Opening up feels uncomfortable, but I have suffered from a lot of stress this year.

I would never take any decision I made back, I stand by all of them.

But starting multiple different businesses all within one year has taken it’s toll on my mental health.

It has forces me to adopt some crazy habits to kill stress in my life and take control of my mental state and wellbeing.

Here’s exactly what I’ve done:

1) Writing

Writing is genuinely one of my favorite things to do.

In this moment writing this letter, I am sitting on my balcony enjoying the fresh air and freedom I’ve created for myself to be able to do this.

This is why I would not take back any decision I’ve made.

I have developed a writing flow that allows me to simply put my thoughts on paper, and formulate them in a way that (I hope) makes sense and improves the lives of those who choose to read what I write.

There are many different styles of writing, so here is what I recommend to start:

• Brain Dumping: Simply dump every thought that crosses your mind onto paper or type on your laptop. This allows you to visually see all your thoughts and reorganize them so that they make sense. Without doing this you are trapped in your own head. Seeing your thoughts with your eyes adds new perspective so your problems begin to solve themselves.

• 80 Year Old Self Writing: This is a unique trick I learned. To do this, pretend to be your 80 year old self writing a letter to your current self. (You can also have a conversation with your 80 year old self.) This will force you to zoom out, and think from a much bigger picture which we often lose sight of.

Do both of these and I promise it will relieve your stress. (If it doesn’t you get a full refund of the money you spent to read this.)

2) Cold Plunging

This is much more extreme, but I have been doing it almost daily for the last 2 months and it’s completely changed my life.

I jump into the freezing ocean everyday, and for the 15 minutes I’m in the water everything else fades away.

I leave my phone at home along with all my stress and worries.

This is extreme, so here is how to start:

Next time you take a shower, before you get out turn the water all the way to cold and shut off all the hot water.

Your first time you may freak out slightly, but try and slow your breath and control your breathing.

Start small with 30-60 seconds.

Do not turn the hot water back on.

The freezing cold water will fill you with loads of energy and relieve your stress.

If you have the opportunity to jump into a cold lake or the ocean, I recommend this as the best way.

Something about the natural environment kills stress the fastest.

3) Walking

The last exercise I recommend is walking.

I aim to walk at least once per day.

Try walking in the:

• Morning before you start your day

• Lunchtime or noon

• Evening or night walk

I love walking at night when its dark, peaceful, and quiet.

I often listen to an audiobook, podcast, or call a friend.

You can also vibe to some music if you prefer.

The act of walking, getting outside, and breathing fresh air does something to our system and resets us.

If you want to kill stress forever, I recommend doing all three of these activities.

I know this letter wasn’t about going viral on social media or making money, but mental and physical health is the absolute foundation of either of those things.

If you want to learn how to build a massive personal brand, build your own products and offers, and make a lot of money doing it. Click the link below:

https://creatorcurriculum.com/

Your friend,

Zeke “Killing Stress One Day At A Time” De Smet