• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

What's one small thing you've changed recently that has made your life better or made you feel better?

xf5uls3c0ry81.jpg
 

Cattlyst

Member
At the start of this year I decided that I was going to make a concerted effort to pay off my credit card debt this year. I’ve done pretty well, I will make the final payment on Friday this week and then close the account. Feels good to have that gone out of my life after a few months of doing and spending nothing.
 
I'm trying like hell. Shits addicting. If only the "healthier" ones didn't taste like ass.
It really is. Not sure if it's easy for you to tell but... What's more addicting about it to you? The sugar? The carbonation? Or the flavor?

I realized that for me it was the carbonation and the flavor. I initially replaced soda with flavored (but sugarless) sparkling water, and that was good enough for me. So most of the time, I just drink regular water and when I get the urge for something different I just pop open a can of sparkling water.

If I can do it (I drank soda for YEARS before I quit), then you can quit, too! Good luck bro 👍🏾
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
At the start of this year I decided that I was going to make a concerted effort to pay off my credit card debt this year. I’ve done pretty well, I will make the final payment on Friday this week and then close the account. Feels good to have that gone out of my life after a few months of doing and spending nothing.
Be careful. It's not too hard for debt to creep back in. A few car repairs. A kitchen appliance needs replaced etc. I had almost all of my debt paid off last year but then shit started going wrong. I might need to look into a debt consolidation loan.
 

AJUMP23

Member
How are you pulling this off? Seriously, I could use as many pointers as you can give. I tried Keto for a few months and crashed hard on it. Intermittent fasting works, but the more carbs one eats (including sugar) it slows your progress way down.
The main thing I have done is eat less. At breakfast and lunch most day I eat fruit. Bananas and grapes or oranges or something along those lines. Then I just eat dinner normally with my family. If the dinner is something I really like I will eat more than normal, but for the most part I stop when I am full or sometimes I don't eat if I am not hungry. I really cut most sugar and salt out of my life. The other major thing is to drink water. No soft drinks, or soft drinks rarely. I will drink zero calorie flavored water especially if I want something different. On weeks I want dessert I make jello or pudding instead of Ice cream. but there are some weeks where I have ice cream, because it is the best food. I have also stepped up my exercise. I walk a mile and a half a day just to be consistent and keep my energy up. If I am hungry during the afternoon, which is most days, I snack on beef jerky mostly.

If you do this on the 3rd through the 5th or 7th day you will feel lethargic and tired. Your body will adjust and you will have to fight some cravings that are severe. But most of that is a mental exercise. The desire to eat sugar has never left because I love it. It all taste great, I just do it occasionally instead of all the time. I need to lose a 100 pounds, but I need to do it without putting myself in a place where I gain it all back after losing weight.
 

Cattlyst

Member
Be careful. It's not too hard for debt to creep back in. A few car repairs. A kitchen appliance needs replaced etc. I had almost all of my debt paid off last year but then shit started going wrong. I might need to look into a debt consolidation loan.
Sorry to hear that, but yeah I know what you mean. I think it will just be a weight off my mind though, if only for a while. Any other debt I accrue will be through emergencies and not stupid frivolous purchases like it has in the past.
 

AJUMP23

Member
At the start of this year I decided that I was going to make a concerted effort to pay off my credit card debt this year. I’ve done pretty well, I will make the final payment on Friday this week and then close the account. Feels good to have that gone out of my life after a few months of doing and spending nothing.
Now make sure you start an emergency fund (6 months of expenses) and begin to invest and build your wealth. Debt is about behavior.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
This has been on my radar for awhile. Would it be best to get a heated one? How shocking is it to be hit with the water during the cold winter months?

I'd say don't bother with a heated one. The fear of cold water is hilariously overblown; I never even notice. I have a hairy butt so for me just the mere application of streaming water aids in cleaning the area greatly. I still need to use toilet paper, and don't need anything fancy like a turbo mode or massage mode or whatever.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
Not giving a shit about things you can't control
This.
I stopped watching the news.
Also this, most media coverage nowadays is the same as Facebook and Instagram dopamine rush that tries to keep you hooked:

"Oh look, here's a photo of a tank destroyed in Ukraine. Let's run 10 articles describing the tank in details!"
Dimmable LED bulbs in my living room. OLED viewing experience is much better when you can more easily control lighting.
A variation of this - I put dimmable lamps in the living room and the bedroom, and also made all of them with warm light (2700K). I love my evenings.
Cutting out social media (Twitter, Facebook etc)

Reducing video game time to maybe 1-2 hours per week

Reading one book a week.
All of these - LinkedIn is the only social media platform I use. Video game has been cut drastically and I will probably just quit - after 30 years of playing I don't really see anything new that gaming can offer me.

Same for books, esp. since I have Kindle next to my bed.
 

hollams

Gold Member
So I went and bought a Bidet. On Woot they had one that was built into an elongated seat for about $80 and it had great reviews so I thought why not. I got it in and it took about 40 minutes to install because nothing mechanical is ever easy for me, there is always some weird issue.

I opened the lid and immediately noticed that even though the seat was elongated the actual hole was very small, smaller than just a regular toilet seat. Needless to say I could barely fit in it and it wasn't comfortable so I immediately took it off and put back the previous seat without even trying to use it. None of the reviews mentioned this which I found a bit surprising. Ugh.....
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Since WFH past two years, I've cooked way more than usual. I'm not a fancy cook, nor trying to be. And my idea of cooking is prep some stuff and shove it in the oven until it's done kind of thing. I'm not the kind of guy to be standing in front of a stove with a pan stirring fancy shit like a chef.

But enjoyed some of the random shit I make. Buying a lot more different kinds of sauces and spices I'd never buy if this was before covid and I was eating out more. I dont even read recipes and just grab a bowl, mix ingredients together and slather it on. Its not hard to judge making something too sweet or salty. So as long as you handle mixing ingredients in a fucking bowl, the roasted meat you make in the oven will always turn out ok.
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Also, being very proactive in researching past physical/medical (back/piriformis) reports so I can use the combined information to look for a good physio/manual) therapist to assist me when I'll be going back to the gym soon.(and lots of dry needling ofcourse lmao)
 
Last edited:

Rival

Gold Member
I’ve been walking more and cutting down on drinking quite a bit and aiming for eight hours of sleep per night. Mentally I just feel so much sharper. I’ve also been cutting out a meal here and there to try to drop some pounds by replacing with a small snack.
 

BigBooper

Member
Listening to music. Most of the time the past few years, if I'm listening to something it's podcasts or audiobooks. Very recently I've been cutting out the podcasts and listening to music. It's amazing the changes in your psyche from such a small thing. I feel more creative, more coherent, and can think more clearly. I also feel more slightly more pensive too, weirdly. Everything in moderation I guess.
 

Wolfe

Member
My opinion is still the same but I appreciate you looking at it that way, apologies for being a jerk about it.
 

Bombolone

Gold Member
Started to listen to music again.
I stopped once covid hit. It felt weird being ‘happy’ or trying to be for 4 min and then being hit back with reality. Felt like taking drugs. Did not like that it was influencing my mood… weird.
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
I was heavily addicted to hard drugs for about three years after a bad, bad, terrible split with my ex. Got completely sober, and managed my mental health. I feel like myself for the first time in as long as I can remember. Definitely a good choice, would recommend.
 

Rockondevil

Gold Member
It’s not recent but regardless it worked for me.
I basically stopped caring about things that don’t matter (everything except family).

Life has been much more peaceful and stress free since.
 
Top Bottom