Cut People Off Forever, Including Family
In today's newsletter:
- Cut people off forever, including family
- Shame yourself more
- Your mood changes based on lighting
Stress from draining people damages sleep, memory, your body’s defense system, and focus.
Neuroscientist and psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad analyzed hundreds of studies and found that chronic stress from bad relationships increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Her data shows the body doesn’t care who the stress comes from.
At the same time, Harvard economist Raj Chetty studied millions of tax and census records and found that your income is influenced by your environment. If the people around you are broke, bitter, or stuck, you’re far less likely to succeed, even with intelligence and effort.
This should explain why some people change and stop answering phone calls. Fewer draining relationships mean better focus, health, and a chance to make more money and move up in life.
Would you have the guts to cut off close friends and family members if it meant sleeping better, thinking clearer, and living longer?
Shame Yourself More
This isn’t about intentional self-humiliation or self-attack.
It’s about learning and remembering that shame and guilt are natural emotions that appear when we violate our own standards for work, life, and health.
Research by social psychologists Roy Baumeister, Todd Heatherton, and Anne Stillwell, who studied something called self-regulation, shows that shame and guilt act like internal feedback signals that help us notice when we cross our own lines.
So when you promise yourself a standard or level of quality for work, life, and health and fail to live up to it, the uncomfortable shame and guilt you feel can help you take action to correct it.
What are your thoughts on this? Does leaning into shame and guilt help you when you go against your own standards or values? Or does it tend to become self-criticism that makes change harder?
Your Mood Changes Based On Lighting
Sunlight through your windows quietly controls more than you think. It tells your brain when to wake up, when to focus, and when to slow down. When that light hits at the wrong time or in the wrong amount, your energy, mood, and sleep all take the hit, especially at home or in the office.
Automated window shades, blinds, and curtains fix that without you micromanaging it. Morning light can be let in where you work, harsh glare can be blocked automatically when the sun shifts, and rooms can darken on their own in the evening so your brain isn’t stuck in day mode at night.
This isn’t about comfort or aesthetics. It’s about removing friction between your environment and your nervous system.
When light is handled for you, your brain stops fighting the room you’re in.
Not automating your blinds yet? Check out the RYSE SmartShade.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational purposes only. Details may change or come from third-party sources; always do your own research and consult a qualified professional before making decisions.
