Sunday Edition: 9 Ways I Make Room for More Happiness in My Life

Plus a garden harvest soup!

The Sunday Edition is Tuesday’s little sister—off-the-cuff updates I’d bring up over a coffee catch-up with a friend.

Beginning last weekend, I got hit hard by luteal phase. For the past eight days, I’ve woken up every single morning at 3 a.m., something that used to happen to me all the time, but hasn’t in months.

If I know one thing about insomnia (unfortunately, I know a lot about insomnia), it’s to resist fighting it. By Wednesday, I decided to embrace the early wake-ups and head to the 6 a.m. class at my favorite workout studio. Then back again on Thursday and Friday. It’s been years since I was a regular at early bird classes, which were my go-to until I left my traditional nine-to-five and realized I could spend mornings reading, journaling, and working on my fiction. I was surprised to remember how much I loved it.

Issue #248: I Had a ‘Perfect’ Life (Turns Out, That Was the Problem)

The early movement and rush of endorphins noticeably improved my mood and productivity, and I found that I was actually able to fall asleep around 9 each night, a schedule that works better for my body (even if I had to excuse myself from a few plans slightly early this week). I’m still not getting enough sleep, but it is a noticeable improvement from four hours a night to six. I am such a creature of habit, but have found myself reminded again and again recently that habits are meant to change and adapt as we do. What worked for me at one point, or on one day, may not be what works for me the next!

Any tips for combatting cycle-related sleep issues?? (A woman I met at a party last night brought my attention to the link between hormones and histamines and shared that a protocol that she says changed her life. I’m going to talk to my doctor about it this week!)

In spite of the sleep issues, it was a beautiful and tender week filled with hikes and hangs with girlfriends (more to share soon). Read on for a few highlights and recommendations, including 9 tangible practices that have noticeably increased my happiness: