Behaviors

When coming off a period of high stress, do some adrenaline-spiking behavior rather than dropping immediately into only passive recovery; specifically, do not go strictly to massage, vacation, and yoga nidra all day long in that context.

He specifically says he does not think red lights should contact the skin directly.

Do intense practices less often because they can be more powerful that way.

Don't default to venting when facing challenges, because it can reinforce your narrative without helping you reframe or solve the issue.

Define goals in terms of moving toward a desired outcome rather than avoiding an undesired one, because approach framing tends to be more motivating and easier to measure.

Set your own targets whenever possible instead of letting coaches, trainers, bosses, or mentors fully define them; if working with a coach or trainer, ask for options and choose among them yourself to preserve agency and increase motivation.

Define goals while in the same psychological and physiological state you'll be in when carrying them out, so the goals are realistic for that future state; for example, if you plan to work out at 6 a.m. while tired, set that goal when sleep-deprived rather than when rested and optimistic.

Include planned slack or a small number of allowed misses in advance so one slip does not derail the whole goal; for example, give yourself three get-out-of-jail-free cards in a month-long gym goal.

Introduce new habits at moments that feel like a break from the past, because these transitions make behavior change easier; this includes major life transitions like moves, new jobs, or marriage, as well as calendar fresh starts like the first day of the year, spring, or even the week.

Use shorter-duration goals to reduce the motivational slump in the middle of goal pursuit; weekly goals are often better than annual goals because the 'middle' is much shorter.

Pair an unpleasant but beneficial activity with an immediately rewarding one to make the task easier to sustain; examples include chores with podcasts or music, or listening to podcasts only while walking for morning sunlight. To preserve the effect, reserve the rewarding media for the paired task.

For unpleasant but useful activities, add a few minutes at the end that are still part of the task but less intense, so the memory of the experience is more favorable and you're more likely to repeat it; applies to hard workouts via a less intense cooldown.

Gently rub just inside the ear canal opening, right outside the ear canal, or behind the ears with light pressure to activate a sensory branch of the vagus nerve. Described as mildly calming, but not sufficient for severe stress or panic.

Use exercise involving the large muscles of the body, especially the legs and trunk, to stimulate adrenaline release and vagal signaling that increases alertness, motivation, and readiness for physical or cognitive work. Examples given include light calisthenics, a few minutes of treadmill walking progressing a bit faster, jumping, resistance training, and running. Exercise is also framed as a way to improve brain function and plasticity.

Sit or lie down, place palms down with elbows at the edge of a table, push elbows down and away from the ears, then turn the head up and to the right and then to the left. Presented as a mechanical way to activate vagal fibers along the neck and promote calm.

Use gargling as another way to activate the calming parasympathetic aspects of the vagus nerve via the back of the throat.

Do not pretend trauma did not happen or that treatment is unnecessary; avoidance worsens PTSD and can lead to complications like substance abuse and self-injury.

Use stimulant treatment as first-line intervention for correctly diagnosed ADHD; emphasized as effective when the diagnosis is accurate.

Use psychosocial intervention as the first-line treatment for children with acute or chronic PTSD rather than stimulant medication.

Identify the sensory cues that trigger symptoms; knowing cues helps people understand symptoms are not coming out of nowhere and can improve recovery.

Build a customized toolbox of stress-regulation tools; the individual decides what cues to watch for and which tools help. Examples mentioned include positive thoughts, deep breathing, mindfulness, muscle relaxation, music, sports, teammates, coaches, friends, and sleepovers.

Examine a stress response by mapping four corners: thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and actions. Start with whichever corner is most accessible for the person; changing one corner can shift the others and produce a new response.

Rate stress from 0 or 1 to 10 before intervening. If stress is very high, around 8–10 out of 10, use a toolbox tool first rather than the square exercise; wait until stress drops to around 5–3 before engaging cognitively.

Build dedicated space and time for mindfulness or decompression, especially in overstimulating environments like social media; this should be personalized.

Create explicit family boundaries for social media use. One example given was putting all phones in a basket at dinner and leaving them there during the meal.

Train classroom teachers to deliver yoga and mindfulness rather than relying only on outside instructors, because teachers know classroom management.

Even if not sleeping, lie quietly with eyes closed and stay in bed a bit longer; in the cited Stanford athlete study, resting or sleeping more improved performance. Avoid being on the phone during this time.

If you are sneezing, coughing, or still experiencing cold symptoms, avoid work, the gym, and contact with others as much as possible because you are still contagious.

Log sleep quality, workout intensity, travel, interactions, and other life events daily in a calendar, then when you get sick look back at the days before symptom onset and recovery to identify patterns that may have contributed.

When actively trying to avoid getting a cold or flu, think twice before hugging someone or kissing them on the cheek.