Hannah Hart, Creator of YouTube's 'My Drunk Kitchen'

1. Train Happiness as a Skill

Understand that happiness is a trainable skill, independent of external life circumstances, and can be cultivated through consistent practice and effort, much like physical training.

2. Take Responsibility for Happiness

Embrace the agency you have over your own happiness and well-being; daily practices like meditation are an acknowledgment of your personal responsibility in cultivating these states.

3. Integrate Meditation with Apps

Utilize meditation apps like Headspace or 10% Happier to integrate meditation into daily life, as they offer accessible, non-religious approaches that can help control reactivity and create space between action and reaction.

4. Overcome Inertia for Habits

Recognize that starting new habits like meditation or exercise requires overcoming inertia and breaking familiar, less beneficial thought patterns or routines.

5. Find Pain Point for Motivation

To motivate yourself for difficult but beneficial habits, repeatedly confront the negative consequences or ‘pain point’ of not engaging in the habit, allowing this awareness to drive compliance.

6. Question Your Resistance

When struggling or feeling stuck, ask ‘What are you resisting?’ instead of ‘Why aren’t you doing X?’ as this reframes the problem and can lead to deeper understanding and acceptance.

7. Struggle as Feedback

In meditation, view struggle as important feedback, prompting you to identify what you are struggling against or not accepting, then hone in on it without being too uptight.

8. Allow Emotions in Meditation

During meditation, allow emotions like crying to arise naturally without judgment or suppression, as the practice is about clearly feeling whatever is present, not forcing calmness.

9. Combine CBT and Meditation

Combine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with meditation, as they complement each other well, forming a powerful approach for mental well-being (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).

10. Use Body Scans for Anxiety

Practice body scan meditations to become aware of where you physically hold anxiety or tension in your body, even when you’re not consciously thinking about it.

11. Visualize Unwinding Anxiety

When experiencing physical anxiety during meditation, visualize it as a threaded ball of energy and gently pull at its threads, unwinding it without force to release tension.

12. Heal During Limbo Periods

When a major life goal is achieved and a sense of ’limbo’ or lack of external motivation sets in, use this space to focus on internal healing and address unresolved personal issues.

13. Explore EMDR for Trauma

If dealing with past trauma or PTSD, consider exploring EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy as a potential recovery method, as recommended by a therapist.

14. Trust Self During Healing

Confront irrational fears about ‘falling apart’ during deep emotional processing by recognizing past resilience and trusting your proven ability to handle challenges without abandoning responsibilities.

15. Challenge Irrational Fears

Identify and challenge irrational fears that may stem from childhood experiences or models, such as the fear of manifesting negative traits of a parent if you allow yourself to fully process emotions.

16. Accept Randomness of Life

Accept the difficult truth that sometimes good or bad things happen without a clear reason, as this acceptance, though challenging, can ultimately lead to a different kind of power and control.

17. Diversify Content Creator Income

For content creators, diversify income streams beyond platform-specific ad revenue (e.g., selling merchandise, writing, pursuing other media projects) to ensure financial stability and growth.

18. Stay True to Core Values

In career development, especially when diversifying or taking new opportunities, ensure you remain consistent with your core values to maintain authenticity and purpose.

19. Wait for Right Career Opportunity

When pursuing significant career opportunities, be patient and wait for the right team and circumstances rather than rushing into a deal that might compromise your vision or values.

20. Moral Duty for Mental Health

If you possess financial means and power, consider it a moral responsibility to engage in personal mental health practices like therapy and meditation to ensure spiritual progress and avoid projecting personal issues onto societal systems.

21. Consume Content at Double Speed

Listen to audiobooks or podcasts at double speed to consume content more quickly, especially when you need to process a lot of information for work or personal development.

22. Avoid Meditation Proselytizing

Avoid proselytizing meditation to others, especially if they are resistant, as it can be annoying and make them less likely to adopt the practice.

23. Invite Partner to Meditate

If your partner is not a meditator, you can invite them to try meditating together for about 10 minutes to see if they like it, but respect their resistance if they decline.

24. Parents Pre-Read Children’s Books

Parents should pre-read books intended for their children, especially those dealing with sensitive or complex topics, to understand the content and be prepared to discuss any questions that may arise.

25. Use Humor for Depression

Utilize humor and shared jokes as a coping mechanism to lift spirits and support friends or loved ones dealing with chronic depression.