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Science-based advice on how to become a better you as we enter a post-pandemic world

As COVID-19 vaccinations continue to roll out across the country and life slowly starts to return to normal, experts say it’s a great time to reevaluate your habits and consider making changes to improve your health and well-being. Research shows that the start of any new phase — be it the resumption of post-pandemic life, turning a year older or the invigorating days of spring — can serve as powerful psychological motivation to kick-start new habits. It’s called the fresh-start effect.

The end of the pandemic is “this momentous, collective fresh start that has all the features you need if you want to jump-start change,” says Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of the new book How to Change. “Maybe you didn’t achieve your fitness goals or build better routines, but that was the ‘old you’ during the pandemic. The new you can do it in this new era.”

6 Morning Habits Stressing You Out

Posted on June 13, 2021January 23, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

6 Morning Habits That Seem Healthy But Are Secretly Stressing You Out

By Seraphina Seow | 05/21/2021 05:45am EDT | Huffpost.com

While these morning habits can be beneficial for your energy and mood, they may cause anxiety if you’re not careful.

In the productivity guru and influencer world, how people “do” their mornings are often a focus. To start your day right, you should eat this way and not that way. To be more productive, do this, not that.

Commonly recommended morning practices ― like exercising or journaling ― can be helpful and healthy. “But if we get too rigid about certain rituals in our day, that’s when they can become more toxic,” said Han Ren, a licensed psychologist, speaker and educator based in Austin.

When you put contingencies around what your morning “should” look like, this can make you anxious about doing everything perfectly ― then anxious if things don’t go as planned. Even healthy habits can stress you out if you feel you “must” do them for your day to start well.

This stress can be more pronounced if you’re a perfectionist. If you don’t achieve these self-imposed expectations, you can end up feeling like a failure or feeling like you haven’t done enough, said Athina Danilo, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Burbank, California.

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