Unveiling the Truth: Social Media, Smartphones, and Your Mental Health (Wellness Wednesday)

Today we are going to talk about deep breathing as a self-healing tool, and at the end I will lead you through a few rounds of deep breathing in the form of Box Breath so you can see how it’s done and can then do it on your own any time you need some self-care.

References:

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
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Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

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Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
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Today, I want to share some work done by Michael Easter author of the comfort crisis and the scarcity brain. He has created an incredible group called the 2%’er club which stemmed from a stat that said when given the option to take the stairs or an escalator… only 2% of people take the stairs. He has a multiple post per week newsletter that he does that I am subscribed to. He recently wrote about mental health and what he called the Smartphone Withdrawl Effect as well as how to quit a bad habit by slowing it down. In this episode going to share with you what I learned. 

Catch up quick on what’s happening with social media regulation:

• The Kids Online Safety Act is a bill introduced in the US Senate.
• It aims to protect minors from the harms of social media. 
• The bill has bipartisan support. It led to a rare Kumbaya moment with senators. Politicians who generally agree on nothing are … agreeing on something!
• Last Wednesday (1/31), Senators dragged the leaders of Meta/Facebook, X, TikTok, Discord, and Snap to DC and pressured them to take action. The Senators went HARD.

Some of the bills highlights are. The bill would:

• Limit people’s ability to communicate with minors. 
• Limit the features that result in compulsive use of social media platforms.
• Limit minors from sharing their geolocation.
• Include options to easily delete apps or limit time on them.
• Give parents the ability to monitor kids’ social media.
• Make overprotection on the apps the default setting.
• Force social media companies to release reports detailing immediate and foreseeable harms to minors and how they’re preventing those harms.
• Fund the National Academy of Sciences to conduct at least five comprehensive studies on the risks and harms to minors who use social media.

Let’s call it “the withdrawal effect.” It applies to smartphone and social media overuse—and many other behaviors we overdo at the expense of our health and sanity.

Today, we’ll dive into the science of social media/smartphones and mental health—and what the withdrawal effect can tell us about quitting any bad habit.

References:

Michael Easter
Books: The Comfort Crisis, The Scarcity Brain
Newsletter: Twopct.com

Brain.fm App 

(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
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Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

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Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
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FB:
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Today,  we're talking about a game-changer for shoulder health: we will be talking about perfect hangs!

Shoulder pain has become a massive issue for the fitness and athletics community today.  Surveys show that at any given time, 1 in 4 people are suffering from shoulder pain which is lowering their quality of life. 

It's easy to understand why, people are sitting more today than ever before. We often sit at work, at school, in the car, and even when we are relaxing. Heavily cushioned chairs and couches take weight off your joints but slouch the spine and shoulders into rounded postures.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2--KFAU-nOE

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
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Today, we're talking about a topic that is near and dear to many of us: learning to love the journey, especially when it comes to our health and wellness goals.

Now, picture this: You're on a journey to better health, perhaps trying to shed some extra pounds, improve your fitness, or simply adopt healthier habits. But along the way, you encounter obstacles—temptations of delicious but unhealthy foods, the struggle to stay consistent with exercise, and the constant distractions of our modern, technology-driven world.

References:
 

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/coachdamienSD/

Today we are going to talk about one of my side passions. We will be going over an ancient breathing technique (called alternate nostril breathing) that can help us:

• lower blood pressure
• manage stress and anxiety
• lower heart rate
• improve lung function
• improve brain function

And it can all be done free of charge, with barely any time commitment… yet is rarely leveraged by the average person. And at the end of this episode, I will lead you through a few rounds so you can experience first hand the power it can have on your mindset, health, and well being. 

Alternate nostril breathing is a yoga breathing exercise where people breathe through one nostril while holding the other shut, then change nostrils and repeat the process. 

Breathing exercises can help reduce stress and be good for the heart, lungs, and brain.

References:

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/coachdamienSD/

Dr. Mark Hyman who hosts a very informative health podcast called “the Doctors Farmacy.” And he is known for his "10-Day Detox Diet" program. Now, most health experts don’t love the word “detox” and I also don’t love the word because of what it has become in the mainstream and what people think it does when they hear the word. But Dr. Hyman claims his 10 day detox is designed to help individuals reset their metabolism, reduce inflammation, and improve overall health. Those are kind of a bunch of buzz words put together… but when I looked into how he does all these things, I really like the thought process behind it. And I also realize sometimes you have to use a bunch of buzzwords to even get peoples attention (case and point looking at the title of this episode… sometimes you gotta be a little click baity to even be heard). 
This detox program works by eliminating processed foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and other potential irritants from the diet for a period of 10 days. The program typically involves consuming whole, nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of water. And in this episode we will go more in depth on each one of these.

References:

Dr. Mark Hyman
Podcast: Doctors Farmacy
Check out his books! (Too many to list)
10-day Detox Program: 
https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Sugar-Solution-10-Day-Detox/dp/0316230022

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/coachdamienSD/

Today, I've got a message that's going to change the game for anyone looking to shed those extra pounds and reclaim their health.

If I woke up overweight, and I wanted to do something about it, here’s what I’d do.

Here are 5 things I would start doing TODAY to start seeing change. 
1. Commit, dont quit.
2. Cut portion sizes in half.
3. Walk daily / stand at your desk / more movement snacks
4. Cut sit down restaurants to 1x per week max
5. Find someone to keep you accountable

References:

Brain.fm App 

(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/coachdamienSD/

In this episode, we discuss how mental health is in quite a spot right now. More than 40 percent of Americans recently said they were struggling with their mental health, leading the CDC to call the situation a “crisis.” Part of the issue is that we’re coming out of a global pandemic that shifted our habits in a way that wasn’t great for our outlook. For example, we spent more time sedentary, indoors, and connected to the cloud and less time active, outside, and connected with people.

The good news is many of these problems have solutions. Just as many pandemic behaviors led to mental malaise, we can develop new behaviors that make us happier.

There are many options, but Rucking Training is one hell of a way to do so. It ticks many boxes that years of research indicate will boost our mental health. 

References:

Michael Easter Books:
The Comfort Crisis
The Scarcity Brain
https://www.twopct.com/

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/coachdamienSD/

Today, I've got a message that's going to ignite your passion and set you on the path to greatness. You're going to want to take notes on this one!

Here are three things you need to know for success…

1. What you want in life.
2. Who you want to become.
3. What you need to do to get there.

You either figure them out and chase them with everything you have, or you wander mindlessly through life and stay stuck where you are.

A life without a consciously chosen direction is a life without meaningful progress.

References:

Brain.fm App
(First month Free, then 20% off subscription)
Discount Code: coachdamiensd

Caldera Lab Skin Care
www.calderalab.com

Discount Code: CoachD

Links:

IG:
@coachdamien_sd
@damienrayevans
@livinthedream_podcast

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6VuPgtVsdBpDj5oN3YQTg

FB:
https://www.facebook.com/coachdamienSD/