Hey friend,
I meant to write this blog last month. Truly. It was on the to-do list, sitting patiently between “respond to emails” and “make something for dinner that isn’t gluten free chicken nuggets.”
But here’s the truth: life got heavy.
Not in any dramatic, soap-opera way—just in that slow, sneaky, full-of-a-thousand-little-things kind of way. You know the feeling. The laundry piles up, the texts go unanswered, you start Googling “can stress make your eye twitch,” and before you know it—an entire month has passed.
So if you’ve also been feeling stretched thin, behind on everything, or just emotionally tired for no obvious reason… same.
There’s this quiet pressure in the world to keep showing up like nothing’s unraveling in the background. But bodies feel it all, even when our brains try to power through. The deadlines, the noise, the unexpected changes, the everyday chaos—it adds up. And eventually, our systems just say, “Nope. We’re done for now.”
That’s kind of what happened here. I hit pause. Gave myself space. Let some things go, including this blog.
And if you’ve had to do the same with parts of your own life—missed workouts, canceled plans, unanswered emails—I hope you know that’s okay. Seriously. You’re not failing. You’re human.
But here’s something I’ve been leaning into lately—and it’s helped.
At the start of the year, I actually made a New Year’s resolution (which is wild because I hadn’t done that in years). Something about 2025 just felt different, and I wanted to meet it with intention. I decided I’d do a sunrise walk every morning. Just me, the sky, and a few quiet moments before the day got loud. And I actually stuck with it. Every single day through March.
Then, when April rolled around, I shifted gears: this quarter’s for daily morning gym time. Nothing fancy—just get there and do something. Some days I walk, some days I lift, sometimes I just stretch or sit in the sauna. It’s been this really cool, grounding way to start my mornings. No pressure. Just presence.
And here’s the science-y part (you knew it was coming): Those early-morning light exposures? That movement before the emails? That rhythm and routine? It’s doing more than just giving me a mood boost. It’s supporting my circadian rhythm—aka the internal clock that runs the show for our bodies.
And for those of us with periods, hormonal shifts, or just a general sense of “why am I crying at this Subaru commercial?”—your circadian rhythm matters. Like, a lot. Regular exposure to morning light helps regulate cortisol (our stress hormone), supports better sleep, and can positively influence estrogen and progesterone balance. Which means: less PMS, better energy, improved mood, and fewer “everything is falling apart” days.
So, no—sunrise walks and slow gym mornings won’t fix life’s chaos. But they do create little anchor points. And sometimes, those small choices are what keep us from drifting too far.
I say all of this to say:
You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to always “do it right.”
You just have to keep coming back to yourself, however that looks.
Even if it means missing a blog post and then showing up a month late with a story and a reminder that you’re not alone.
With you in the mess and the magic,
Dr. Em
Request an appointment today and sign up for my email newsletter for more recipes and pelvic wellness tips.
Dr. Emily Mason
Contact Me
