Daily 5 by Avi Greenberg

I’m not one to coffee-shame– my caffeine intake is absurd being a new father and an early riser. I try each day to start with at least 12-16 oz of water if not more. It helps to ease my morning and some days I find after a couple hours I’m actually ok without the coffee. Another warm beverage option is hot water with lemon or ginger.

Research shows an inverse association between water consumption and depression. Drinking less than 2 glasses of water a day was associated with a 75% and 54% higher risk of depression in men and women, respectively.

I deal with the battle daily. Here’s how I try to keep my screen-time productive. My phone lives on silent mode (no chimes or vibrating for notifications none whatsoever). I find this keeps me more relaxed and less likely to check it every 5 minutes. I’m already looking at it hundreds of times per day so if I miss a call it won’t take me long to realize and it sets a precedent for those that reach out that I’m not available 24/7. I find I’m also more anxious when my phone is buzzing or chiming throughout the day. I also leave the phone behind when I go for my daily walk. It’s a nice way to break the addiction and lower my weekly usage rate.

Most people think: “I breathe. Why do I need to think about it?” But how you’re breathing has a direct correlation to your heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels. If you find that you’re holding your breath regularly or mouth breathing, this might be causing you more stress than you realize. I take breaks for 2-5 minutes in between meetings and calls without looking at a screen to breathe at a rate of 6 breath cycles per minute. This breaks down to a 5 second inhale and a 5 second exhale (all nasal).

I’ve found if I try to start a new routine Monday morning or after work it’s hard to commit. Monday’s are normally rough and adding pressure to build a new habit might prove challenging. I’ve found starting Saturday and/or Sunday morning sets up well for Monday. You’ve already done a nice amount of the heavy lifting. Keeping it going is often more manageable then starting new. If it is a new mindfulness practice being aware of how you’re breathing is a nice starting point – then try the 5 second inhale and 5 second exhale for 5 minutes in the morning. If that feels good try it again before bed.