August is all about hacking our nervous systems to become more happier, regulated human beings because ain't nobody got time to be a victim of an unregulated nervous system or past conditioning.
If you missed the first August post on neurohacking your brain chemicals, you can read it here.
In this blog, we are going to talk about how to set up your day so that you are more successful in creating the kind of day you want, inside and out.
First, a reminder.
It's not necessarily all our fault that we are so collectively stressed, depressed, reactive, and anxious. The challenge of being a Homo sapien sapien in this modern age is that our ancient nervous systems have not kept up with technology. You are essentially driving around the nervous system of a caveman...and when you give a caveman a television and constantly stimulate that caveman, well, they aren't going to feel very good or behave very well. Many humans, especially vet people, are walking around hyperstimulated, hypervigilant, hyperreactive, and in essence, hyper-set up to fail living an emotionally regulated life of peace.
Bleh.
So it's time to take back our nervous systems and proactively regulate our selves.
One thing you can do to regulate yourself and make it more likely that you are going to have a good day is have a morning routine that supports that kind of day. It is more difficult to have a nice day when you wake up already grumpy, stressed, hurried, or reactive, or you do things first thing in the morning that catapult you into that state of being. I mean honestly...on EARTH are you going to channel MFing peace when you already have inner chaos going on?
Instead, you are going to use the personal agency you learned about in this blog to take charge of your day, and it starts with your morning routine.
The first thing to know is that when you are waking up in the morning, our brainwaves transition from delta → theta → alpha → beta. For optimum brainwave health, you want to allow your brain to transition naturally through these rhythms from delta to ultimately fully awake beta.
Neurohack: Judicious Phone Usage
FACT: If you check your phone first thing in the morning, you are forcing your brain to go straight into high beta waves. The caveman equivalent would be sleeping in your cave and being startled awake by an animal coming into your shelter. This primes your nervous system to be more stressed and reactive throughout the whole day.
Never thought about it like that before, didya? 😉
If you haven't read our neurohacking your brain chemicals blog post yet, you might want to go back and read that first because we are going to dive right into the wonderful and wacky world of neurochemicals.
FACT: Checking social media first thing in the morning spikes dopamine and also lowers your baseline dopamine, which makes your nervous system feel starved for dopamine. Then, to get your dopamine back up, you continue to check social media throughout the rest of your day. THAT'S SNEAKY.
Therefore, we recommend waiting a FULL HOUR before you check social media on your phone. We also recommend waiting a full hour to check news and email. You CAN use your phone to play inspiring or educational audiobooks, youtube videos, or affirmations during that first hour. Data suggests that when humans have increased theta and alpha brainwave activity (like when you are just waking up) we have increased neuroplasticity. This means during this time we have increased ability to learn and remember things. I use my first hour to meditate and learn French. OUI OUI MON AMI
That first hour of your day is sacred - it's where you set the rest of your day to be filled with fulfillment, appreciation, and goodwill or stress, anger, and anxiety. Every day you get a choice. This is simultaneously maddening and empowering. 😆
Neurohack: Movement is Key
Exercise increases dopamine, norepinephrine, and endocannabinoids giving you energy, focus, motivation, and a mood boost for the rest of your day. Exercise also boosts brain oxygen and blood flow. It doesn't have to be anything big - even a 10-30 minute walk is beneficial. If you are a woman trying to regulate your hormones, avoid aggressive cardio. Instead, try weight training combined with some light cardio, 3-5 times per week. Or just go for a nice walk outside.
Bonus Tip: Not necessarily a neurohack, but if you frontload protein by eating 30 grams of protein in the morning coupled with a little fiber before caffeine you will feel fuller and more energetic all day.
Neurohack: Direct Sunlight
As soon as you can in the morning, look up at the sun. Bask in the warmth for a bit. Remember you are driving around a caveman nervous system, and give it what it needs. Sunlight regulates your circadian rhythm. If it is cloudy, try red light therapy.
Neurohack: Meditation
Meditation has an extensive list of health benefits as well as improving focus and productivity. I used to never think I could get my monkey mind to settle for meditation, but I started with Headspace (guided meditation) - 3 minute meditations, and gradually lengthened the meditation time. After about a year of that, I moved on to transcendental meditation. It's been 6 years and I still have a twice daily meditation practice on most days.
Action Step
Alright my lovies, now it is time to apply your knowledge. Please pick ONE THING that you can do to neurohack your morning routine and regulate your inner caveman. Share it in the comments to get some accountability, and then start doing that thing, every day until it becomes a habit. The easiest way to add this new thing into your morning routine is to stack the habit on something you already do - you can read how to do that in our habits blog.
Until next time, all our slightly scandalous love,
Sarah J. Wooten, DVM, CVJ, and the VAI Crew 😆
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