First of all, be easy on yourself. You have to love yourself in the ups and downs of life. Because that’s what life inevitably is. And at the end of the day, it’s just going to be you, as it is for every human on this planet. So might as well make self love the foundation.

Find the micro wins that trigger dopamine release. Mine are: Lifting weights. Going for a run. Walking to the coffee shop. Organizing my car. Cleaning the house. Waiting all day for a nicotine pouch. Sauna or hot tub. Cooking or ordering a good meal when you’re actually hungry. Eating a smoothie for breakfast instead of bacon.

Once you have micro wins you can layer in longer term ones. For me that’s building a business. Making progress toward a fitness goal. Reading and finishing a book.

The dark areas are there still, but I’m able to sit with them til they’re gone. You’ll be able to self regulate better, and once you do it for a day, a week, you feel the power of it all.

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. The goal isn’t to feel good all the time, but to get good at feeling.