# 💆‍♀️ Unstress Yourself 💆‍♂️

> 💆‍♀️ Unstress Yourself 💆‍♂️

- Canonical: https://neurohackingly.com/unstress-yourself/
- Published: 2023-04-10
- Updated: 2024-06-03
- Author: Lukas Zangerl
- Tags: newsletter, mindset, self-experiment, health-fitness, calm-and-relaxed

👋 Hello friend,

**What do You do when feeling stressed or overwhelmed?**

The best thing is not to get into a situation where personal stress tolerance is exceeded. This I try to accomplish by asking myself one question every day:

_"What value have I placed on sleep, diet, exercise, light, and relationships in the last 24 hours?"_

However, sometimes life happens, and I forget about self-care. 💅

My sometimes not-ideal stress response: Do more, do it faster, do everything at the same time, and run around in my room like a crazy Rumpelstiltskin. 🏃‍♂️🔥

> "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." - Lou Holtz

* * *

### 🧘‍♂️ This is why I decided to write down things I do to prevent getting stressed or getting "unstressed" when stressed:

1.  Use [my slow juicer](https://amzn.to/3o2QS2a) to **get fresh vegetable and fruit juice** first thing in the morning. Copying MMA fighter #StephanPütz
2.  **Leave my normal environment and go somewhere completely different.** For example, hiking on a mountain.
3.  **Go running without google maps.** If there is a path that separates, I push myself to choose the one I don't feel like taking. This helps me to train the "doing uncomfortable things muscle".
4.  **Leave my headphones at home.**
5.  [Non-Sleep-Deep-Rest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKGrmY8OSHM&t=400s) to reduce daytime fatigue and increase focus.
6.  [The Minimalist Phone App](https://www.minimalistphone.com/) reduces distractions on my phone to a minimum. No colorful apps. Opening and reaching the app I actually want to use.
7.  **Braindump**: Writing everything down that I think.
8.  Try to **purposely be bored.**
9.  Drink less or **no caffeinated drinks.**
10.  Eating one **meal a day without watching Netflix**, YouTube, etc.
11.  **Meeting a good friend** in person.
12.  **Take the stairs** instead of the elevator.
13.  **Put dark green vegetables on my plate.**  
     "The dark greens supply a significant amount of folate, a B vitamin that promotes heart health and helps prevent certain birth defects. Folate is also necessary for DNA duplication and repair which protects against the development of cancer." - [Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center: Grand Forks, ND](https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/gfnd/gfhnrc/docs/news-2013/dark-green-leafy-vegetables#:~:text=The%20dark%20greens%20supply%20a,against%20the%20development%20of%20cancer.)
14.  **Go outside within the first hour of waking for at least 10 minutes** to get a natural boost of cortisol. Cortisol helps us to feel focused and alert. This early cortisol boost will trigger a melatonin release after 16h which helps us to fall asleep faster. - [How to Feel Energized and Sleep Better With One Morning Activity | Dr. Andrew Huberman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDv4AWk0J3U)
15.  **Start working on paper**, not a device that is connected to the internet.
16.  I have a preset 5-minute timer on my phone. When I feel stressed, I press it and **just sit still until the timer rings.** A perfect reset.

* * *

### 📚 2 beautiful books on dopamine and its effects:

1.  [Dopamine Nation](https://amzn.to/3zK04eq) by Lembke Anna
2.  [The Molecule of More](https://amzn.to/3Um46Dr) by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long

* * *

### 🛀 This week's ice baths were pretty cold again.

When I go running I always try to find a lake or river to jump into. **Two months ago it was uncomfortable because I thought about what people walking by would think.**

Nowadays I just do it and don't really care much anymore. People even come, and start talking and laughing with me.

![Clear mountain river with a small bridge and rocks](../../assets/content-images/unstress-yourself/icebath_bridge_river_newsletter-1.jpg)

![Mountain river (left) and swamp (right)](../../assets/content-images/unstress-yourself/icebath_lake_coldexposure-1.jpg)

Mountain river (left) and swamp (right)

🌞 Have a great week! Thank you all for your great feedback.

xx Luke