Here we go… my chaotic little 7-day experiment
Okay real talk — I needed to shift my mindset bad. Like, embarrassingly bad.
It’s January 2026, I’m sitting in my kinda dark apartment in the US with rain tapping the window like it’s personally mad at me, three empty energy drink cans staring back accusingly, and my brain doing that thing where it plays the same “you’re failing at everything” playlist on repeat. I was done. So I decided — change your life in 7 days or at least shift your mindset enough that I stop wanting to yeet myself into traffic every Monday.
Yeah… that was the energy.
Why 7 Days? Because I’m Impatient and Also Slightly Delusional
I didn’t have 30 days. I didn’t have 90 days. I needed something that felt possible before I gave up and ordered another $80 DoorDash week.
So I made up this stupid little 7-day mindset shift sprint. No fancy journals (okay I bought one but never used it), no $400 life coach, just me vs. my own garbage brain.
Here’s what I actually did — warts, meltdowns, and tiny wins included.
Day 1–2: Catch the Gremlin Thoughts (and Name Them Like Pets)
First two days were literally just noticing how mean I talk to myself. Like… unhinged.
Examples from my actual brain last week:
- “You’re 34 and still can’t keep plants alive, pathetic”
- “Everyone at work knows you’re faking it”
- “You’ll never afford a house lol give up”
I started calling them by stupid names:
- Plant Murderer
- Imposter Susan
- Mortgage Gremlin
Every time one popped up I literally said out loud “oh hey Mortgage Gremlin, back again huh?” Sounds ridiculous. It was. But it worked better than just trying to “think positive”.
By day 2 the gremlins were quieter. Not gone. Just… embarrassed they kept getting called out.
Day 3–4: The “One Sentence Rewrite” Game That Almost Broke Me
This is the part where I almost quit.
The rule: Every time a garbage thought came, I had to rewrite it in one sentence that wasn’t toxic positivity but also wasn’t the original despair.
Examples:
Before → “I’m never going to be good at my job” After → “I’m still learning this role and that’s actually allowed, even if it feels uncomfortable.”
Before → “I’m going to die alone with 17 cats” After → “I haven’t met the right people yet and that’s fine, I still like my own company most days.”
It felt fake at first. Super fake. I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my own skull. But by day 4 I started believing maybe 7% of the new sentences. That 7% was enough to keep going.
Highly recommend this article on cognitive restructuring if you want the grown-up version: → Cognitive Restructuring: Techniques and Examples (Verywell Mind)
Day 5: The Tiny Action Avalanche (Where Shit Got Real)
This is the day everything clicked a little.
I decided shift your mindset only matters if it changes behavior. So I made a stupid rule: every time I rewrote a thought, I had to do one tiny action that proved the new thought right.
- Rewrote “I’m terrible at networking” → sent one cold LinkedIn message (terrifying)
- Rewrote “I’ll never get in shape” → did 10 pushups (pathetic but real)
- Rewrote “My apartment is disgusting” → cleaned one shelf (felt like winning the lottery)
By 8pm I had done 7 tiny things. I cried. Like ugly cried. Because I realized I spent years believing I was incapable and then in one day proved to myself I was wrong.
Small flex but massive for me.
Day 6–7: Maintenance Mode & The Relapse
Spoiler: I didn’t become a new person. Day 6 I got triggered by an email and spiraled for 3 hours. Day 7 I ate feelings via Taco Bell and questioned every life choice.
But here’s the thing — I noticed the spiral faster. I talked to the gremlins. I did one pushup and one shelf anyway.
It wasn’t perfect. It was human. And honestly? That’s the real mindset transformation.
So… Did I Change My Life in 7 Days?
Kinda. Not in the Instagram before/after way. More like… I changed the way I talk to myself. I changed how fast I recover when I fall back into old patterns. I changed the proof I require from myself before I believe I’m allowed to want better.
If you’re sitting there thinking “yeah but I’m worse than you” — I promise you’re not. I was a hot mess. Still kinda am.
