RICHARD: Brush with self-help influencers took my breath away

Every morning I sift through the posts of these influencers hoping to dig out some wisdom that I can share with you and hopefully enhance your life.

My favourite this week arrived courtesy of ‘trusted thought leader’ Eric Worre who is advocating three actions that will change your life. Does Eric know what he’s talking about? Dunno. But he’s bald, wears a smart suit and sports a goatee beard. That’s good enough for me.

Just so you know, I filter out any advice that looks too onerous, expensive or plain silly. I mean, ice baths! They tick all three boxes! While the mental health benefits of cold water swimming have been getting a lot of press just recently, I’d still recommend a pleasantly hot shower to start the day. There’s been little to no research into lukewarm water bathing, which is why I wouldn’t rule it out just yet.

Anyway, Mr Worre is pushing his three things. So I tried them out.

First up, is brushing your teeth with the wrong hand. It improves your concentration, gets your brain working first thing and actually helps rewire neural pathways in your head. All sounds plausible. Here’s another benefit he didn’t mention. It’ll help you get closer to your dentist, given the increased number of fillings and tooth extractions you’ll have to endure after a year of poor oral hygiene.

Number two: Look yourself directly in the mirror and repeat ten times ‘I love you.’ This, the advice goes, has you talking to your subconscious brain and reinforces your self worth. I think this is something Instagram influencers feel very comfortable doing. In fact, I bet they don’t stop at 10 and throw in a few mirror kisses too.

The third life changer was to breathe. Big breaths. Can’t argue with that one. Doctors have been recommending that for years. Failure to breathe can, quite often, lead to health complications in later life. Usually about four minutes later.

Try them out and let me know how you get on. I’ve got a dental appointment to attend...