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Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Today at a Glance:

• How to Worry Less and Be Happier

• Morning Light is Crucial for Happiness. Here’s How to Get It — Even if You Hate Mornings.

• Here’s How Inspiration Works in the Brain—And How You Make Your Brain More Creative

How to Worry Less and Be Happier
Dr. Arthur C. Brooks

Lights, Camera, ...
In a world filled with worries, from global concerns like inflation to personal anxieties about relationships and future events, chronic worrying can steal your peace and valuable time. Similar to rumination, worrying is a repetitive, self-focused mental operation that harms attention, problem-solving, and mood. The avoidance model suggests that worriers believe excessive thinking about a threat can help them avoid it, akin to a superstition. Some evidence points to a genetic component in chronic worrying, with a worrier/warrior gene influencing stress response. The good news is that susceptibility to worry tends to decline with age. Despite a positive correlation with high performance among exceptionally talented individuals, worrying is detrimental to well-being, linked to depression, increased pain perception, procrastination, and perfectionism. Most notably, worrying is often not based in reality, with 91 percent of studied worries not coming to pass. As the stoic philosopher Seneca wisely said, "We suffer more often in imagination than in reality." The key to a less worrisome and happier 2024 lies in understanding and managing the components of worry rather than willing it away.

Action!

1. Write Your Worry Down: Articulate your fears by making a list of your top five worries. This metacognitive technique defines and limits the sources of discomfort, making them emotionally manageable.

2. Focus on Outcomes, Not Problems: Shift your focus from problems to outcomes. List the best, worst, and most likely outcomes for each worry, along with a plan of action. This specificity helps manage worries and provides relief.

3. Fight Your Superstition: Abandon the belief that excessive worry leads to improvement. Remind yourself that worrying won't change events.

4. Seize the Day: Declare your intention each morning to stop wasting time on uncontrollable worries. This mental exercise promotes goal achievement by identifying alternative, goal-oriented behaviors.

5. Question Influence: Consider if someone or something is encouraging your worry for their gain. Economic interests, activists, political systems, and media may profit from a worried population. Assess toxic relationships that thrive on making you anxious, and declare independence if needed in 2024.

Morning Light is Crucial for Happiness. Here’s How to Get It — Even if You Hate Mornings.
Allie Volpe

Lights, Camera, ...
Beat the winter blues and embrace morning happiness! Don't let the dark and cold mornings get the best of you. Instead of hitting snooze, consider incorporating morning light into your routine to boost your mood and combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Exposure to bright light early in the day helps regulate your internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep at night. Whether it's from the natural sunlight or light boxes, getting light before 8 am can make waking up a breeze. So, say goodbye to winter gloom and hello to a brighter, happier morning routine!

Action!

1. Get the Right Dose of Light in the Morning: Spend 30 minutes in the morning, ideally around 8 am, exposed to light with 10,000 lux intensity (equivalent to being outdoors in summer). If relying on winter sun or a cloudy day, spend 60 minutes at 5,000 lux or 120 minutes at 2,500 lux (five times the strength of bright office light).

2. Consider Quality Light Boxes: Especially in winter it can be hard to get enough light or time outdoors, so consider investing in a quality light box delivering 10,000 lux (see the Tool Tip section below.) Be aware that your face generally needs to be quite close to the light box (~1 ft / 30 cm).

Here’s How Inspiration Works in the Brain—And How You Make Your Brain More Creative
Katina Bajaj

Lights, Camera, ...
Unlocking creativity is not about working harder but understanding how your brain operates. Creativity, rooted in our DNA, thrives when we escape the stress-driven, task-oriented mindset and let our minds daydream. The default mode network (DMN), responsible for creativity, activates when we're relaxed and not fixated on a task. The key formula for creative breakthroughs involves paying attention to surroundings, embracing beauty, and allowing active downtime. Taking mental breaks, mind-wandering, and engaging in relaxation, such as creative "flow," are crucial for fostering inspiration. So, explore, relax, and daydream to unlock your creative potential and overcome those creative blocks.

Action!

1. Explore: Actively observe and absorb the world around you. Beholding beauty, savoring moments, and exercising mental flexibility in terms of diversifying sources of information provide the necessary "dots" for creative thinking.

2. Relax: Understand that creativity thrives in a relaxed state. Take breaks, go for a walk in nature, or engage in activities that promote a sense of calm. Relaxation is crucial to fostering creativity.

3. Daydream: Allow your mind to wander freely. Creative breakthroughs often occur during moments of daydreaming or active downtime. Give yourself the mental space to make unexpected connections.

TOOL TIP

Light Boxes: As mentioned above, light boxes can help you get sufficient light exposure in the mornings to help regulate your internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep at night. This is especially true during cloudy or winter days. Check out this research-backed article for a comprehensive comparison or go directly to the cheapest viable option.

FUN FACT

Earth’s poles are moving. This magnetic reversal of the North and South Pole has happened 171 times in the past 71 million years. We’re overdue a flip. It could come soon, as the North Pole is moving at around 55 kilometres per year, an increase over the 15km per year up until 1990.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.