end, we have learned valuable lessons this year to be more ready for what 2023 will bring us soon in a few days.
Onwards and upwards!
