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- Daily Refill - May 13, 2025 - Screens Off, Roots Down
Daily Refill - May 13, 2025 - Screens Off, Roots Down
Skip the Doomscroll: Your Brain’s Five‐Minute Rescue Plan
Matthew Tilmann
May 13, 2025
Halfway through the week and your mind already feels like an over‑caffeinated squirrel?
Today’s lineup delivers five fresh insights—no fluff, all utility—to ground you faster than your phone can buzz.
Let’s refill.
Today’s Daily Refill is brought to you by:
You’ve got ideas but zero runway—launching a newsletter feels like starting a band without instruments.
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Beehiiv hands you a 30‑day free trial plus 20 % off any plan for three months, then with my 25‑Point Beehiiv Growth Checklist you can scale from “first post” to “first 1 K” without paying arena prices.
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Grab the deal before your next idea escapes.
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London’s new Arc day‑centre lets teens and families drop in for four weeks of therapy, art, and peer support—no institutional vibes, no locked doors. Early data hint the model diverts kids from over‑run ERs and cuts wait‑lists.
Why it matters: Voluntary, youth‑designed spaces may fill the gap between “I’m fine” and full‑blown crisis—watch for similar pilots stateside.
A UK study of 220 adults found weekly horticulture and care‑farming sessions eased symptoms as effectively as short‑term CBT within 12 weeks. Longer programs (9–12 weeks) delivered the biggest mood lift.
Why it matters: Your therapist might soon prescribe gardening gloves instead of another app login.
The social‑psychology icon says a one‑day device break—preferably with friends—reduces anxiety and revives deep conversation. Think of it as interval training for your attention span.
Why it matters: You don’t need to quit tech; you just need a day‑off contract with yourself (and a buddy who’ll hold you to it).
Return‑to‑office whiplash and blurred work‑life lines push two‑thirds of employees toward chronic exhaustion. Flexible hours trimmed stress markers by 30 %.
Why it matters: Autonomy isn’t a perk—it’s a protective factor.
Mount Sinai researchers used MRI scans to show eight weeks of daily practice thickened hippocampal circuitry and calmed the amygdala. Translation: better recall, fewer freak‑outs.
Why it matters: Mindful minutes aren’t just mood polish—they’re structural upgrades.
Quote of the Day
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” — Anne Lamott
Today’s Self‑Care Tip
Block 25 minutes this weekend for a micro‑rewild: leave your phone at home, walk to the nearest patch of green, and commit to noticing five sensory details (birdsong, soil smell, breeze, leaf texture, light shift).
Research shows even a single intentional nature‑moment lowers cortisol by up to 21 % within an hour.
Here’s to fewer pings and deeper breaths.
Until tomorrow,
Matt
P.S. If you found value here, share this with one person who needs a reset—or post it wherever you roam online.
Feel like 65 is a mindset? Join Mitten Dad Minute for time‑saving frameworks, live chats, and GPT prompts that hand parents their day back: https://mittendad.substack.com/subscribe.
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