Tag Archives: health

The benefits of a digital detox and how to actually follow through

Posted in Productivity by

I`ve been on a bit of a self-improvement kick lately, which makes me sound both healthier and stuffier than I really am. Truth is, I took this huge chance a few months back packing up my stuff and my dog to move across the ocean from Norway to Dallas. And although parts of my life in Dallas, like acting in movies and spending evenings at Walmart (we don’t have anything remotely like it in Norway, so hold your judgement please), truth is it was one of the hardest experiences of my life. I have a lot of family in DFW, and they`re not all the best people, though luckily some of them are. In general Texans are very different from Norwegians. My dad was like “told you, why do you think I moved all the way to NY?”. But I guess I had to see it for myself.

Long story short, I returned to Norway somewhat with my tail between my legs, feeling anxious, embarrassed, traumatized, depressed, tired and shitty. I didn`t want to meet anyone and let them know what happened, or even that I was back in the country. Instead, I self-isolated and tried to cope. Badly, of course.

Every time I felt the feelings of despair, depression, and anxiety creep up on me, I`d distract myself as quickly as possible. And what`s quicker and easier that a short TikTok designed to overload your senses and make your brain produce dopamine?

To tell you the truth, I`ve always been skeptical towards social media. I know that scrolling lights up the same part of our brains as cocaine and gambling. I know that we fall into comparison traps and that we feel increasingly anxious posting on more local platforms like Instagram as time goes by and it becomes a bigger part of our culture, and I know that TikTok messes with our attention spans.

PS. Before we get further into this post, let me just share with you that if you just want to get to the root of the information, gain some scientific knowledge and a step-by-step social media detox guide, here`s a YouTube video that delivers exactly that. My blog however is a bit more personal and rambly. So know ya now.

Moving on. The point is, I know all of this. So well. Even that it can not only increase depression, but even cause it as well. And still I used it. Because even though I`ve deleted Snapchat countless of times, turned of notifications and blocked people for years, I don’t think I truly understood just how damaging social media could be, even with the precautions of blocking and turning of notifications, until I found myself tired, lonely, depressed and with bad skin and TikTok songs on my brain.

I just realized that “hey, TikTok is ruining my focus and I`m using it to cope with my anxiety, and Instagram is making me feel like absolute shit. Like everyone`s got it all together and I`m just some failure. Fuck this.”. I deleted the apps in early December. Oncs Christmas rolled around, they weren’t even on my mind anymore.

But not only that. My skin cleared up. I was working out more and getting out of bed in the morning. And all of the trauma of Dallas that had been plaguing me was being released, simply because I had no other choice than to face it and work through it once I couldn’t pull up TikTok and distract myself every time an unwanted thought entered my head. And honestly, I felt so free. I still do.

If I`m being more honest, I don’t think I would’ve had the time to start blogging again if I were still spending hours trying to create the perfect Instagram feed or study TikTok trends to find the right ones to jump on. That would truly have been my loss. It is so much nicer to sit here and write exactly what I feel, no curation, no filter, and not have to worry about “trends”, but rather the truth.

That being said, here are two methods for quitting social media. You can do one or both. Personally I recommend to do Method 1 first and then follow up with Method 2. I`m actually currently working on a downloadable workbook that combines these in a 100 day digital detox guide, so stay tuned for that.

Method 1: Quitting cold turkey

This is probably the most popular method and the one you`ll see the most videos on. Personally I think all those “I quit social media for 30 days and this is what happened” video`s are popping off for the simple reason that we`re all addicted and have at least some curiosity towards quitting, if not a full blown desire.

I prefer this method for two reasons. A) I`m an all or nothing person, a little quickly turns into a lot, so I prefer a hard line. B) Doing these makes it apparent how often we actually think about social media, i.e. how “bad” the addiction truly is.

How to quit

First, let the people you communicate on social media with the most let you know that you`re taking a break, so that you don’t accidentally hurt anyone or use “oh, I have to check so they don’t get sad that I don’t respond to the memes.” as an excuse. Secondly, delete the apps. After this you`ll have a void of both time and the emotions you`ve been putting off that you need to find solutions for. That`s why before you do step 1 and 2, you should actually write a list of around 15-30 actions you can take if you`re bored, stressed, anxious, depressed, awkward or whatever. For example walk, work out, draw, paint, call a friend, read, watch a movie, go to the park, hang out with your dog, take a bath, bake, learn something new, etc.

For a while you`ll notice that you`ll try to open the apps, even though they`re not there. But trust me, nothing beats the feeling when you realize that you haven’t even thought about them for weeks.

For when you`ve completed your detox.

Method 2: Major cuts

Again, this method is probably best as a follow up to the first one. However if you don’t have a strong phone or social media addiction, or if you need the apps for work, this might be the right approach for you. Either and/or, cut out most of the apps or decide a certain timeframe that you`re allowed to use the apps. For cutting out the apps there are two categories, and you should be cutting in both. A) The apps you`re most addicted to. F.ex. for me that would be TikTok as I clearly used it as a security blanket for my anxiety. B) The platforms you really don’t need or like as much as the others. In other words, the platform(s) that give you the least value. For me that would be snapchat, as I could care less what a girl I met at a party once had for lunch.

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Furthermore, try to use social media very consciously. Decide why you`re going on the platform (for example to answer messages or post a specific piece of content), and then get in and get out.

If you try method 2 and it doesn’t yield the results you want, then definitely try cold turkey.

Longterm

Honestly, after having taken a break for social media, we usually see the bad more than the good and automatically get a bit more conscious about our use. However, always monitor your own behavior and try to keep an eye out for any bad habits you might be slipping back into. And remember, you can always do another detox!

By the way, if you want to distract yourself, and work on improving your life at the same time while social media detoxing, Ive been obsessed with Atomic Habits by James Clear lately and it`s really improved my life.

If you have Audible, you can get it for free with a credit here. If not you should definitely consider signing up. Otherwise you can get a hard cover here or a pocket here.

Either way, if you click on one of these links, I`ll (to know greater cost to you), get a small comission which helps support my business, so that I can keep providing you with free content. Also feel free to check out my own digital self help products. ❤ Digital Products

That`s it for now. Hope you got value from it and I`ll talk to you again tomorrow.

Love ya!

Zoë

45 DAY DIGITAL DETOX GUIDE (PDF)

$ 9.99

45 day guide designed for you to feel happy, creative, productive and fulfilled without the apps.

Click to download

Learning life lessons before the sun rises

Posted in lifestyle, Rants, Tips, tricks and motivation! by

So, a couple of weeks ago I discovered that I could jog 7 km (4 miles) before breakfast. This was obviously a milestone for me as it is an incredibly practical route for me and increases my number of steps in a day greatly.

However, a couple of days later I realized that my fitness abilities and joint abilities are not exactly aligned, as I in some way fucked up my ankle and had to practically limp home one day.

Fast forward to a few days ago and my ankle is feeling fine. So I warm up with some hard, but short, elliptical work-outs for a couple of days, and then with some light walking (too, in and from the mall to be perfectly honest. 9 000 steps though, so, what up?).

Then today at 4 am I set out to jog once again. Not only do I jog, but when I come to the hill leading up to the bridge, what do I do? You know, just what any other reasonable human being recovering from an ankle injury would do. Sprint up the fucking hill. Then proceed to jog across the entire bridge.

5 minutes later the pain hits me so hard, and I`m like “Omg, I have to turn”. Every step was just so painful. So, I turn.

And this whole walk-jog, I have been listening to the Julianne Hough episode on Lewis Howes podcast “The school of greatness” and she`s talking about being a young dancer and the whole perfectionist thing. Which makes me think about ballerinas, the only dancers I care about because they`re amazing, interesting and too me the embodiment of perfection. Above all I admire their insane work ethic. They don`t step down no matter what.

So I thought to myself “Zoë, a ballerina would never quit like this over some ankle problem, there is no blood, no bones sticking out, you`ll be fine”. So I figured that even if today wasn`t the day were I would jog that route again, it would at leat be the day were I would walk it.

And you know what? It took forever and honestly my leg got a little fucked up from the weird way I was walking, but I finished that walk. Pluss, I got some added steps from when I initallly turned and walked back.

And eventually my ancle didn`t even hurt as much.

The lesson that I took from this?

Sometimes the best way to get back where you were or get to were you want to be, is to take a step back. It can be insanely frustrating. But what`s even more frustrating than spending double the time on a route, is not being able to take it at all because your hybris makes you push yourself too far and puts your recovery back. Listening to your body is so important. If your feeling pain, there is a reason. Your body isn`t pranking you, it`s giving you important signals. And I feel like this applies to so much more. For example, if you`re feeling super anxious at work or you feel depressed when you reatreat to your appartment at the end of the day. Maybe take a step back in your career chain and see if you want to go with option b? Everything in life doesn`t have to be lineare. Maybe your living room is painted in a colour that`s draining your energy? Maybe you should get a dog? Whatever is going on in your life, take time to check in with yourself. And don`t just feel the feelings and move on. Make change where change is needed. You are worth investing time and energy in.

That`s all for this little rant. I am just so happy that I actually went through with this walk and managed to not jog even when my ankle started too feel more ok, and even more happy that I had a mini-awakening, haha. I hope that this resonates with some of you. I really feel like anything you can do for yourself, you should do for yourself.

Have a great day,

and love yourself!

 

 

 

Green Smoothie Recipe

Posted in Recipes! #crueltyfree by

Lately I`ve been super into green smoothies. And I know that there are a lot of variations of them out there, but i wanted to share my recipe with you and also write about some of the health benefits of this smoothie. You know that I`m a sucker for food (and drinks) that meet on that sweet spot in the middle of the healthy and delicious venn-diagram.

venn

This recipe is my adaptation of model and youtuber, Alexandria Morgan`s and you can find hers here.  So without further ado, here is my green smoothie.

green

General and health based benefits:

Spinach:

  • Vitamin K and calcium for bone health
  • Vitamin A, vitamin C and iron for healthy skin and hair (aka aesthetics, jot that down)
  • Low calories, high satisfaction
  • Magnesium for cardiovascular health

Bananas:

  • slow releasing energy
  • good for rebalencing electrolytes
  • great pre workout food
  • lots of fiber
  • makes the smoothie booth sweet and extra nutritious

Ginger root:

  • Adds some great spiciness to the smoothie
  • Helps digestion
  • Reduces nausea (seriously the best cure for hangovers)
  • Reduce menstrual pain
  • Help fighting the cold or flu

And the berries will obviously depend on which you use, but in general, low in calories and high in nutrients. For optimal health I would recommend throwing in some blueberries though. You know the hype.

 

Sources/further reading:

Diet Soda vs Regular

Posted in Rants by

I drink a lot of Coke Zero. Like to the point of light shame. Not strictly because of the calories, but because for me it`s truly amazing. I guess that has to do with the addictive substances and caffeine yada-yada. I also partly think that it`s because I wasn`t allowed to drink it as a child and it became sort of allusive and intriguing and so as soon as I could like go to the shop at school and stuff (well, we weren`t technically aloud, but adolescents amirite?), that was kind of my main point of interests. Anyways, sometimes I`ll have a regular soda (at least it`s better than Pepsi-Max, right?), just not the original coke, because I don`t like having flavored sugerwater poured down my throat and ruing my teeth. Anyways, there are a few good ones, like Sprite and a couple Norwegian ones. But what I am interested in, is, what`s your favorite? Do you prefer regular or diet, and what kind? Also, I`ve never had Mountain Dew, so if someone can tell me what that tastes like, I`d appreciate it!

Bilderesultat for coke zero vs diet coke

http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=post&id=55F41B09-1ACA-0B46-4AD6-B40D0EEAA03F

At least I`m drinking the one with the smallest amount of caffeine.

PS: Should I be worried about getting diabetes from my zero?

The three most important guidelines for toning up, while avoiding bulk

Posted in lifestyle, WOs by

So I am currently on a journey towards a more toned body and a smaller frame. This means I am doing a lot of exercise. But since my goal with this is to become a model, lately I have gotten very paranoid of gaining to much muscle. Particularly getting big calves and bulky quadriceps. I know that this is a much wanted looks in many sports and dances, and I personally think that it`s a very good look, especially paired with sculpted abs. However, it is not suitable for the type of modeling that I wish to pursue. So lately I have been doing a lot of research on this, which I am very glad for, because there were a few exercises I were engaging in that most likely would have led to the look I am trying to avoid. So here are the few guidelines or rules that I have found to be the most important.hhh

First off, when doing strength training, do moves where the muscles are elongated (stretched out), while you to them. Apparently, this will produce long, lean muscles. This sounds like a myth, but considering that a lot of ballerinas training consist of these types of moves, it must be true. After all, no one is skinnier or more in shape than the ballerinas.

Bilderesultat for ballerina

(Legally extracted from Wikimedia).

Secondly, small movements. Generally, higher reps and lower intensity is the way to go. This means, no higher than 70 percent of your maximum on weights, and for no equipment training, don’t do squats and pushup, at least not mainly. Most of your workout should consist of small movements with high repetition (and elongated loins).

Lastly, for cardio, focus on long distance. For example, in stead of sprinting, do marathon like training and instead of half an hour on the highest elliptical level (my biggest calf-enlarging mistake), opt for 2 hours on little-to no resistance. And try to limit incline on the treadmill and number off hikes. Same goes for swimming. Yes, swimming burns an incredible amount of calories, but that’s because the muscles are working super hard, and therefore expanding in the long run.

Note: As I said, this is just to get or maintain a certain body type and may not apply to your goals at all, which is totally fine. All body types are awesome and require different exercise strategies. I also just want to stress the fact that you`re definitely not going to get super bulky and muscular from swimming, hiking or doing any other type of exercise once a month or even twice a month.

life-mun

I hope you found this helpful!

Please comment below and let me know what types of exercise you favor!