5 Thought Friday — SleepMindHeart

Here are my 5 Thoughts for the week!

1. What I am currently reading, viewing, or listening to:

How to Break Up With Your Phone; Catherine Price
The premise of the book: “Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you touch before bed? Do you frequently pick it up “just to check,” only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone—but have no idea how to do so without giving it up completely? If so, this book is your solution.”
FYI: I spend under 3 hours a day on my phone and still working on reducing that even further with Whatsapp, Signal, email, the New York Times, and Instagram being my top 5 items to work on.

2. Gratitude Practice (for improved happiness):

Grateful for all the support and feedback on my 5-day fast that resulted in my highest ketone level ever: > 8.0mmol. For those of you fasters, you would know this is cancer-killing levels. Even my “keto mojo” meter read “Hi”, with a note to call a medical professional immediately…hahaha!

3. Wellness ideas to consider:

All my fasting led to many thoughts around alcohol (smile). SOOOOO, Is drinking alcohol good or bad for you? Well, there is no hard evidence or studies that can answer that question. Check at this article from Precision Nutrition
If you’re going to drink, drink because you genuinely enjoy it
Drink if it truly adds value and pleasure to your life; not because:

you’re stressed or want problems to temporarily go away
it’s a habit
other people around you don’t want to drink alone; or
it’s “good for you”.

For full transparency, I do drink alcohol, which is 97% red wine on the weekend. 3% is represented by an occasional glass of white wine, champagne, or gin.

4. What I’m eating, drinking, buying, or whatever else is on my mind:

Chicken curry made by my lovely wife, Irene. The photo sums it up - chicken breast, carrots, potatoes, brown rice and garnish! I would most likely score this a 7 out of 10 on the health/wellness scale but 10 out of 10 on taste!

5. Quote(s) I am Pondering:

“Smartphones are amazing tools. But something about smartphones also makes us act like ‘tools’.”
“Multiple studies have associated the heavy use of smartphones (especially when used for social media) with negative effects on neuroticism, self-esteem, impulsivity, empathy, self-identity, and self-image, as well as with sleep problems, anxiety, stress, and depression.”
“…breaking up with your phone doesn’t just have the potential to change your relationship with your devices. It can also change your life.”
Catherine Price, How to Break Up with Your Phone
After reading the first 20% of the book, I am going to attempt my first 24-hour phone detox this weekend and turn off my phone for 24 hours (other than entering buildings requiring my vaccination records).

Happy Friday!

Mike