The Recommendation Room

Maintaining a positive attitude can feel incredibly hard. One of the areas I personally struggle with most is finding the light when there feels like so much darkness around us. The political climate. The constant stream of news. The worries carried by our families and friends. The pressures of work. Even the smaller things, like a car breaking down or yet another repair needed at home. It all stacks up, quietly and relentlessly, until your nervous system is living in a near-constant state of fight or flight.

As I look toward 2026, one of my biggest personal intentions is to work on regulating my nervous system and changing how I respond to adversity. I am deeply aware of how privileged I am and how fortunate my life truly is. And yet, so many of us still move through the world as if we are being hunted. Always tense. Always bracing for impact. Always on edge.

Lately, I have been asking myself why that is.

One practice I am starting to implement is gratitude, especially first thing in the morning. What am I thankful for today? What is already going well? Where have I experienced even a small win? At the end of the day, I try to come back to this practice by putting pen to paper and reflecting on what shined. What worked. What felt good. Small steps, taken consistently, really do create bigger shifts over time.

I am also trying to be more intentional about the basics. Taking breaks during the day. Getting outside for a few minutes of sunlight when I can. Allowing myself moments of rest. Eating real meals. Drinking water. It sounds simple, yet so many of us go entire days without doing any of these things.

Nervous system regulation and mental health are topics I plan to talk about more throughout this year. No matter where you are in life or what your circumstances look like, this is something that eventually touches everyone. You can do all the right things, and suddenly life throws you off balance. A heavier workload. Family stress. Loss. Injury. Changes in your body. Feeling older, more tired, or not quite like yourself.

Setbacks are inevitable. What we can control is how we manage them internally and how we show up to the world around us.

As I move through this journey, I will be sharing what I am learning along the way. My hope is that, together, we can build a calmer, more grounded way of living as we step into 2026.

If you have any practices or tools that have helped you regulate your nervous system, I would genuinely love to hear them.

Until next time.