🧘 Stress & mood
Light, movement, breath, cold, heat. Then the rest. Every entry below has the amount, the timing, who should skip it, and an honest evidence grade: Strong means consistent trials, Moderate a real but modest effect, Modest small or mixed trials, Traditional long use and thin evidence.
10 minutes of morning daylightStrong
Outside, no sunglasses. Sets the clock, lifts mood, improves that night’s sleep.
A daily walk, outdoorsStrong
As effective as medication for mild low mood in several trials.
The physiological sighModerate
Two quick inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth, 1–3 minutes. The fastest known way to drop the stress response.
Sauna 2–3× a weekModerate
Mood, heart health, and a real drop in stress hormones.
Cold exposureModest
A 2–3× rise in noradrenaline and dopamine that lasts hours. The "cryo high" is real.
Omega-3, EPA-heavyModerate
1–2 g a day. Low mood, when EPA is higher than DHA.
AshwagandhaModerate
300–600 mg a day. Stress and cortisol.
L-theanine with morning coffeeModest
200 mg. The focus without the jitters.
LavenderModerate
Oral Silexan 80 mg helped anxiety in several European trials. The pillow spray is pleasant, and that is all.
Alcohol and the late-night scrollStrong
The two things people use for stress that make tomorrow’s stress worse.
⚠️ See your doctor ifStrong
Low mood most days for two weeks, no interest in anything, thoughts of self-harm. Call or text 988 any time.
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Start my free 2 weeks →The rules Ezra keeps
- Sleep, food, movement, water and the studio come before any supplement. Supplements are last on every list.
- Never above label amounts. Never "double up."
- On medication? Name the interaction every time, or say "check with your pharmacist."
- Pregnant, breastfeeding, kidney or liver disease, bleeding disorder, surgery coming up: doctor first.
- No cure, treat or "boost" language. "May help," "supports," "many people find."
- Red flags are not remedy territory: chest pain, the worst headache of your life, blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, low mood for two weeks, thoughts of self-harm. Those go to your doctor (988 for a crisis).
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