I was 35 when everything looked fine on the outside…
but inside, I was melting.

I had checked all the “shoulds” off the list.
✔️ Job.
✔️ House.
✔️ Relationship.

And still—I woke up with a pit in my stomach.
Was this what adulthood was supposed to feel like?
Was I broken for not feeling “grateful” enough?

The truth?
I wasn’t broken.
I was just disconnected.

Disconnected from my own light. From what was working. From the quiet joys that were still there—waiting to be seen.

So I made a deal with myself.

I didn’t need to fix everything overnight.
I just needed to start each day with a single moment of clarity.

Enter: My Morning Gratitude Practice.
(aka the 5-minute reset that helped me find my way back to me.)

Here’s exactly what I did each morning—before checking my phone:

1. I wrote down 3 things I was grateful for.
Not the big stuff. The small stuff.

• My favorite coffee mug
• The sun peeking through the blinds
• A funny voicemail from my sister

2. I picked one and wrote why it mattered.
That coffee mug? It reminded me of a cozy trip to Vermont with my best friend. That memory mattered. It grounded me. It made me smile before the day even started.

3. I breathed. Deeply.
3 breaths. Hand on my heart. Eyes closed. Just being with myself.
Nothing fancy. Just presence.

Why it worked:

• It trained my brain to look for what was working
• It calmed my nervous system before the chaos hit
• It reminded me I was still connected to joy, even in the mess
• And honestly? It gave me a moment to love myself each morning—before the world had a chance to tell me who to be

If you’re feeling lost, restless, or unsure, you’re not alone.
But you’re not powerless either.

Start with one breath. One thought. One morning page of gratitude.
Your future self will thank you. And I’m already proud of you.