This is Optimal Health Daily, the Seven Habits of Calmness by Leo Babouda of zenhabits.net, and I'm Dr. Neal,

your host and narrator. Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or O.D, where I act as your narrator

of popular health and fitness blogs, and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. And with that,

let's get right to it and start optimizing your life.

The Seven Habits of Calmness by Leo Babouda of Zenhabits.net.

I have come to believe that high stress, constant anxiety over tasks and work and life,

social anxiety, these are all part of the modern way of life.

Most people just don't feel a sense of peace, of calm, and of serenity throughout their day.

I have to admit that I'm the same way some of the time,

but I have learned a few things that have helped me

create a feeling of calmness much more of the time than ever before. It's a series of habits

that have developed over the last few years. I'm not perfect at them, but I do practice them,

and they are always helpful. These are habits, not a one-time change in my surroundings or work pattern.

Changing your environment is great, but you can't control the things that happen to you much of the time,

and you certainly can't control how other people act.

The only thing you can control is your response, and this response matters.

You can respond to the same event with anxiety or anger, or you can

respond with peace and a sense of calm. Let's figure out how. The habits of calmness. These are the

habits to develop that will help you develop calmness based on my experience. 1. A Calm Morning Ritual

Many people rush through their mornings, starting the day out in a stressful rush.

I wake up a little earlier, 5 a.m. these days, though, that does change, and start with a little

meditation, then a few yoga poses. I then start writing before I let the noise in.

...