Behaviors

Use banded work for cross-body pulls and disassociation training, including kneeling positions.

Use heavy lunges as part of leg training; example given was 70 pounds in each hand. Also used during rehab when options were limited.

Use hamstring curls on some feel-good days to pump blood flow.

Use belt squats on some feel-good days and during rehab when upper-body limitations restrict other movements.

Use leg extensions on some feel-good days to pump blood flow.

Use pulsing lunges on some feel-good days to pump blood flow.

Use Friday as a feel-good arm day.

Include shoulder and accessory work on Friday feel-good day.

Use art therapy during recovery.

Use dog therapy during recovery.

Use walking during rehab when other options are limited.

Use a structured morning routine to put yourself in an optimal mental state before stressors arrive, supporting upright mental posture under pressure.

Do not lie in bed scrolling or tweeting about poor mental health; get up instead.

If struggling mentally, get out of bed and go somewhere with normal human interaction rather than isolating.

Use physical movement to pull yourself out of depression rather than staying in bed.

Treat visual and auditory inputs as part of your diet; be selective about media, music, and other sensory inputs.

Use calming music rather than aggressive music when you need to enter a room or situation in the right state.

Use extra morning time to sit in a dark room and tell yourself 10 things you're truly grateful for.

Use a free decibel meter app on your phone to quantify environmental sound intensity and guide safe exposure decisions using the rough formula for safe listening time.

Tinnitus should be thoroughly evaluated clinically rather than self-treated with supplements; evaluation includes examination of the ears, examination of the whole head and neck, and hearing testing.

Use 80 dB for 8 hours as a rough safe exposure rule, and for every 3 dB increase in sound intensity, halve the duration of safe exposure.

Rule of thumb: if someone standing next to you can hear what you're listening to through your headphones, it's too loud.

If your ears are still ringing or feel clogged after loud noise exposure, be especially careful to avoid another loud exposure soon after; repeated insults can be synergistically damaging.

For hyperacusis, avoid overprotecting with earplugs in normal listening environments; remove them and get used to normal sound input.

When speaking to someone with hearing loss, face them directly, speak slowly rather than yelling, reduce competing sounds like TV or running water, and do not try to communicate from another room.

Do not develop a habit of taking medications regularly unless necessary. Regular NSAID use, including ibuprofen, was linked here to increased likelihood of hearing loss; regular use was defined as at least twice per week. The guest also cautioned against habitual acetaminophen use and relying on Tylenol PM/Benadryl combinations as a sleep habit.

Use auditory enrichment practices such as listening to music, singing, playing an instrument like piano, and formal auditory training. Auditory training is described as clinically helpful, and musical training is associated with better appreciation of music after cochlear implantation and better brain responsiveness when challenged.

Adopt a 5 a.m. wake time; waking up early is described as having a strong antidepressant effect and allowing more to get done.

Body shaking is presented as a legitimate lymph-supportive practice because one-way lymphatic vessels allow fluid to move upward with repeated motion; Tai Chi-type movement patterns that include shaking are also endorsed.

Jumping on a small trampoline, including in the morning, is recommended as fun and effective for lymphatic flow.