My regular Sunday evening report about personal health and well-being amidst COVID.

This week:
-Doing stuff for sake of doing stuff versus productive action.
-Tips for turning your ______ into a makeshift home-gym.

(Thread.)

Lots going around the internet: BE AS PRODUCTIVE AS POSSIBLE, WRITE THE NEXT GREAT NOVEL RIGHT NOW.

Also lots going around the internet: DON'T WORRY ABOUT DOING ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.

The truth is, either is fine. And you can be both, even on the same day!

When people are telling you what to do with your life, or worse, how to feel, it's a good sign not to pay too much attention to those people.

Usually (perhaps especially now) those people are just projecting their own insecurities and anxieties outward. But I digress...

Doing nothing can be great. So can being super productive.

But it's important not to confuse doing stuff for the sake of doing stuff with taking productive action.

The former tends to be a way to distract/numb yourself. It can leave you feeling empty. The latter fills you up.

I get restlessness, the urge to DO (this is me). A good way to keep the doing purposeful: Know your core values—your guiding principles, the characteristics you want to embody.

For each core value, list some concrete actions.

When you are feeling restless, take THESE actions.

Values-based action makes you feel better and, assuming your values are decent, it makes the world better too. It takes whatever energy is on the inside—negative or positive; anxiety or excitement—and turns it into something concrete in the world.

[Now, onto physical activity.]

Earlier this week I tweeted about exercise and depression. It went a little nuts (thanks @tferriss, @ASlavitt, @NikkiGlaser, @andreabarber).

I'm so glad it did. Movement is so important for everyone and everything always. Can't neglect it now. https://twitter.com/BStulberg/status/1252628139743694850?s=20

Regular physical activity does more than helping with mental illness.

-Enhances problem solving
-Increases creativity
-Supports emotional control
-Promotes better sleep
-Lowers stress
-Improves physical health

Exercise in pill form would be a billion dollar blockbuster drug.

I wrote @outsidemagazine about how to turn any space into a home-gym.

-Physical boundaries.
-Remove all distractions for the time you set aside.
-Set manageable goals.
-Be prepared for psychological resistance.
-Schedule it, otherwise you won't do it. https://www.outsideonline.com/2411484/how-to-stay-active-healthy-during-pandemic

For all the above:

-Whatever you're feeling is okay. You can be happy. You can be sad. You can be both.
-Remember: Mood FOLLOWS action—don't wait to feel good to get going; get going then feel good.
-Stay connected.
-Stay patient.
-Be kind to yourself.
-Be kind to others.