I often say gym is my therapy. I only half joke. You don’t want to meet a non-exercising Angela. Trust me on this.
On the mornings I skip, I feel it.
More self-doubt. More automatic negative thoughts crawling in (ants).
A little bit more reactive. A little less confident. A lot more in my head.
So I go. Every morning.
Not to become an unstoppable athlete. Not to hit some performance goal.
I go because it’s the most consistent feeling of peace I’ve found, no matter what I’m walking into that day.
I was telling my sister this yesterday.
She said,
“Yeah. I probably need to do something like that too. I always feel better after.”
She already knew. She just wasn’t doing it.
Most of us already know.
We know what makes us feel good. We’ve felt the difference. And yet somehow, knowing isn’t enough to get us doing.
That gap — between knowing and actually doing — is where most people lose their happiness, their best lives.
So why not close it? Why not treat the things that consistently make you feel better as non-negotiable?
I do.
Sleep. Exercise. Food. I schedule them like my wellbeing depends on it. Because it kind of does.
I also hike a mountain every week with a group of entrepreneurs. Not for fitness, but for perspective. For big thinking. For awe. For the particular kind of clarity that only arrives when you’re moving through something bigger than you.
Somebody might call all this obsessive. I’d say, “Whatever man. I’m happy🙂”
Research on on human flourishing and happiness says we’re not just psychological creatures. We’re not just biological ones. We’re both. And social too. Biopsychosocial in one word.
That’s what makes us thrive!
Body.
Sleep, movement, food. The basics. They’re boring to talk about and foundational to feel and do your best.
Mind.
The quality of your inner voice. Whether the way you’re living lines up with what you value. The environment you’re choosing, or not choosing, to design.
People.
The interactions that fill your cup versus the ones that empty it. Belonging. Feeling like you matter.
Figure out the right mix that feels all 3 buckets - and you are on your way to living a pretty damn awesome life.
What’s on your “make me feel good 101” list?
You probably already know. The question is whether it’s on your calendar. Is it?