# S3E10 – HOW TO STOP SAYING NO TO YOURSELF – Liz Moody on perspective shifts, lifestyle changes, and everyday habits for a happier, healthier life

Published August 16, 2022

Hi, pod fam! 

I’m still smiling from such an incredible birthday weekend. Here’s to the last year of my 20s! I talked about it last week, but my perspective on getting older has shifted so much. I’m SO grateful for this chapter in my life, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

And speaking of perspective shifts…this week’s guest has a lot of simple tricks to teach us. How we see the world and what’s happening in our lives can absolutely affect our reality. But with simple shifts in our thought patterns and our daily habits, we can shape our worlds for the better.

You all are gonna love Liz Moody! And if you’re already familiar with her, you’re just gonna love her even more. She’s a healthy cookbook author, magazine editor, wellness blogger, and host of the Healthier Together podcast. And she’s got tons of tricks to share—learned from personal experience, research, and having therapists for parents (and in-laws!). 

From a 10-minute habit each morning to some everyday mindset shifts to communication tips, there’s SO MUCH packed into this ep! Let’s get juicy!

On expanding your inner & outer worlds…

Liz has this outlook on life that I’m obsessed with. She strives to have a robust, rich, full, experience as a human. And this involves expanding her world in two ways:

• Going outward as much as possible by traveling, talking to new people, exposing herself to new ideas and conversations and opportunities 
• Going inward as much as possible by thinking about how and why we perceive things in a certain way 

It’s really empowering to think about how you can shape your world through self-reflection and therapy and meditation and just the way you talk to yourself. “We have a lot of control of our thoughts and we can change a lot of the way that we interact with the world,” says Liz.

So, how can you start expanding your inner world? Let’s get into some of the mindset tools & hacks—as well as some lifestyle habits—Liz recommends. 

Sit in the positive moments 

Liz recently interviewed psychologist & bestselling author Dr. Rick Hanson on her podcast (episode here). He says, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” Essentially, you can really take the time to sit in a positive moment (just appreciate how you’re feeling for literally 5 extra seconds), and that will let the neurons fuse together, rewiring your brain to appreciate positive moments even more. And that should lead to more positive moments in the future because you’re triggering yourself to experience more pleasure. 

Do more hard things

We do a lot of things that flood our brains with easy dopamine: reaching for our phones, alcohol, drugs, sugar, etc. But having dopamine so readily available makes it harder to experience pleasure and motivation. On the flip side—when you do hard things, it makes it easier to experience pleasure/motivation. 

You don’t have to seek out REALLY hard things, but little challenges throughout the day can help balance out your brain for a huge mindset shift. Try doing something like ending your shower with a minute of cold water or walking to get your groceries in the rain. A little discomfort/difficulty can help make pleasure and motivation for the day easier.

Change your literal perspective

Feeling stuck in a thought pattern? Try looking out a window or physically getting up and moving to a different room or taking a walk. See how disrupting your physical location can help disrupt your thoughts (for the better) and help you (metaphorically) see more peripherally.

Practice the “Five Minute Rule”

If you’re facing a daunting task—maybe that’s physical activity, organizing your closet, starting a project—commit to just five minutes. Challenge yourself to a 5-minute walk or 5 minutes of cleaning or 5 minutes of brainstorming. Often, you’ll find that this micro-commitment will turn into even more. You just needed a little mindset shift to get started. 

Make unpleasant tasks more fun

Liz also interviewed Dr. Katy Milkman, behavioral scientist and Professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, on her podcast (episode here). Dr. Milkman wrote a book called How to Change Your Mind about how we make decisions and choices. One of her tips is to pair something you hate with something you like. Examples: 

• Hate doing taxes? Pair with music you really, really love 
• Hate working out? Pair with favorite podcast 

Circ walks – 10 minutes of sunshine

Your morning routine has the power to set your tone for the entire day. It can influence your inner thoughts/actions, how you’re able to produce, your energy level, etc. And “intentional mornings lead to successful days,” says Liz. Her biggest tip for starting your mornings intentionally? Go for a “circ walk.” 

First thing in the morning, go for a 10-minute walk to expose your eyes to sunlight as soon as possible in the day. It’ll help get your circadian rhythm on track (to help with sleep, hormones, mood, general wellness, etc.) and get your body moving to get rid of some of that stagnation that’s built up overnight. 

Express your needs

It’s not a proof of love for someone to read your mind. You could know somebody inside and out and still not know exactly what they need or want at any given moment. And the same applies to you. So, express your needs and be direct. “Let your partner’s energy go toward loving you rather than figuring out how to love you,” she says.

Never say “no” to yourself

Don’t tell yourself “no” just because you think someone else might—you might miss out on a yes. Put yourself out there and go for that job or promotion or whatever it is you desire. But—on the flip side—get comfortable with the idea of rejection. And know that it’s almost never personal. We don’t give enough credit to the fact that we’re all humans, and everyone has their own problems and bad days and imposter syndrome and all that. And maybe you’ll catch someone on a good day and get that yes. You’ll never know unless you try.

As always, tune into the episode for allll the juicy goodness in this ep! Be sure to share your thoughts with me on IG: @shoporganicolivia.

xoxo,

Olivia

Connect with Liz Moody:

Follow @lizmoody on IG

Visit her website

Check out her podcast – I’ll be a guest on it soon!