Ease Doesn’t Come from Doing More — It Comes from Doing Less, Better

This isn’t an original idea; I’m repeating something I heard from Dr. K, a psychiatrist and YouTuber who blends Western medicine with Eastern wisdom.

If you’re unfamiliar with Dr. K, he nearly became a monk. He pursued the monastic life seriously until he was told that in order to truly give up worldly life, he first needed to achieve something worth surrendering.

His struggles with video game addiction inspired his ancient training, leading him to stream advice and offer support to others facing similar challenges. Solid guidance was scarce, so his help was invaluable.

Today, he runs a foundation that trains mental health coaches, although his journey hasn’t been without controversy as a formal reprimand of his medical license serves as a reminder that even well-intentioned figures are not immune to scrutiny.

What I admire most about Dr. K is the way he integrates evidence-based medicine with Eastern spiritual traditions, many of which are now being supported by scientific research for their mental health benefits.

Plus, I have always enjoyed a belief in magic and something bigger than myself.

How to Make Life Easy

Dr K had a video a while ago about how to make life easy.

Because face it, life sucks a lot of time. If you aren’t in a constant struggle to just exist, you won’t understand. I am stuck in this cycle of feeling totally worthless as a human being, so a life that is even easier sounds lovely.

None of the advice given is revolutionary. In fact, it’s downright cliche. It’s the same shit that you see everywhere and you think it’s way too easy to impact your life.

I saw this video on Tiktok once (am I old for saying a video on Tiktok instead of just I saw this TikTok?) that was this young woman saying her therapist recommended these basic things. THe creator went on and on about how they have a serious mental health condition that can’t possible helped by … a simple everyday accessible technique. They need medication and serious interventions!! Then complete outrage that these ideas WORKED.

It was hilarious because… yeah, same. How is this gonna help?

Stupid walk for my stupid mental health

Yeah, we all saw the meme in 2020. Go for a walk, you’ll feel better.

How dare this work!

For a bonus round, walk for sixty minutes. Historically, we would have been on our feet walking for hours. We process emotions and reflected during these extensive walks.

I started walking to work last year. IN an extreme cold snap my car wouldn’t start but luckily I live a ten-minute walk to my job. So I walked.

Now I walk pretty much every day. Unless I have an errand or it’s my turn for potluck and I can’t carry my food item.

Sleep

When I was a kid, my bed time was set at the same time as my younger brother. Otherwise, he would whine and make my parents' life harder, so they forced me to change.

Anyway, I couldn’t fall asleep for hours. So after he fell asleep, I could read, and I would read late.

As an adult, it was a point of pride that I only slept 4-6 hours. I usually stayed up late writing until I passed out. If I didn’t, then I could lie for hours waiting to fall asleep. Might as well be productive.

I had not experienced the feeling of rest. While visiting the doctor for anxiety medication, I casually mentioned how nice it would be to get some sleep. So he gave me a short-term supply of sleeping pills.

Fuck, those little blue tablets changed my life.

I felt rested for the first time. Ever.

Even though I never requested additional pills, I sometimes want more so once or twice a month. I can achieve rejuvenating sleep.

But back when I slept only six hours regularly, I got physically sick in the morning.

So I know it’s important to get enough sleep. And I try to get to bed where I know I’ll sleep for at least 8 hours. I should be in bed about 30 minutes earlier than my current bedtime, because sometimes I don’t fall asleep right away or I’m up in the night.

Anyway…

Sleep is cliche but important.

Eat More Veggies

Or really less processed food.

This needn’t involve drastic measures, such as eliminating all sugar. It can be as easy as eating an apple before the bag of chips. At least you got one more fruit in.

Ideally, prioritize fruit and veggies.

eople view veganism as akin to radicalism in a world that champions the carnivore diet, treating it like a competition to consume more protein per person than entire countries.

Numerous studies detail the benefits of vegetables for gut health. With increasing frequency, we are finding what we call mental health starts in our gut. The stomach actually produces many of those “brain chemicals” besides the brain creation.

Eat better and you’ll feel better, you’ll sleep better, and have more energy.

Slowing Down

I keep hearing that we live in a fast-paced world.

Perhaps the constant flood of information we receive makes the world feel as though it’s moving too quickly, overwhelming our minds and outpacing our brain’s ability to process it all.

We have more videos and articles written than we can consume. More books published. It’s wild.

And here I am contributing to glut.

Slowing down feels like an act of rebellion.

Effective behavior change requires intentional choices, not habitual responses. From all the available options, select your action with intention, engage in it mindfully, and afterward, take a moment to reflect on how it felt and how well you carried it out.

Those three simple steps make it more likely you choose that activity again.

Reduced screen time allows for increased writing, gardening, and cooking, enhancing your life.

Fewer choices, simpler ideas: life improves.

Why not try? What makes your life easier?