The New York Times asked a selection of experts: What is the one health tip you learned in your work that you swear by?
These tricks / life hacks, or whatever you wish to call them, are practiced by the people who preach them. So, you may find one or more of these six pieces of advice helpful.
When I find myself stuck in a pattern of negative thinking, I try not to complain for seven days. It retrains your brain to stop going down a negative path. I write “Don’t complain!” on a sticky note right by my bed so I see it when I wake up. Dr. Kali D. Cyrus, Psychiatrist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
My second-grade teacher, Ms. Edson, told us: If something feels too hard to do, it just means that the first step isn’t small enough. So often when we’re struggling, we tell ourselves that it’s a sign that we’re broken or that something is our fault, and then we freeze. But when something is too hard in the moment, tell yourself Ms. Edson’s advice. Becky Kennedy, Clinical psychologist, parenting expert and founder of Good Inside.
I do small actions day to day that keep me connected with other people. I didn’t used to. But then my research began to show people who do are happier, live longer and stay healthier. I started deliberately making dates with friends, going out to dinner with other guys. I have a Friday noon meeting every week with my friend and colleague Marc. And I make small, frequent contact with other people I want to stay connected to. Texting counts. Dr. Robert J. Waldinger, Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.
I look for opportunities for bite-size “movement snacks.” Exposure to different movements helps prevent injury and increases range of motion. When you leave a room, touch the top of the doorway. If you walk by a playground, just go hang on the monkey bar for a little bit. Put your hands against the wall, lean forward and pedal out your feet to flex your ankles. Look for times to sit on the ground, so you have to get back up. Try brushing your teeth on one foot. Michelle Voss, Associate professor of brain sciences at the University of Iowa.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, don’t get up (unless you really have to pee). Instead, lie on your back and do 10 rounds of 4-7-8 breathing (inhaling for four seconds, holding it for seven and exhaling for eight). Then count backward from 300 by threes. The breaths slow your heart rate, while the math keeps your mind from racing. It works so well, it’s like taking an Ambien. Michael Breus, Sleep specialist and author of Sleep Drink Breathe.
Create a secret, quirky phrase that you say to yourself when you stop your work for the day to shift out of professional mode. (I used to say: “Schedule shutdown complete.”) When ruminations about work arise, you can simply respond: “I said my shutdown phrase.” Over time, the urge to obsess over work diminishes. Cal Newport, Author of Slow Productivity.