In a series of popular rat studies in the 70s… Researchers at Simon Fraser University gave groups of rats unlimited access to morphine-laced water dispensers. ​ Half of the rats were placed in isolated cages, without much to do. ​ The other half were placed in “Rat Park”, which was 200 times larger than the cages, with balls and wheels for play, and other rats to interact and mate with. ​ Unsuprisingly, the rats in Rat Park consumed way less morphine (about 19 times less) than the isolated rats who didn’t have much else to do. ​ These studies are investigating addiction, but I think the concept of Rat Park can be paralleled in our daily lives. ​ If we don’t cultivate lifestyles that prioritise the things fundamental to our wellbeing, like socialising, fun, and exercise… ​ Then we’ll search for stimulation in harmful activities like doom scrolling, excessive drug use, adult content, etc. ​ It doesn’t take a genius to understand that if you deprive an animal of sufficient nutrition, exercise, sleep, and socialisation, then it won’t be happy. ​ Yet, we don’t make these things a priority for ourselves. ​ We sacrifice sleep for scrolling. ​ We sacrifice socialising for working overtime. ​ We sacrifice exercise for a hangover. ​ The basics of wellbeing are obvious and easy… ​ But if we don’t make the effort to follow through on them… We’ll naturally end up filling our days with the things that we know make us miserable. ​ The rats in these studies, unfortunately, had no control over whether they were placed in Rat Park or the isolated cages. ​ WE DO. ​ We have the power to create a lifestyle akin to Rat Park, filled with fun, socialising and all the essentials for wellbeing… ​ Or we can isolate ourselves, inevitably leading to a depressing loop of meaningless dopamine hits. ​ #125

Our survival minds are biased to pay attention to negative stimuli. ​ That’s why most of our media is focused on everything that’s going wrong. ​ Because it gets more clicks. ​ I could have titled this blog “How to train your brain for positivity”, but the negative version of the title is more likely to catch your attention. ​ Unfortunately, there is a real cost to consuming all of this divisive and doomsday media. ​ The more our brains fire a certain pathway, the stronger the connections in that pathway become. ​ Consuming a constant stream of negative media that makes us feel sad, hopeless, fearful, and angry reinforces our brain's capability to experience these states. ​ And that's not the end of it. ​ If you’ve ever meditated, you will have experienced how your thoughts appear in your consciousness without your control. ​ This “random” generation of thoughts stems from the current stimulus in our environment, as well as the thoughts that are resting in our subconscious. ​ If all of the information in our subconscious is depressing, the thoughts that appear when our minds are idle will likely match. ​ So what can we do about this? ​ 1. Limit scrolling. Scrolling provides us with zero control over the media we consume. ​ 2. Actively consume positive news. There are several accounts across social media that post “Good News”. ​ Actively choosing to subscribe and engage with these accounts will help reprogram our minds to have more automatic positive thoughts, as opposed to a steady internal stream of negative thinking. ​ #124

One of the most frequently reported takeaways from therapy is remembering positive comments that the therapist has made toward us. ​ Our egos are quick to internalise the comments that others make about our strengths and weaknesses. ​ And if we hear something repeatedly, it takes active effort for our self-identities not to align with those statements. ​ We could shift our internal self-talk to focus on the positives of our character, but that doesn’t resonate with the same intensity as hearing it from someone close to us. ​ Shouting positive affirmations in the mirror 100 times every morning will likely slowly improve our self-identity, but hearing the same affirmation from a loved one once changes us instantly. ​ When someone dies, we write a eulogy for them. ​ We share what they have dedicated their life to, who they have served, and what they excelled in. ​ Unfortunately, the person receiving all this appreciation is dead and the gratitude goes to waste. ​ But why do we need to wait for someone to die before we give them their flowers? ​ I’m sure that you have people in your life right now that you’re hugely grateful for, and others that you deeply respect. ​ Tell them. ​ You can message them out of the blue (you might need to clarify that it isn’t some suicidal goodbye message), or you can make a habit of doing it on people's birthdays/forced occasions. ​ Most of us think about birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother's/Father's Day as a capitalist mechanism to sling us more consumerist rubbish. But it doesn’t have to be. ​A card or a text expressing your genuine appreciation for their specific strengths will stick in their mind and have a much more impactful effect on them than buying them yet another pair of slippers. #123

1. Intensity of language. ​ “I’ve literally had the worst day ever!” ​ No, you haven’t. ​ You’ve had a sub-par day and experienced several minor inconveniences. ​ Using this emotionally intense language for what are, in reality, relatively trivial complaints, evokes a heightened intensity of emotion. ​ Our language creates our reality. ​ And since our brains crave stimulation, we tend to intensify how we describe events (both in our own heads and to others). ​ 2. Interrupt the spiral. ​ When someone critiques our performance at work or university, the reality is that either you have room to improve, or that person is simply being rude. ​ Yet somehow we end up telling ourselves we are not good enough at life and should give up on everything. ​ Mental spirals can cause a minor moment to completely derail our day. ​ Luckily, we have the power to catch and interrupt these thoughts, which we can practice through mindful activities such as meditation. ​ 3. Sleep more. ​ Sleep is essential for regulating our hormones. ​ A sure-fire way to guarantee intense ups and downs is to limit your sleep as much as possible. ​ Sleep is nature's charging dock, and if we continually fail to get enough charge, we’ll start to crash and crash out. ​ #122

If you’re ever in an emergency during a flight, you’re supposed to fit your own oxygen mask first before helping those around you. ​ The logic here is that you can’t assist others who need it if you haven't got enough oxygen yourself. ​ This rings true across all aspects of our lives. ​ We often sacrifice the habits that are most important for our wellbeing (sleep, meditation, exercise, healthy diet) for other activities that we care about more. ​ But I’m going to go out on a limb and say, this is almost always a bad trade. ​ If you don’t selfishly protect and prioritize the most important habits for physical and mental wellbeing, the things you really care about will almost definitely suffer. ​ How can we expect someone to: ​ - Perform at work/uni. - Be a present, loving partner. - Be a reliable, fun friend. - Follow through on passion projects. - Keep on top of daily chores. - Manage their money effectively… If they’re underslept, undernourished, cranky and low energy? ​ Thriving requires mental and physical energy. ​ Choosing to sacrifice these priority habits in favour of scrolling, staying for one more drink, and keeping others happy is choosing to sacrifice your potential to thrive. ​ #121