4 Life Changing Hacks by Charging my Phone Outside my Bedroom

I’ve learned to hack my brain and body for optimal happiness, less stress and increased resilience…and anyone can do it! You have the tools already ingrained in you. You just have to take the leap and begin with small actions. I recently read and reviewed The 5 Resets: How to Rewire your Brain and Body for Less Stress by Dr. Nerurkar. I read nonfiction with the intention to learn and apply new practices and habits into my life because I always want to improve my state of being. This is why I've started charging my phone outside of my bedroom, and I'm here to share with you the four life changing things that have happened to me because of it. 

Did you know that by stopping the use of devices in the evening until after you’ve woken up, had a glass of water and a little sunlight - you will begin to rewire your brain and body for less stress because you will get better sleep and have more energy with heightened focus? It is a scientific fact, so why do so many of us not take this simple action? Devices and social media are extremely addictive. It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are either, addiction shows no discrimination. Social media can be a useful tool, however, it’s designed in a way to psychologically rob our brains and hijack our neural pathways. Social media companies want and need you to get addicted and spend as much of YOUR time as possible scrolling and interacting. The problem is devastating to your brain and body. It creates more stress, depression, and decreased energy. I’ve been a victim of the doom scroll. Then, one day, I caught myself and had to ask a tough question: Is this what I want to become? Because, let’s be real, what you spend your time on is who you become.

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In The 5 Resets, Dr. Nerurkar suggests charging your phone outside of your bedroom at night and not returning to it until the morning, after being awake for some time. I finally took the leap and tried this. Here’s how I do it (seems trivial but this is where people just don’t take the action.) 

1. I set a timer for 9pm. Once it goes off, I take my phone to my home office, far from my bedroom, set it on the charger, and go to bed. 
2. Returning to my bedroom, I read a book by lamp light with no television on. Sometimes I light a candle. I read for about 30-45 minutes. 
3. Then, lights off. I lay in bed, focusing on deep breathing and allowing thoughts to come and go. I toss and turn and eventually fall asleep. (But, wait, I’m an insomniac and this will not work for me - I’ll get to that below!)
4. I have a morning alarm via Alexa (so no excuses about needing your phone for an alarm). I grew up without mobile devices when we used traditional alarm clocks. Anyone can make it work.
5. When I get up in the morning, I do not rush to my phone. The point is to not immediately get on your phone and check emails, social media, etc. It all can wait. Believe me. I have a high visibility corporate job where I thrive, and it all can wait.​​
6. I make my coffee, drink a glass of water, start my morning journal practice, and then I look at my phone.

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I’ve been doing this for two weeks now and experienced phenomenal results. Again, free tools that live within each of us. You just have to try it and trust the process. Here are four things that have changed in my life from doing the above steps. 

1. The best sleep ever in my life - finally! I happen to be a light sleeper. Every sound, smell or hint of light wakes me and keeps me awake. I’ve also been known to call myself an insomniac. Here’s the thing - lots of people claim they are insomniacs but unless you’ve seen a medical professional and had this validated, you’re not! We screw up our own sleep, and we can retrain our bodies and minds to have better sleep habits. It’s just not as fun as staying up super late. I argue that it actually is really fun! It’s a challenge and once you experience full control of changing your brain’s neural pathways for better focus, improved creativity, less stress - it’s EPIC. Yes, when I started this practice, it was rough. It took about one week for my body and mind to finally get used to going to bed with no devices. I did toss and turn, but this stopped after a week. Power through it. It’s fully worth it! It’s just like strength training. You don’t form muscles in one day. It takes time. In this case, it only took me one week.
2. The innovative ideas are pouring in: Here’s the interesting thing about lying in bed in the dark with no devices to hijack you; you are left alone with your thoughts and feelings. Scary right?! We must have the resilience to face our thoughts and feelings rather than shoving them deep down to be ignored. I’ll give you a personal example. I live across the country from my mother. I moved away from my home state on the west coast three years ago and now I live on the east coast. The other night, I was lying in bed and a heavy feeling came over me - I miss my mom so much. The great news is I’ll be spending a week with her at the end of the month. I couldn’t hide this feeling. It came upon me and I felt sad for a moment. It’s important to bring thoughts and feelings out into the open, label them, face them, otherwise they become a stew of anxiety and depression. It may not sound like a benefit, but the truth is - I felt great calling it out and embracing it at that moment. It works the other way around too! Since I’m not scrolling through social media, naturally I have thoughts about current work and personal projects, and that’s when the magic happens - bam! I get new ideas for work. Some of those are being put into action right now too! This has also sparked ideas in my artwork, as an author for new books, and concepts for my blog - like this one. 
3. Genuine peace and calm: Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a thing. Have you ever felt anxious after scrolling through social media, seeing everyone’s fabricated lives of perfection. Trips, parties, brunches, weddings, baby photos. I’m all about being happy for others, but not at the expense of my mental health. We have to be honest with ourselves. There’s a point of scrolling far longer than we should. By being away from all devices in the evening until the morning, and until I’ve drank a cup of water and coffee, after journaling - everything hits differently. I feel a true, authentic sense of peace and calm every morning rather than stress, anxiety, FOMO, etc. The reality is, giving ourselves dedicated self-care in the morning sets up how the rest of our day will go. Almost everything else can wait. Try it.
4. Optimal focus to start the day: When you begin to detach yourself from devices in the evening and right away in the morning, you will naturally start to appreciate what the morning has to offer you. Did you know by stepping outside for morning sunlight you can improve your sleep, energy and happiness by just getting sunlight for a few minutes? This isn’t speculation, it’s a scientific fact. Sunlight provides us with Vitamin D which improves sleep. Bright morning light stimulates our serotonin production. Serotonin produces feelings of happiness and well-being. Morning sunlight also increases focus and productivity. When we’re too busy jumping onto our phones right away in the morning, we rob ourselves of self-care - and easy self-care at that. Attention away from our devices means more attention to our surroundings, like stepping outside for morning sunlight with our coffee. 

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Are you ready to hack your brain for optimal well-being? You have the tools right now, it’s just a matter of taking actionable steps. What are some ways you’ve used neuroplasticity to your advantage to train your mind? 

Love ya, 
Sterp