Good Morning! I am more than halfway through this experimental reset week and day 3 and 4 had a bit of everything in them. Day 3 activities were intended to get me out in nature so I went to a local park for a walk. Sunlight provides vitamin D which helps with sleep rhythms and lowers cortisol stress hormones. Being in the fresh air in the woods watching the birds and listening to the water without my phone for a little while helped me step out of some of the depression and anxiety symptoms I've been having. It wasn't complicated or expensive, but it made me feel more at ease. You might have noticed by now that all of these reset activities are designed to be done in less than 2 hours so they are micro doses of relief spread out over days. Day 4 was my "tiny adventure" day. I wanted to do something (free) that I've never done before and try somewhere new. I ended up touring a historic home in my area. That might not be everyone's cup of tea but I enjoy history and it was a beautiful property so I enjoyed it and that's the point. I also went to try a new place with bubble tea and would you believe my shoe broke as I was walking in? Ha. I haven't worn heels in months and the first time I pull out the 3 inchers, I almost died lol but it gets better. The boyfriend doesn't necessarily understand all that is going on with me right now but he wanted to be supportive in his own way so we got tickets for the local baseball game last night. Not only did it get rained out but we made a run for the local pub across the street. Our mistake? Parking in the lot behind the building. We ended up walking through flood waters up to our knees just to get inside! Drenched from head to toe and buckets of water in our shoes! He screeched and cussed until we got out of the rain. But you know what happened next? We laughed. and laughed. and laughed some more. I don't know the last time I laughed that hard or we laughed that much together. That, my friends, is why I would highly recommend a reset ritual. When was the last time you got out in nature or went on a tiny adventure of your own?

I started my "7 Day Reset Ritual" yesterday. It started off strong- went for a walk on the beach, had some comfort food for dinner (soup), went to bed early. Then I thought I'd get ambitious... oof. Today I ventured to a local coffee shop because I thought I'd just get out of the house and go talk to actual human beings instead of just my cat. Ha! What a crazy idea... I've obviously been cooped up for a while because I clammed up like an oyster at a shuck and shag party. The barista was super nice and friendly. So why couldn't I even manage to tell her that I didn't order the iced latte? Great question. I'm a nutcase. Not really, but I've let this feeling of rejection lately get into my head. So I read my book and drank the cold coffee for about an hour while watching people come and go and then I went home and laughed with my boyfriend about the whole situation. I thought about the day and what I'm hoping to get out of this week. Then I journaled a little bit about it. So even though today didn't go quite as planned, I do actually feel a bit better and I'll tell you why. What have I gotten out of this practice so far? 1. It helps if you can laugh at yourself. 2. Sometimes even a little teensy tiny bit of self-care, or courage, or change in routine can help shift your mindset toward a better path. 3. I'm not a bad person just because I'm having a hard time. It doesn't make me ungrateful and this isn't permanent. I felt like I was letting you guys down by not having all my shit together. But that isn't fair because the whole point of this is that we all struggle and we are figuring it out together. I'm just taking this opportunity (that's what I'm calling this fun little period of time) to document what different things I'm trying in order to get better. I hope it helps someone here in some way. I'll let you know how the next couple days go. Stay tuned. If this little experiment inspires you to do something different this week, let me know in the comments.

I've been struggling with a lot of the things that this community is built on. I've felt run down, isolated, disconnected, and overwhelmed for a while. I think we all have trouble putting those feelings and their root causes into words sometimes. But I'm going to be open with you guys and I'm also going to try to do something about it. Starting today, I am beginning a 7 day reset challenge for myself. My goal is for my nervous system to disengage out of red alert mode and to start feeling more like myself again. I'd like to share here what all I'm doing and how it is going as the week goes on. I invite all of you to join me and if it goes well, maybe we can make this something we do together going forward. For me, sharing my journey with you all helps hold me accountable. For you, I hope this let's you know that you aren't alone in your battles and I'm right there with you. For all of us, I think some really great ideas and practices and progress can come out of it. I'll post tomorrow how Day 1 went. My reset activities for today are 1. going on a walk (at the beach since it's nearby), 2. eating some comfort food at home, 3. making time to rest without guilt, and 4. an early bedtime tonight. Would you be interested in a 7 day reset ritual?

Pause for a moment… Did anything feel like too much this week? Not because you’re incapable— but because it asked more of you than you had to give. You can name it here. Tea check ☕ What’s in your cup today?