16 Comments

I replaced stopping at the store for a six-pack with stopping at the store for ice cream. Now, I need to replace my ice cream habit.

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Try freeze dried strawberries: all the sweetness, not so much of the calories and fat and stuff. (My ice cream habit was replaced by the realization that I am mildly lactose intolerant.)

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Thanks for the suggestion! I have some bananas waiting to sweeten before freezing. They make a great ice cream substitute. I will see if I can locate freeze-dried strawberries in West Nowhere, Japan. They will add a nice flavor to the blend.

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Well done Steve, definitely better! I don’t know if you can get this where you are but I buy tinned mango pulp from the Indian isle and freeze it - mango sorbet! And dates replaced my chocolate habit 👌

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On our Costco trips, we occasionally stock up on bags of frozen fruit. One of the options is mango, and I do quite like it in my banana smoothies. I want my smoothies to have the consistency of soft ice cream, so everything must start frozen. Just yesterday, after this thread, I found some frozen bananas and half a bag of mixed berries hiding in the bottom of the freezer. Now, *that* was a good smoothie.

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Such a good activity for me right now. I have been prioritizing meditation in the mornings but it’s not feeling super impactful at that time, potentially because I’m traveling and so excited for the day and even the other things I’m working on in this new place.

I am keeping a travel journal where I write and draw but I’m behind because I’m taking the drawing quite seriously. Which I like! But I’ve been thinking how great it replied be to have a daily drawing practice and think it might worth to replace my morning meditation with some AM drawing time.

I can save the meditation for when I need to come down and relax at night.

I’m not replacing a net-negative. For me, there’s no harm in meditating but I’m more listening to what my mind and body feel called to at certain times.

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I was most interested by the idea that change could start with behaviour first, not mindset. I tend to start with the latter and this has its pros and cons. Love to hear you unpack this further.

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It's really about showing yourself things you're scared of aren't that scary. Procrastination is a great example. We usually procrastinate because we're avoiding the uncomfortable feelings we think we'll experience doing a certain task. The best way to get out of this habit is to just do tasks you're putting off, and keep doing it until it becomes natural to just do it. You can make more progress on the whole by then taking some time to think about why you're really avoiding that particular thing- journalling can be good for this. I've had the most success with doing both these things, both for big fears and little ones.

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I have to admit that today the inner little nihilist (I call him the Tyrant) is running rampant after some bad news, but this is some good information to fall back on. It is the Kaizen lifestyle / Lean thinking that makes things easier to process and change over time.

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Replace sticky notes with a composition notebook.

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This is pure genius.

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Not ready to replace my coffee - I do limit the intake though.

I would add: replace social media on your phone to social media on your laptop (and set a limit!)

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I love the replacement game. Here's mine: I'm going to replace listening to podcasts on walks with leaving my phone at home and giving my brain time to wander and relax.

Thanks for writing, Chris.

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I’m replacing living in chaos with… not living in chaos…? I’m keeping the *living* part (gods willing), but replacing the *chaos* part. It all just got to be too much - well, it’s been too much for a loooong time, I credit the Vyvanse. And my therapist. And turning 65. The clock starts ticking a whole lot louder when you hit those milestone birthdays. I’m making regular trips to the thrift store (to donate, not shop :-), I’m remembering to take my reusable shopping bags into the store when I grocery shop (they don’t help so much when you leave them in the car…). My kitchen counters are clear of clutter and clean, and you should see my tee shirt drawer! This honestly is the best substitute I’ve ever made in my life. Beats the hell out of Splenda :-D

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I’ve been cutting back on tv in the last month and reading more whether it be articles or books.

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I watch so much more TV in winter evenings than summer, it’s so dark here in UK. but I’m replacing with reading most evenings when daylight saving ends tomorrow 👌

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