weird things I stopped doing that improved my life

[0:00]Most of your stress is self-created, not consciously, but because of the habits you've picked up along the way that are actually making your life harder. So while you're still young, you need to capitalize on your neuroplasticity, which is basically your brain's ability to rewire itself. And that's what I've been doing for the last few months. Since moving out of my parents' house at 24 to now living as a true adult, I have committed to this new era of basically starting my entire life over. And I discovered there are a bunch of common little behaviors that are actually giving me more stress than I realized. So these are the very practical and unsexy things I've stopped doing that have actually changed my life and will likely change yours. I stopped keeping things "just in case." When I was a kid, I used to love stickers, but I was always too scared to use them. I literally just saved them, waiting for the perfect moment to use them. And we all know how the story goes, but eventually I grew up and totally forgot about my sticker collection and now I don't even like stickers. And as I've gotten older, I've noticed that this mindset follows me in other ways. I used to have so many clothes just sitting in my closet that I might wear one day. Or makeup that already expired, but I still kept because I might use it in the future. And when I was moving out of my parents' house last month, I found all of these untouched things and it made me really sad. I think this behavior is really common in immigrant families. I'm Korean, and growing up, I remember watching my grandma literally save everything. Rubber bands, cardboard boxes, even things that were broken, but she couldn't throw away because they were too expensive. A lot of this has to do with the way they grew up and not having a lot of money. Basically, this is a scarcity mindset. And watching your parents and grandparents do these little behaviors makes you more prone to following in their footsteps. When you're always waiting for the perfect moment, you're essentially just living for the future. But here's the thing, the future does not exist. Stop waiting for the perfect time. Don't keep waiting to live the life you want to live. Use the good candles, eat the fancy chocolate and wear that nice outfit. And on that same note, get rid of the stuff that is no longer serving you. Throw away your iPhone box and your MacBook box. Trust me, I am guilty of this too. I mean, it's a nice box, but let's be real, it's pretty much useless now and it's just taking up physical and mental space. And this applies to everything else. If the shirt is too small, too itchy or not the right fit, get rid of it. You are not obligated to hold on to stuff you don't like. You should enjoy life and only keep what is serving you. The second thing I stopped doing that immediately improved my life was checking my emails in the morning. Every time I did this, it would instantly send my nervous system into a spiral because I was basically starting my day already stressed out. This was a really hard habit for me to break because one, I would do it unconsciously, and two, everything related to work gave me anxiety. Especially the thought of missing important messages, forgetting deadlines, or having to sort through the hundreds of emails I get on a weekly basis. Trust me, nothing was scarier than my inbox. And this is the problem that most of us have. We treat everything like it's urgent, appointments, meetings, errands, even fun stuff. We are always on the defense, reacting to stuff that comes our way, rather than responding to it with calmness. No wonder everyone struggles with anxiety. So I have stopped treating my inbox like a war zone because now I have a system, and that's using Superhuman Mail that's part of the Superhuman productivity suite. This has been my lifesaver for staying organized and on top of my life. One of my favorite features is Split Inbox, where you can separate important conversations from everything else, like marketing or promotional emails. This way, I can actually see what needs my attention first. You can also use Ask AI to find small but important details in long email threads so you don't have to waste time manually digging through them. And if I need to reply or follow up with someone, Superhuman Mail can draft a response for me. I just review it and hit send. I have so much peace of mind now, knowing my inbox is taken care of and nothing important is slipping through the cracks. This has 100% improved my workflow and my mental health. So if you're someone who dreads looking at their emails, I highly recommend having an actual system instead of just reacting to notifications all day. I'll leave Superhuman Mail linked below and thank you so much to them for sponsoring this video. Oddly enough, I think some of us have the tendency to make self-care stressful, especially with social media. I mean, we see self-care routines, Sunday reset routines all the time, and they always look so productive and aesthetic. But constantly consuming that kind of content made me think I needed to do that. Like I would have the most complicated, most packed Sunday routine, and it would honestly make me even more stressed because I didn't give myself that time to actually recharge. So now I have stopped making my Sunday stressful, and I actually enjoy them. Yes, I still grocery shop, meal prep, plan, etc., but I just keep it basic. I actually started doing my laundry on Saturdays, just to take some of the load off of Sundays, and I started meal prepping simpler recipes. I just throw some meat on a sheet pan with some vegetables and I call it a day. And when it comes to planning, I just write everything on one sheet of paper and it only takes me like five minutes. You don't need to treat your life like a productivity Olympics. Sundays are the time to recharge and reset your mind for the week ahead. It is not the time to exhaust yourself with an endless To-Do list. Space out some chores during the week so that your Sundays are less packed. And of course, do something that feeds your soul. It is the best way to avoid the Sunday scaries. Speaking of other fake productive behaviors, I also fell into the lie of multitasking. Which basically says doing multiple things at once makes you a better person. But guys, in reality, you do not get a medal for looking busy. It is actually physically impossible to multitask because our brains lack the structure to do two or more things simultaneously. So really, even if you think you're multitasking, your brain is just switching between multiple things at once, rather than focusing on all of them at the same time. When I try to multitask, I actually get less done and it takes me longer. It compromises the quality of your work and wastes more time. It's literally a lose-lose. So now I just focus on mono tasking or doing one thing at a time. And if you tend to overthink like I do, I will just tell myself this is the only thing I have to do in this very moment, nothing else matters. And having this kind of mindset prevents my brain from thinking about other things. I am able to fully concentrate and get it done faster so that I can move on to the next thing. Surprisingly, this has been one of the best habits that has reduced my stress and overthinking. By allowing yourself to commit to one thing, you become calmer and more composed. And suddenly, a lot of the things that used to bother you, don't anymore. Can I be very honest for a second? As a girl who loves healthy, productive habits and who obviously shares them on the internet, I wouldn't always approach mine in the best way. Specifically when it came to fitness. For most of my life, I worked out because I wasn't happy with the way I looked. I exercised to earn food, I always wanted to change something about my body and it was never enough. And when you exercise from a place of negativity or wanting to change yourself, you end up hating and resenting it. Maybe you'll still get results, but it's not sustainable. This is why so many people fall off track or relapse when they hit a goal. What I found is the only way for me to stay consistent with the healthy habit is to see it as self-care. Basically treating it as doing something good for myself because I deserve it. And having this kind of mindset naturally integrates it into my daily life, rather than it feeling like a punishment I'm trying to avoid. I recently signed up for workout classes and going every week and being surrounded by people who are working hard on themselves has helped me build a better relationship with fitness. Rather than chasing aesthetics, I'm chasing bodily function and strength. I actually want to become stronger, not just look more toned. Do you see the difference? Rather than seeking a surface-level goal, I'm seeking a healthier body. And I'm really proud of myself because I've been going to classes for the past month, and it's been so much easier to stay consistent with this mindset. I basically see it as a habit for life, not one with a deadline. If there are any OG viewers watching right now, then you might remember I was waking up at 5 a.m. every single day for a year now. Do I regret it? Hell no. It was one of the best decisions of my life, but it was definitely not sustainable. What you didn't see was I was losing out on a lot of precious sleep, and the routine was only good for a season, not long term. I know the personal development industry preaches the 5 a.m. club as the best habit for your life. But I'm telling you from personal experience, don't just do something because everyone else is doing it. It doesn't mean it's going to be the right fit for you. I haven't been waking up at 5 a.m. for over two years, but instead of getting lazier, I've actually become more productive. Personally, my body runs the best when I get a full 8 to 9 hours of sleep. And the way my schedule is, I can accomplish everything I need to if I wake up at 7 or 8 in the morning. But to be honest, I had to come to terms with that, especially as a personal growth wellness girlie. Not going to lie, I actually felt kind of like a failure. That if I wasn't waking up at 5 a.m. like everyone else, I was weak. But I have to keep saying just because something is deemed good doesn't mean it will be good for you. Newsflash, not everyone on earth needs to be doing the same thing. When I actually started listening to my body and figured out a routine that was right for me, it made my life so much easier. It lowered my cortisol and I no longer felt like I was constantly swimming upstream. Just be careful about the advice you hear online, I mean, even from me. Only you know yourself the best and that is the only voice you should be listening to. Probably the weirdest and unsexiest habit I've stopped doing that has surprisingly improved my life the most is ignoring my bank account. Tell me if you relate to this, but I used to avoid checking my bank account because I was scared of what I might see. But weirdly enough, avoiding my finances made me more stressed out because I wasn't aware of what I was spending, so I could only imagine what it was like. And my mind jumps to conclusions, so I was always on edge around money. But when I moved out and got my own apartment in Chicago, I realized that I could not keep avoiding the truth if I wanted to live on my own. I mean, you just have to know your expenses if you're living independently like that is a non-negotiable. And funnily enough, now that I check my bank account every day, I just feel so much more at peace because now I am actually aware of my financial situation. And if there's an accidental purchase or fraud, like what happened to me last month, I can catch it and take care of it immediately. Having awareness also just makes you more conscious of your spending habits. It's just good to think twice about what you're buying instead of just mindlessly shopping. And when you do want to treat yourself, you know how much you're willing to spend, and if you really do need it right now. Ignorance is not bliss, y'all, okay? Stay informed out there. When you know what's going on in your life, you have more control and power. I've yapped a lot, so if anything in this video resonated with you, please let me know in the comments. I actually do read everything you write, and if you want a deeper dive into how to actually stay consistent with the right habits, then watch this video right here. All right, thanks for chilling with me and I'll catch you next week. Bye.