3 Habits to Change Lives

I'm not an optimistic person, let alone motivated. But I'm good at trying. Trying to be optimistic, trying to be better than I was yesterday, trying my best to give back. Everyday, I'm all about self-improvement. I'm not a professional life trainer but I think it would nice to share some of the habits I developed since late last year that definitely changed my life!

1.  Waking up at 5:00am

For someone who used to sleep at 3:00 in the morning, subsequently waking up at 10:00 the next day, I couldn't believe I became a morning person. And waking up early constantly has been life-changing for me. All those tweets about waking up at 5:00am exist for a reason because it actually worked. And this is coming from someone who used to hate waking up before the Sun is peeking through the window. 

It's okay if you refuse to wake up early, but to dismiss it quickly is just ignorant. If you wake up early and did nothing but remained sprawled on your bed, of course it's not going to change your life. The amazing thing about waking up is, it's so peaceful and quiet (and not in an eerie way). Before 9:00am, you could have performed Tahajjud, read the Quran, watched Tik Tok, went out for a run, had breakfast, showered and caught up with Booktube videos. And by 9:00am, you can sit on your work desk and start doing your work for the day. Just imagine the amount of hours stretched ahead! There are so many work you can finish while simultaneously living as a good Muslim and healthy person.

2. Exercise

Since my 8:00am to 7:00pm schedule is impossible for me to exercise everyday, I tried to commit at least once a week. So, on my Saturday morning I will jog and on Sunday morning, I will skip and do some simple workout. I just started working out and it's so painful I'm actually considering to quit but my self-narcissism won't allow. The thought of how my body would turn out overpowers the pain.

I've been running once a week routinely for the past 4-5 months and it worked wonders! Of course the effect is not going to immediately take place, but over time, I realised my mood is improving, my head is clearer and I'm more functional. Running hurts too but at least I welcome the pain.

3. Social Media Detox

I remember about 4-5 years ago, I would spend hours on Twitter, scrolling and chasing quick Dopamine, gained a few laughs and then left bereft being away from it. I would scroll through Instagram to consume Timothee Chalamet edits until 4:00am. And being introduced to TikTok definitely made my habit worse.

But thankfully, I had my wake up call. Nowadays, I disciplined myself to 30 minutes of TikTok only on weekends and 15-20 minutes of Twitter/Instagram per day. I have to admit, not being able to watch TikTok daily is tormenting (because most of my online crushes are from TikTok) but I did what I had to do for a better mental state. 

So far, I still feel terrible and life isn't much better but at least I have more time for reading books or watch comforting movies which consequently gives me a boost of Dopamine (which kinda beats the purpose of social media detox). 

Anyway, I'm still looking for new habits and coping mechanism to cure my chronic loneliness. If you have anything in mind, don't forget to share in the comment section! You might save a life.