10 Simple Habits That Helped Me Kick Anxiety
For best results, do them every day for a decade.
I am not a lazy person.
I have never been one.
Even when I was a baby, I used to stand in my crib in the morning, hands gripping the edge, and scream for my mom to take me “Outside!” first thing in the morning. I’ve always been active, adventurous, and driven by the pursuit of experience.
But the problem with living that way is that you can open yourself up to one gaping problem: inconsistency.
That’s why if you want to live an adventurous life, you need to need to have a good foundation.
Doing these 10 things basically every day, wherever I am in the world, has been the key to my foundation.
Morning journaling.
I’ve kept a daily morning journal since 2017.
My journal is the key to keeping every day intentional and for helping me realize when something is wrong.
I did therapy for a bit when I was younger, and now I am able to work through most of my problems just with my journal in the morning and a glass of water.
One little detail about my journaling habit that I’ve added this year is that I don’t have coffee during my journaling time. I don’t want external ambition to fill what is supposed to be a peaceful page and thoughtful page.
Journal first thing in the morning — caffeine-free.
Digital writing.
Writing on the internet is the single most important habit for someone who is like how I was a few years ago: interested in entrepreneurship but completely unaware as to where to start.
Digital writing is the easiest way to start your own business, build a personal brand, get your ideas out into the world, and build a life with more freedom and self-actualization.
There’s one thing to remember…
Once you get deep in the game, you won’t want to do anything else for “work”.
Jiu-Jitsu training.
It wouldn’t be a real article of mine if we didn’t talk a little bit about Jiu-Jitsu.
Whenever I travel, my training schedule is thrown off base. I like taking breaks sometimes (this is also good for performance) but Jiu-Jitsu is one of those things that is just a deeply enjoyable part of my life. You get connected to other people, you build confidence, and you learn something that’s pretty cool.
Just like writing, the dangerous part about Jiu-Jitsu is the rabbit-hole effect.
You get obsessed.
That’s why it’s important to balance out your training with the other habits on this list.
Public speaking.
Recently, I’ve tinkered with the idea of doing a podcast.
I get lots of compliments on my speaking from people in the limited engagements I do. It might be a good idea for me to do more. I go back and forth.
Everyone is starting podcasts today, and most of them are bad. This alone gives me a sense of imposter syndrome at the thought of the idea.
I have a lot of respect for people who can speak well.
Learning to speak is just getting your ideas and writing in front of people who don’t read. It’s an insanely valuable skill and habit you should practice every single day.
Cooking.
Cooking is so underrated for mental health.
There’s something primal about it. You tap into your senses as you try to craft a good dish.
Is that good?
Too much salt.
Wow, butter is amazing.
I try only to eat out on the weekend after hard training. My girlfriend and I cook dinner almost every night — often together and other times taking turns. It’s great couple-bonding thing too.
Reading.
In a world full of people who are scrolling, liking, and refreshing their brain’s best years away, a consistent reading habit will give you the ability to maintain a longer attention span and thus an improved ability to learn, speak, and think.
One thing to remember is that it does not matter how many books you read. The quantity of books you read this year is a vanity metric, not a sign of intelligence.
I’m currently listening to Anna Karenina. It’s a 35-hour audiobook. It’s more than 3 times as long as the average book I read or listen to. I’m also reading a 500-page book on social psychology and culture.
If you read tough things, you will read less.
A final note is that I don’t think there’s a huge difference between physical reading and listening. Both induce mindfulness, but physical reading requires a little more focus. Do whatever you can.
Making good sleep a non-negotiable.
When I was younger, I did this whole thing where I’d work out every day at 5am.
A couple of years after that, I was teaching Jiu-Jitsu several days per week at 6am.
A few years after that, I was training 3 times per week at 7am.
I was always up and at it doing tough morning workouts. I actually like morning workouts — they remind me of high school wrestling and in a weird way, of being a kid.
But nowadays, I rarely wake up before 8am. Today, I woke up at 8:30.
Not only am I getting more sleep nowadays, but I’m having fewer stress-induced sleepless nights, and fewer injuries on the mats, and when my sleep is good, my mental health is so much better.
Quitting things that suck.
I’ll talk more about this in a few weeks. Most people struggle with this.
I have struggled with this for a long time. It’s the toughest thing on this list for me.
Then I learned about this idea a few years ago called “The Sunk Cost Fallacy”.
A sunk cost is a cost you have already suffered that cannot be recovered. Time is always a sunk cost.
This is the reason why people stay in relationships that make them unhappy, stay at BJJ gyms or jobs they hate, and allow their misery to become their most expensive asset.
Don’t be afraid to give up.
Surrounding myself with “the right people”.
The right people are easy to be around.
I’m very introverted (basically a modern hermit), meaning that when I’m around “the wrong people” I quickly become drained, tired, and even irritable.
Thanks to Jiu-Jitsu, I interact with a lot of different people who have different vibes. Some are introverted like me, others are extroverted and loud, and others are a bit of both.
What I’ve found is that I can get along with all types of people, but not all people.
The biggest lessons that I’ve learned in the last year in terms of friendship are a bit corny:
Always be yourself — never change for anyone otherwise you will never attract the right people
All friendships take time but the right ones will be significantly easier
The cold DM/email.
This is something that I am still perfecting, but it’s pretty basic as to how it works. Every time I’ve reached out to creators, writers, thinkers, or athletes I look up to, it’s gone pretty well.
If you want to learn something, you can do so 2 ways:
Hope someone gives it to you
Reach out and ask for it
I am shy, don’t like to ask for things, and fear rejection.
If you are like me, that’s exactly why you need to start asking people for things.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. You miss some of the ones you do take too, but at least those have a chance of getting in.
Many of the opportunities I’ve gotten in Jiu-Jitsu and writing are because of cold outreach. Less than 5% have simply fallen in my lap.
It’s kind of like dating: you can’t just hope the perfect person shows up at your doorstep.
You need to go find them.
The Grappler’s Diary is sponsored by BJJ Mental Models, the world’s #1 Jiu-Jitsu podcast!
This week’s episode features Lucas Wilhan!
Lucas is a black belt under Bruno Fernandes and is the head instructor at Lapel Arts in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
In this episode, Lucas joins us to break down concepts behind the ankle lock, and to discuss modern innovations and variants around this submission.
To listen, look up BJJ Mental Models wherever you listen to your podcasts or just hit this link.
You haven’t bought one yet?
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And unless you get one for yourself, you’re going to miss out.
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Who knew that I could support my favorite city worldwide and also support my favorite cause — my deep hatred for sleeves…
Anyway, buy a Brolo. Use “Chris10” at checkout.
You don’t even need to thank me.
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