Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 8/16/20
The Four States of Distress: How to Comfort Someone When Something Bad Happens to Them
(Kat Woods and Spencer Greenberg | Clearer Thinking | 1200 words )
When a friend or loved one suffers a trauma, it’s difficult to know how to comfort them.
The most helpful response will depend on both the individual person and what phase of distress they’re in. The four phases are:
- Shocked or confused
- Feeling bad and not ready to feel better
- Feeling bad but wants to feel better
- Feeling better and wants solutions
The article suggests the best ways to comfort people for each of these phases.
I found this article in the Recomendo newsletter.
10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Be Happier
(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1600 words)
Ways to be happier that take no effort or willpower, and minimal to no time commitment. They are:
- Be kind and respectful to people, whether or not they “deserve it.”
- Make out with your romantic partner daily.
- Smile more.
- Curate your social media.
- When feeling overwhelmed by an intractable problem, improve the world in some tangible way. (Even if it’s unrelated.)
- Keep a gratitude journal.
- Make reminders to be more positive and less negative.
- Keep a “Done” list.
- Spend money on experiences, not on objects.
- Use visual pattern-matching games to fight anxiety or anger.
An Easy Way to Read More Non-Fiction Books
(Mark Manson | Mindf*ck Monday | 1550 words | Subscribe)
Manson suggests a strategy that seems obvious, but I’ve never seen before or thought of myself:
When when you come across a section in a non-fiction book that says something you already know or is uninteresting to you, skip past it.
If you pick up later in the book and discover things are confusing because you missed something, you can always go back. But most of the time, you’ll still be able to follow it.
You can also look at the table of contents, and only read the chapters that are interesting/new to you. There’s no “book police” forcing you to read the entire book in order.
You can get through books in half the time, which means you can read twice as many books.
I Tried 7 Popular Strategies to Boost My Energy: Here’s What Works
(Rachael Kable | Medium/BetterHumans | 2000 words)
The author tested energy-boosting strategies on herself. She found that the ones that worked for her were:
- Early morning sunshine
- Mindful breaks
- Vigorous workout
- A fun activity and laughing out loud
And what didn’t work was:
- Cold shower
- A brisk walk with a friend
- Breath of fire (short powerful exhales)
Though an important caveat, which the author notes, is that every person is different. What works for her may not work for you.
You should experiment with strategies yourself, rather than copying her specific results.
I found this article in Greg Roth’s The Idea Enthusiast
11 Habits to Be Less Absent Minded and Start to Be More Attentive
(Dr. Carol Morgan | Relationship Development & Transformation | 1100 words)
Some easy, pragmatic, actionable ways to overcome your absent-mindedness.
Even if you aren’t absent-minded, this is some good general advice for being more productive and effective. Examples include:
- Put everything back in the same place
- Set timers
- Delegate responsibilities
- Have an accountability buddy
- Stop talking and start doing
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