It is fair to say that 18 months ago Ted was not functioning at his optimum! His sleep was erratic, he spent many hours gaming, would vape nearly every minute when he was not teaching and surviving mainly off of beige food.
Ted found it hard to get up in the morning and his time management was something he recognised as a problem. We discussed the role stress might be playing in Ted’s life and how it could be affecting his sleep but also his need to use vaping and gaming as a way to cope.
Ted decided to use some breathing techniques to lower his sympathetic tone and do some journalling before he went to sleep. We also discussed the role of the microbiome in regulating the nervous system and so he made a plan to add a few different plants into his meals. He decided to set a bedtime of 10pm and to try and stay off screens from 9pm which prompted him to start playing his guitar again and to do some stretching.
Over the next few months he found he was gaming and vaping less and starting to understand the cause of his stress more clearly. He also started going to the gym regularly and found his quality of sleep improved. The breathing was really helping him to feel more chilled and he started to listen to a few podcasts around mindset. He made more and more changes to his food, making home cooked meals, bringing in his own lunches and generally increasing his plant intake and reducing his UPF.
He developed more compassion for himself, managing his time more effectively and noticed that he had more energy and felt more productive. A year on Ted has maintained these habits!