Small Habits That Saved My Sanity

You know how everyone swears by their 5am wake-up routine and gratitude journaling? That’s great for them. But if I wake up at 5am, I’m not grateful. I’m cranky. So I started keeping track of the habits that actually made a difference in my real, slightly messy, life. Some are small. Some are weird. All of them saved my sanity more than once.

The “Pretend Reset Button”

I used to spiral when the day started badly. Overslept? Forgot a meeting? Kids melting down? I'd decide the whole day was cursed and treat it accordingly. Until I started using a mental reset button.

It’s simple: I pick a random time, like 11:42am, and decide it is the new beginning. I get up, maybe change my outfit, grab a cold Diet Pepsi, and pretend I just woke up. No retroactive guilt allowed. Just: “The day starts here.”

Do I still sometimes get frustrated at 11:41? Yes. But at 11:42, we’re starting fresh.

Aesthetic Hydration

Drinking water doesn’t work for me unless I’m drinking it from a cup or bottle that inspires me. Preferably glass. Preferably heavy. Something that whispers, “She’s emotionally complex, but hydrated.”

Yes, I know it’s the same water. But it turns out I’m more consistent with healthy habits when they feel slightly unhinged and unnecessarily beautiful.

I often drink 3 times more water just because it comes in a heavy glass with crushed ice. Sanity restored.

Using “Background Character Energy”

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the pressure to perform or be “on” all day. So I’ll quietly declare a background character day. I still do things, like send emails, attend meetings, and make dinner, but with zero pressure to make it perfect.

It’s like being an NPC in my own life for a while. No spotlight. No emotional labor. Just vibes. Weirdly effective for burnout.

Closing Tabs = Mental Hygiene

Every time I feel like I’m losing control of my life, it usually turns out I have 33 tabs open, both metaphorically and literally. Now when I’m overwhelmed, I don’t necessarily write a to-do list. I close tabs.

That one weird webpage I opened six days ago? Gone. Half-filled survey about my leadership style? Bye now. It’s not just decluttering my browser. It’s me saying, “You don’t need to keep everything open to be enough.”

Renaming My Calendar Events

Instead of calling a task “Report for Q2,” I rename it “Offer Proof of Conscious Existence” or “Survive Spreadsheet Purgatory.”

It makes me laugh. Sometimes it makes me do the thing just so I can mark it complete and imagine a sarcastic celebration. If you’ve never checked off “Stare Into the Void With Others” from your calendar, you’re missing out.

The Ritual of The Reset Shower

Not the basic hygiene kind. I mean the complete emotional exfoliation shower. Full reset.

It includes a dramatic sigh before getting in. There’s a specific playlist that makes me feel like I’m staring out the window while a melancholic violin solo swells in the background. Sometimes when the day is too much, I don’t try fix it. I just rinse it off.

Using My Phone to Lie to Myself

I set alarms throughout the day, but not just to remind me of meetings. To remind me of things I forget when I’m stressed. They say things like:

“Stretch, you raccoon.”

“Eat food.”

“Touch grass (figuratively).”

“Hydrate or perish.”

It’s basically me texting encouragement to future-me. Sometimes I roll my eyes and ignore it. But I’ve never regretted having it pop up on my phone.

A Screenshot Folder for When I Forget I’m Capable

You can call it a “brag folder” or a “confidence vault” if you want. Mine is full of screenshots of kind messages, finished projects,  and funny texts.

It helps on the days where I’m convinced I’m failing at everything. I can scroll through it and remember: I’ve done hard things before. I’ll do them again. And one person did call me the glue that held everything together once, so maybe anxiety can just sit this one out.

Tiny Shifts, Big Impact

Most of these aren’t productivity hacks. They aren’t ground-breaking. They don’t make me richer or more optimized. But they make me feel a little happier. A little more here.

Small habits might not fix your whole life, but they can definitely patch the cracks. They can hold you through the harder moments. And they can remind you that you’re still you, even when everything else feels messy.

And look at me now. Still upright. Mostly.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me. I’m glad you’re here.

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