Do you exercise every day?

I’ve always admired people who can commit to exercising every single day. Not just because they’re consistent, but because they make it look effortless—like it’s just a natural part of their routine. I’ve tried many times to stick to a daily exercise habit, and while I’ve had a few good streaks, I always seem to fall off track eventually.

So, I’m curious: what’s your secret? Do you rely on discipline, or do you genuinely enjoy it? Do you follow a strict schedule, or is it more of a "whenever you can" type of thing? And how do you get yourself to show up on days when you’re feeling tired or unmotivated?

Also, if you had to start over, what advice would you give to someone trying to build this habit for the first time? I feel like I keep overcomplicating it, but maybe I’m missing something simple.

I’d love to hear your insights, especially from people who used to struggle with consistency but found a way to make it stick. Thanks in advance!

I feel like for the past 5 yrs, I just have not been working on my life instead I kept running away from it to avoid discomfort, stress and failure. But even after years of avoiding I don't feel happy. I feel like deep down my confidence is stuck ever since there. I heard from others that if you work on your fears and overcome it, confidence starts to skyrocket and you feel limitless. But I don't understand what am I even waiting for. Am I waiting for right time to start. Am I just confused and still scared.

I love running and working out, but I often struggle to stay focused. I get bored quickly, not just with exercise but with many activities. Music helps me stay engaged, and I enjoy reading too, but sometimes even music isn't enough. Finding books that match my interests can also be a challenge. I've been dealing with depression since I was young, which adds to the difficulty of staying motivated.

I have been working on myself for quite a while now. I learnt a lot about myself in therapy and realized most of my motivation for work used to come from fear or people pleasing. Once i started working on that i completely lost my will to work, i would get things done if there was a timeline but i knew i was just doing the bare minimum and getting away with it.

Now i do understand that all of this must be a lot for my brain to process and rewire within a year, but the guilt of not working hard enough is still there. Even the smallest of the failures makes me want to completely give up that task and i would be holed up in my room. Even the small attainable tasks seem like a lot most days.

I hope this post reminds me and anyone else who struggles with procrastination that we need to forgive ourselves. And while we have been having a lot of bad days, there are good days too when we get a lot done. I hope slowly i will be able to have more good days, if anyone has successfully done it, do let me know how did you get yourself on a schedule.

what realizations made you stop dreading needing to socialize for fun/work?

what realizations made you stop dreading needing to socialize for fun/work?

A few months ago, I shared how I cut my screen time 8h 55m to just 1h 25m. It’s been 5 months, so I figured it’s time for an update!

Now, let me spill the tea on how cutting my screen time has seriously changed my life:

1. More Time for the Good Stuff: Less time scrolling = more time doing things I actually love, like swimming, reading, studying, or just hanging out with my favorite people. Oh, and the focus? Unreal. I can now get through tasks without a million distractions pulling me away.

2. Bye-Bye, FOMO: Turning off constant notifications and ditching the mindless scrolling felt SO freeing. I’m no longer glued to what everyone else is doing, and honestly? I’m way happier just living in the moment and doing my own thing.

3. Sleep = Leveled Up: Cutting out phone time at night was a game-changer. I wake up feeling rested (finally!) and ready to tackle the day. My bedtime routine now feels like a cozy ritual instead of a late-night doom-scroll marathon.

4. Actually Being Present: Whether I’m on a walk, vibing to music, watching anime, or spending time with my loved ones, I’m all in. No more multitasking with my phone in one hand and half-paying attention. My focus has gone from meh to next level—I can actually sit and read or study for hours now.

5. Me and My Phone = Healthy Boundaries: My phone? It’s a tool now, not a time-suck. I only use it intentionally, and that little shift has made my days feel so much more productive and meaningful. Bonus: My anxiety and stress have plummeted.

6. Stronger Connections: I’ve gotten so much closer to the people around me. Conversations feel deeper, and those phone-free moments (especially before bed) remind me how special undistracted time really is.

7. SO Much Extra Time: Cutting my screen time has freed up so many hours of my life. I feel so much lighter, knowing I don’t have to carry my phone everywhere. Morning walks with my sister? Just vibes. No distractions, just enjoying the moment.

Real Talk:
The past few months haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows. I’ve been struggling with some pretty tough depression, and during sleepless nights, my phone became a way to cope and quiet my dark thoughts. But the good news? I’ve slowly been getting back into my healthy sleep routine over the past few weeks. Progress is progress.

P.S. Last time, a lot of you commented and DMed me asking for the article link because I couldn’t share it in the post. So here it is: A Practical Guide to Overcoming Phone Addiction

If you’re tired of battling the “screen time monster,” this article has actionable tips to help you reclaim your time, no matter how addicted you are. Seriously, it changed my life.

Good luck to everyone trying to cut their screen time. You got this, my friend! 💪

Lastly, I want to thank my girlfriend for her unwavering support throughout this journey and Discipulus for writing that transformative article that made a huge impact on my life.

On a Harry Potter marathon these days. Just got to the part where Sirius Black dropped this piece of wisdom.

1️⃣ do one thing at a time
2️⃣ do the right things in the right order 
3️⃣ treat everyone like gd in drag
4️⃣ be the dust pan with a hole in the bottom
5️⃣ everyday vs most days

Treat everyone like God in Drag is a Ram Daas quote. It means to treat everyone with respect. The way I interpret it is when my annoying neighbor comes running up to me I say under my breath everyone is God in drag and I'm a little more pleasant.

Be the dust pan with the hole in it is something Ajahn Brahm's teacher taught him. The monks had to do a lot of counseling like therapy almost so they were taught to take everything in that that person was saying but to hold on to none of it. The image of the dust pan works for me because you're sweeping in everyones BS and then it just falls through the bottom. 

Everyday vs most days. I've said this to myself every day for five years since I recovered from a depressive episode. There are no days off from mental health. That doesn't mean be perfect or do everything. But no matter what I can always do one thing at a time. And since the ego only exists in the past and future I tend to be a little less reactive when I think like that.

I think I'm just tired of living in my head. I don't think I should continue living this way. Tired of living life in embarrassment, shame, insecurities and what others might think or say. Living my life this way has basically caused a stunt growth. Like I scanned my life 5 years ago and I realize wow I'm still in same spot. And now a new year will begin. I just can't afford to live this way. I want to change. I'm just scared to take actions. Half the time I feel is maybe social anxiety. Then I feel that since I've not accomplished anything and proud of I tend to avoid social situations and try new things. Because all I think about is oh I'll get judged and criticized.

Years of hard work, positivity, and goal setting have not worked. My life is worse then when I set out to make it better. I am out of functional idea and hope. I've given up so much if myself just to survive it doesn't even feel worth it. I've tried therapy, medication, mediation, and working out. All useless. I ask for help and all I get is useless platitudes or something I've already tried. Anyone got advice that will actually work?

These past few months have been pretty rough for me. I've been dealing with grief, loss, and lots of complicated emotions due to family. Because of this, I feel like I've become a shell of who I used to be. I no longer enjoy meeting new people or making connections. I like my hobbies and interests still but I don't feel like going forward with commitments to them.

I feel tired, even though I've not been doing much in the first place. I go to classes, study, do my assignments, hang out with some friends. I'm starting to apply for some career-enriching roles but that's going very slow. I have an interview tomorrow which I'm not as excited for as I'd usually be.

I just feel like taking things slow with my daily routine and hobbies. It's finals week and all I can think about is trying out a new recipe or reading an old book instead of doing anything useful. I don't feel like networking or joining activity clubs anymore. I know I should and I'll probably force myself to eventually but I've totally lost interest.

How do I get out of this slump? How do I become better than I used to? I want to re-ignite my old interests so I can focus on my career/education goals, make meaningful connections with new people, network, have new experiences, renew my creativity/motivation, and just live more in the present. I'm terrified that I'm going backwards because I had all of that just earlier this year and now I'm worse than I was before. I'm going to turn 20 next year and I'll have nothing to show for it.

Hi everyone,

I’m a stay-at-home mom of six kids, and while I love being a mother and cherish every moment with my kids, I’ve started to feel a longing for more as I watch them grow older. It’s the simplest things—like a school milestone, a pair of shoes outgrown, or a quiet house for a moment—that remind me how fast time is passing. Those moments make me realize I want to do something for myself, too, but I don’t know where to start.

I don’t have any clear goals or ambitions right now, and I feel stuck. Financial barriers and time constraints make it hard to explore hobbies, education, or career paths. I know I want more out of life, but I don’t even know how to begin.

If you’ve been in a similar place, I’d love to hear your advice:

How did you find your passion or purpose?

What are some small, realistic steps I can take to rediscover myself?

How can I overcome the guilt of wanting something for myself while being a mom?

I’m just looking for some encouragement and direction. Thanks for listening. 💕

I am 36f and ever since breakup/getting cheated on and getting laid off from job, my confidence has been zero.

I took a course and failed the test today. Just feeling like a super failure today. How do you believe in yourself again? I go to gym but even that’s not making me feel good.

As we approach the end of 2024, I’d love to hear from Reddit: If you had to describe your 2024 in one sentence, what would it be?

Doing a Harry Potter marathon these days. So many golden nuggets from Dumbledore.

I've been a serial procrastinator most of my life. I can't promise that what I write here will work for everyone. But I recently learned something profound about myself due to therapy.

I have a deep sense of blaming myself from since I was a kid. Maybe it initially came from my parents, but at least that's gone. But there are still many things which I blame myself for. I think for me, the most obvious thing was the simple fact that I was really bad at brushing my teeth. I felt shame about this, and my life sort of built up around this. Brushing my teeth wasn't the only thing of course, there were many things. But turns out, something as banal as teeth brushing really manifested itself in me as self doubt.

This self doubt and blaming myself has just been there this whole time. I lost one of my front teeth when I was around 12-14 years old. I always told the story that it just didn't grow out. To be honest, I think it may rather be because I didn't brush my teeth. This really solidified the self hatred and self blaming, and I had a really hard time going to the dentist to get it fixed, to the point where I avoided dentists. I did initially start treatment when I was a teenager (yay Danish healthcare, they pay for that stuff until you're 18 at least). But I missed one appointment, and then I didn't dare go back. I'm still not sure why, but that's not too important today I think. The fact is, that they stopped the treatment, and going forwards I would have to pay myself since I was over 18 years old.

For many years, this specific thing really dominated my subconcious. I didn't really think conciously about it, but it really affected my self confidence, and my brain. I fell into a depression without me really realizing it. Everything was just empty. Then earlier this year, I contacted a dentist. I have a well paying job now that allows me the luxury to actually get it fixed. So that worry was gone, and it actually allowed me to get over my fear and contact a dentist.

And I gotta tell you, this was the best decision ever. I started this last summer, but it's only now I'm realizing how much that self blame, self loathing and hatred really affected me. I'm slowly starting to get go of it.

And by god, everything is so much easier now. Eating healthy, working out. Not overeating. And I'm actually interested in things again. I'm moving towards happiness.

So here is my advice: If you're struggling with procrastinating, think really hard. Is there something that you may blame yourself for? It will not be easy to recognize, because for me, I pushed down those feelings for many, many years and I really started regressing those feelings. But even if you can't feel them, think if there's anything which you're supposed to do. Or something you're blaming yourself for from when you were younger.

From there on out, you need to figure out how you can fix it. For me, it was luckily something that's very concrete; brushing my teeth and going to the dentist. For you it may be more abstract, it may be familial relations. I can't tell you how to fix it, but I hope I can at least help you realize that it's something deeper in you.

If you need help, a therapist can really help you with this. You just gotta open up a little bit, that's what I did. I stated the objective truth that I saw. This was me opening the door a little bit, and then he just helped me open it completely to actually find that self doubt. And how it's fixed will then be something you can figure out from there.

today as I was scanning memories of past and realizing how much times I've wasted doing nothing but living in fear and anxiety. Allowing that to control me and I'm so behind in life. It's feels like I'm never reach to a level my cousins and classmates are. They have already graduated college. They have good jobs and most of them already married. And I'm here in same spot as I was 6 years. I don't seem to accept the fact that times have changed. It's very important to reinvent yourself and live life in a present moment. Like the advancement of technology has increased and how to prepare yourself to become mentally capable of handling pressure. The world has become competitive. Being nice and allowing others to win is not good anymore. I should stop putting others first.

I understand my life depends on me. It's me who chooses to stay happy or sad. Nobody will push harder or bring me down but myself. But I'm so tired of figuring out who am I. For years, I don't understand my strength and weakness. I'm always undecided. Not understanding what I do I want in life. Can't decide a career path. I just seem to be wasting time overthinking. I'm 5 years behind now sighs