No Zero Days: Mental Health Version

(Though it really doesn’t need to be reiterated,) The Importance of Mindfulness…

… for adolescents. While I, myself, am no longer an adolescent, the occurrence of decreasing mental health in adolescents appear to be rising. Actually, it has been rising for quite some time. Depressive symptoms increased yearly from 2012 in both male and female adolescents, after seeing a decreasing trend prior to 2012. This global study estimates the rate of suicide being higher for men than for women across regions and age groups, except for the 15 to 19 age group. As a previously 15 year old girl, the increasing occurrence of depression and anxiety in the adolescent age range does not surprise me. I recall a lot of “drama” in middle and high school that (I remember to be) related to poor self-esteem, striving to get along with peers, and quite a bit of denial and spite. Beyond high school, these factors became less invasive, but other stressors emerged: the late-adolescent age group experiences a multitude of significant changes and transitions in their lives: one such major change is the transition to university. The transition to university is somewhat unfortunate timing, as a student is not only becoming an adult (legally), but also grouped with the sudden spike of independence. It isn’t just the sudden freedom that changes, but even determining what to eat every night and when to grocery shop and complete chores is a new responsibility for many university-goers. Additionally, this critical transition period is also paired with neurological accelerated growth that shows increased sensitivity to stress. According to this Canadian study, the proportion of students screening positive for depression goes up from 28% to 36% by the end of the first year of university, associated with lower grades and well-being. According to the American College Health Association, 64% and 82% of male and female undergraduates reported moderate and high levels of stress in 2019, with the major challenges experienced in academics (48.9% of students), finances (46.1%), intimate relationships (38.1%), and personal appearance (44.8%).

… for graduate students. The transition to graduate school is a little less severe than the transition from high school to university, but is not without new changes. While they have a history of succeeding academically, graduate students also experience professional stressors, including pressure from the “publish or perish, teaching, meeting advisor expectations, and balancing academic and professional goals with outside family and career responsibilities. According to this Nature Biotechnology article, “graduate students are more than six times as likely to experience depression and anxiety, compared to the general population.” When I compare my peers who are not still in school, with my peers who are still in graduate school (with me), there does seem to be a higher portion of us (in graduate school) who have been diagnosed and are seeking therapy for depression or anxiety, myself included. That being said, I have not personally counted the proportion of my friends who seek treatment for mental health, but it feels like an overwhelming proportion compared to my non-academic friends. However, I’d prefer the statistics to do the talking: the same study states that 39% of graduate students reported having moderate to severe depression, whereas only 6% of the general population reported on the same scale. Another study focusing on graduate students in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, reported that 68% and 50% of its participants experienced anxiety and depression, respectively, with similar cutoffs to the previously mentioned study.

…regardless of your student status. Global mental health rates are at the point where 1-in-7 people have one or more mental or substance abuse disorders (link). Mental health can be affected at any age. The World Health Organization’s definition of good mental health is “a state of well-being in whicht eh individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. With this definition, the absence of a mental disorder or neutral mental health is not sufficient to be in the state of, and to experience good mental health. In my mind, this is somewhat like the difference of replying to “how are you doing?” with “I’m doing great!” as compared to “I’m doing okay.” Moving from a state of poor mental health to neutral mental health is already a large hump to cross, and while crossing from neutral to good mental health may not be as large of a hump, it is not insubstantial. I personally am starting to feel like I might be in the “good” mental health range, after decades of having poor and neutral mental health, and the strategy that I used to slowly move up to having good mental health is largely influenced by No Zero Days: Mental Health version.

Needing a System to Battle Burnout

Burnout is typically defined by three dimensions:
1. Exhaustion, the fatigue that occurs when a person has been depleted of their emotional resources.
2. Cynicism, the development of negative or indifferent attitudes related to the validity of a person’s work.
3. Inefficiency, the feelings of incompetency and lack or personal accomplishment
- Allen et. al, 2020. Sleep Science (link)

Surprisingly, I did not experience burnout very much as a highschooler (even though I still experienced poor mental health. However, my undergraduate and graduate school days were and are still rife with burnout.

Now, I’ve read (or listened to) multiple books for productivity: Charles Duhligg’s The Power of Habit, Anne Petersen’s The Burnout Generation, also Gary Bishop’s Unf*ck Yourself, and Patrick King’s The Science of Getting Started. Typically, I hate self-help books; I probably require a severe amount of self-reflection to figure out why, but I do. That being said, I still read (or listened to) them because I was desperate, andafter reading all of these books, I was still left without a system for getting into the groove of motivation and staying in the groove of motivation. I still experienced and got stuck in the rut of burnout, frequently.

I needed a system.

About No Zero Days

The No Zero Days system is typically attributed to productivity, and there is a lot of stuff out there about “No Zero Days”. (I think) it started with a really great Reddit comment that wholly resonated with the Reddit Community in 2013, made by the user u/ryans01: There is now even subreddit dedicated to No Zero Days.

The main gist of the post is to have no more Zero days, where a Zero day is a day where you don’t do anything towards a dream, goal, etc. So to commit to having no more Zero days, it can be a single pushup, or reading a single page, anything to bring yourself to having a non-Zero day. And when you can consistently have non-Zero days, then you build upon your goals.

Now the No Zero Days method is really great to gain some baby steps towards getting up off your feet from burn out and lack of motivation. However, for a person like myself who has difficulty making time for relaxation and recovery, the No Zero Days method does not work, or at least not by the way it was originally intended.

My method of utilizing No Zero Days is to use it towards mental health.

No Zero Days: Mental Health Version

So I kind of started this system quite accidentally. Or perhaps it wasn’t accidental, but very deliberately put in place by my therapist (who is wonderful). About a year into graduate school (when I started seeing her), I started seeing her and at some point during each session, she would ask me what I planned to do that day for self care. After some months, she didn’t need to ask what I was planning to do that day for self care, I offered the information without prompting. Even though I would list the same few things, the act of forcing me to think about it deliberately in that moment, also made me think about it deliberately outside of therapy: thinking about what I was going to do for self care became a daily habit.

What this now looks like, is that a Zero day is a day where I did nothing nice for myself, I didn’t take a break or had a quiet moment, or did a “Non-Zero Thing” (forgive me, I don’t know what else to call these). There are many categories, activities, and Things that I do that count towards this. In addition to taking a deliberate action, I also make it very easy to fulfill the Thing.

How do I choose what I do for my Non-Zero Thing?

It mostly depends on what I am needing. Paying attention to what my body, emotions, and mind need is the key to fulfilling my Non-Zero Thing without it feeling or seeming like a chore that I have to do: I have to want to do it in the first place. Even if it is good for me physically, it might not feel good mentally. For example, If I am feeling physically exhausted, going for a run is a terrible idea. However, if I’ve been working my brain all day, going to the gym might be the appropriate Non-Zero Thing to do that day. In a similar way, if I am needing some physical fulfilment, I’ll try to get cuddles, or take a bath, or curl up on the couch with a blanket and Kiwi.

It really really depends on how I’m feeling that particular day; I might be pumped to do a particular Thing (like taking a walk) but the moment I get into my car, the exhaustion sets in. Then my No Zero Day Thing might turn out to be a nap.

Here are some examples of Things:

Journaling. I am a snob for really nice paper and pens. I think I enjoy the stationary aspect of journaling way more than the act of journaling itself, as I’ve spent an exorbitant amount of money on supplies, but have done comparatively pathetic amounts of journaling to justify such spending. Even so, I love the feel of a really high quality pen on really high quality paper. I love using different pens (even fountain pens) on wide ranges of paper, from the ultrasmooth French Clairefontaine (the classic and Rhodia) to the renowned 52gsm Tomoe River paper (from Taroko and Nanami). I even have a quarterly subscription to Field Notes and monthly sticker subscription. I like to watch videos of other peoples’ journals and creative processes for journaling. Some people are just so talented and creative, and it’s pretty to watch and see (and takes little time and effort on my end! However, this isn’t just a placebo effect. There are many studies investigating the benefits of journaling for processing stressful events and for students (in adolescents, medical students, college students and procrastination). A commonly-cited hypothesis for why journaling works is that “the expression of emotion is beneficial to mental health, whereas the inhibition of emotion is… a chronic stressor that can lead to declines in emotional and physical health.” As somebody who experiences chronic stress and anxiety, journaling was really helpful for me to sift through my emotions and navigate my traumas. Now that I’m in a much more positive mindset, I feel less fulfillment from journaling, but I still participate every now and then (usually when sh*t hits the fan).

As a No Zero Day Thing: Very rare (too much effort)

Calling a friend. There aren’t that many people that I enjoy talking on the phone with: I grew up in that age where it seems like everyone my age has anxiety over making phone calls (especially to strangers) and I am not the exception. It takes quite a level of comfort for me to call somebody for non-work purposes. I’ve got maybe two exceptions. I like to call my brother. We have a very close relationship for a brother and sister who are four years apart. We have a lot of inside jokes, and we have many similar hobbies. We make fun of each other a lot, and we have created a very strange language between us. My brother is one of my strongest supporters (if not THE strongest supporters) in my life, and calling him to chat always makes my day a little better. (Very recently, he shamed me into buying a $90 spiralizer attachment for my KitchenAid Standup Mixer. I’m not that upset, or ashamed). The other exception is my SO. My SO somehow does not have a large aversion to phone calls. At first, I thought it was quite strange that he was calling me so often, but now I’m very used to it, and I even look forward to his phone calls (but I still don’t like phone calls with other people! Weird!) That being said, this Thing probably falls under the Social aspect of health. Social networks are very important to mental health, as humans are such social creatures. A common misconception, introverts are not antisocial, but are selectively social. They are still social and require some form of social interaction, though perhaps through non-conventional means (like the internet). This was especially seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many countries went into lockdown. First (incorrectly) perceived as an introvert’s paradise, this study shows that COVID-19 circumstantial changes negatively affected introverts by feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Friendships and positive relationships are so important for mental health and well-being, which is a huge reason of why I looked for, and found Biocord.

As a No Zero Day Thing: This is one of my very common No Zero Day Things, almost daily.

Listen to music. The clinical use of music therapy first appeared in the early 1800s from two medical dissertations from Edwin Atlee and Samuel Mathews. I have never engaged in formal music therapy, but I and many others use music as a coping mechanism. Whether I listen to music and what I listen to varies wildly on my mood. There are days when I don’t want to listen to anything, and music provides too much stimulation. There are also days where I want to be constantly listening to something. Sometimes it’s Darkwave, sometimes it’s Alt Rock. I’ve also had a stint with French Jazz, and then there’s also that 9.5 hour long rap playlist that my brother made for me. However, for “listen to music” to qualify for the No Zero Day Thing, I have to be doing nothing but listen to music, otherwise I’m still just working (while also listening to music). In another vein, I do have some apps that I like to use for listening to music while working or falling asleep. I use Brain.fm a lot when working and need something in the background that is not too stimulating. While the methods are a little less rigorous/established in this area, there may be some positive effect from listening to binaural beats according to this pilot study.

As a No Zero Day Thing: rare, better as a mood-booster while working than a true No Zero Day Thing.

Getting coffee. Even though I normally bring 20oz of coffee to work with me everyday, leaving to get coffee is a nice break in the day, where at least for a chunk of time, I am doing something other than working. More recently, this happens in the middle of the day, when I’m sick of being stuck in the office or lab, and want to go see my SO. My SO (very conveniently) works a few blocks from where I work, and there’s a (very convenient) local coffee shop about halfway between our workplaces, so this has become a (very convenient) date option for us during the week (and I also get my coffee fix). Now there is a reason why caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world. It can be found in teas, coffee, chocolate, and I’ve even got a caffeinated soap subscription. More than 85% of adults in the US regularly consume caffeine. Its mechanism of action is by binding to adenosine receptors (the molecule quite closely resembles adenosine) and activates those receptors. Adenosine is very associated with biochemical pathways for energy transfer (ATP!) and modulates many neurological functions, such as sleep, memory and learning, and attention. Since caffeine kind of looks like adenosine, it can also affect these functions, improving memory, reaction time, and alertness (see this Review here). Let’s also add in cardiovascular, neuroprotective, and pain-relieving effects (look at the same review)! However, do be careful about overdosing on caffeine. However, too much caffeine can take a negative effect on productivity, like withdrawal and sleep deprivation, both which I am quite familiar with. About every two months or so, I do a deep purge from caffeine, and spend two weeks intaking zero caffeine and it’s awful, but by that point I’ve climbed up to >4 cups of coffee. It sucks. Be careful.

As a No Zero Day Thing: One of my favorites, maybe once a week.

Taking a nap. I love taking naps. This is sometimes the highlight of my afternoon, when I do take naps. I particularly like naps (and almost feel needed) when I do a lot of brain work and deep critical thinking, and naps are a perfect mental recovery method. There is a lot of research on the benefits of napping, and how it improves productivity, efficacy, and moods. Baby mammals tend to be avid nappers, and frequent the routines of many adults. I personally love to nap in the afternoon. There’s that sunny spot after lunchtime that always gets me a little sleepy, but there’s also the post-work relief that I quite frequently succumb to. I can’t take naps past 7pm, otherwise it messes up my sleep, as also illustrated by this article. While the duration of the nap has been researched to be most efficient when limited to 10–20 minutes, I like to nap recreationally, so I’ll usually doze for a good hour or two while cuddling Kiwi.

As a No Zero Day Thing: Excellent, love it, but I’ll do it for like 2 hours, one or two times a week (or more, depending on the week, usually will occur on the weekend)

Sleep efficiency was better, sleep latency shorter… in a nap taken closer to the afternoon circadian dip in alertness (15:00–17:00 hours) compared with a nap taken during the evening forbidden zone for sleep (19:00–21:00 hours).
- Milner and Cote, 2009., Journal of Sleep Research (link)

Pets. I was inspired to start asking for pet picturess by this post that went viral on Twitter. Now my brother does this without asking, and sends me pictures of the Monsters (they are named Kraken and Leviathan) every other day or so. My other friends also do this, as they also know that pet pictures make me feel better. Actually, showing people pictures of my pets makes me feel better, too. But what is even better than looking at pictures of my pets, is cuddling with my pets. The Monsters are excellent cuddlers. They’re both 50–60lb, so they’ve got a decent amount of heft, and they’re a really great size for a little spoon (if it’s Leviathan) or even a big spoon (if it’s Kraken). Cuddling releases oxytocin, the hormone that gives the warm fuzzy feelings of connection, bonding, and trust. This study shows that the combination of oxytocin and social support exhibited the lowest cortisol concentrations, as well as decreased anxiety during stress. While the aforementioned study refers to human support, I would argue that pets provide so much oxytocin. In fact, I was very easily able to find primary literature on the oxytocin level changes when interacting with animals (read them at your leisure). I don’t need primary literature to tell me that my interactions with Kiwi make me feel better. I don’t think anyone needs primary literature to tell that I am obsessed with her. I think it’s pretty obvious. :kiwiyes:

As a No Zero Day Thing: Only counts if I ask for pictures, or if I get to cuddle Monsters, or if I am cuddling Kiwi while doing relaxing things.

Read more about the neurogenetics of the human oxytocin system here.

Taking a bath. There is a lot of history regarding bathing in pools of heated water. According to this short article on its history, the Greeks built thermal baths near natural hot springs and temples, and the Romans also built thermal baths, which became a social experience. This cross-sectional study in Japanese adults reported that close to two-thirds of Japanese people bathe in a bathtub every day or more often. The participants in the “more frequent” bathing group (>7 baths per week) had better self-rated health than those in the “less frequent” bathing group. There is another Japanese study where high-stress participants showed lower salivary cortisol levels (a stress marker) after bathing. There is also sauna bathing, which is linked to reducing blood pressure, and risk of cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive disease, and ameliorating pain from arthritis, headache, and flu. Now, I don’t have anything quite as fancy as a sauna or being able to frequent the spa: all I’ve got is my bathtub, which actually does just fine. I do wish I were the kind of person to go all out for my baths, but honestly, just doing the bath + some salts or oils is *chefs kiss*. I can’t do candles because Kiwi is sensitive to the scent. And then I’ll grab a book or listen to some music from my phone, or I’ll just sit there. I don’t do this too often because it stresses Kiwi out when I take a bath. She’ll come into the bathroom and just stare at me with really worried eyes.

As a No Zero Day Thing: Excellent, very relaxing, but I’m too lazy to do this sometimes.

Meditation. I personally do not enjoy meditation. I know that there are a lot of studies on its positive effects on mental health, cognition, stress, mood, and neurodegeneration prevention. There are even studies on the positive effects of mobile mindfulness apps on mental health! But I don’t enjoy it. I do have a Headspace subscription (there is a student plan!) and I will use it on very rare occasion, but it doesn’t usually end up being very relaxing: I get antsy when I try to ~clear my mind~ and Kiwi ends up wanting to sit on my chest and will knead my neck and face frantically, which is incredibly distracting and not conducive for meditating.

As a No Zero Day Thing: Almost never. I get antsy and Kiwi gets handsy.

Exercise. This is something that has been researched time and time again, and has shown positive effects of exercise on mental health, time and time again. I don’t think I need to link any resources for this. Actually, most days, working out does not count towards my No Zero Days Thing. Exercise kind of falls on a spectrum of feelings for me. Depending the the time of the month, or where in the week, how much stress I’ve been going through, exercising can be a relief or it can be a chore. Even the time of day can play a factor in how relaxing/relieving I feel exercise to be. Therefore, how I feel about working out (at that particular moment) will change whether I use it as a No Zero Day Thing or not. Here is an example of how I mean: I try to work out at least 6 times a week. It’s part of my personal goals to lose weight and elevate my physical health. So to achieve this goal, I do intermittent fasting and I work out. Now, the most convenient time to work out is first thing in the morning, before I go to work. However, I am not a morning person. This makes my gym time usually not-too-fun. That being said, sometimes I’m really pumped for it, and I have a really great time. It’s in these workouts that it counts. Sometimes I don’t have time to hit the gym before work, so I’ll try to get it after work. If I’ve had a frustrating day, and I need some aggressive iron-lifting, then it also counts as a No Zero Day Thing. However, the kind of exercise that really and truly counts (without my needing to question it) is going outside. I love being outside. I love greenery and sunlight and feeling the breeze and looking at stuff. Usually I’ll take a walk. Occasionally, I’ll ride my bike or my longboard. Even if I don’t get my heartrate up, I always count taking walks as a No Zero Day Thing, because it is just so enjoyable and I love it.

As a No Zero Day Thing: If I actually feel good about it, it counts (about 50% of the time). If I go outside, it counts. I love it when I feel good about my workouts.

Examples of Things for my Mood (Lazy version):

Stuff for mental relaxation (Vegetable Kraken): Watch TV and anime, nap, coloring pages, fill pipette tips, sigh a lot, listen to music while in bed, sit in car and weep

Stuff for quiet (Just Tired Kraken): Play Video Games, read, paint my nails, do my eyebrows, journal, do yoga, listen to an audiobook

Stuff for physical comfort (Lonely Kraken): Curl up in a fluffy blanket, drink tea, play with Kiwi, take a bath or hot shower, exercise, call up my SO

Stuff for emotional comfort (Sad Kraken): Talk to and cuddle Kiwi, call my brother, ask for pet pictures, retail therapy, visit home (and Monsters)

Stuff for distracting brain (Frustrated Kraken): exercise, take a walk, socialize with friends, clean my apartment, co-miserate with peers, clean Kiwi’s ears

The most important thing is to find a system that works for you. What is mentally rejuvenating for me may not be the same as what is mentally rejuvenating for you!

And if all else fails: Squish my Kiwi. Kiwi is my light and joy. She is responsible for 80% of my positive mental health. I love her. What else needs to be said?