The 78th Edition

Sometimes I receive the odd message that stays with me. This week I received one of those. It was from someone who said they were struggling to feel like there was any point to anything. They lacked purpose and meaning. Now, I am not a mental health expert, I am just a bloke with a small platform. But, human to human, I have dealt with my own periods of struggle, and I want to offer a small bit of advice.

Something to Think About

Your mind is not betraying you, it’s responding to the signals your daily choices send it

Something to Ask Yourself

What is one simple, repeatable habit you could commit to this week that would make your future self feel more stable and supported?

Personal Lesson

For much of my teens and early adulthood, anxiety felt like a fog I couldn’t escape. Some days it was low level restlessness, others it was the kind where your chest feels tight and everything you think of has worry attached to it. I remember I’d look at people laughing – like fully belly laughing – and think to myself, “What have they got that I don’t?” I genuinely questioned whether life just felt easier for everyone else.

I remember thinking, “Is this it? Is this how adulthood is supposed to feel?” I carried that fear for years. I didn’t know if things would just feel like this forever. It was quiet, but constant, and in my lowest moments I’d ask myself whether people really walked around feeling good, or whether everyone was just better at hiding their discomfort than I was.

There was no sudden turning point for me, and there probably won’t be for you, but there was a change in perspective that changed me profoundly. It was simply the realisation that discipline wasn’t an oppressive force, but a lifeline. When things got bad, I leaned into structure: less screen time, more sleep, good healthy eating, movement, fresh air, slowing down what I could control. They weren’t magic fixes, but they created stability. And it is in that stability, that I gave myself agency and control, and the fog started to lift.

Running – Life’s Metaphor

Every run shifts something inside us. The body and mind responds to patterns. You don’t need breakthroughs; you need rhythm. And rhythm is built on small, disciplined choices repeated with love, not punishment.

Final Thoughts

Most people aren’t broken, they’re overwhelmed. Life has become noisy, stimulating, and demanding in ways the human nervous system wasn’t built for. That’s why the basics matter so much. They act as boundaries between us and the chaos.

When we strip life back to simple habits of sleeping well, nourishing ourselves, moving our bodies, and protecting our attention – our mind softens. We regain a sense of agency that anxiety tries to steal from us.

Perfection is bullshit. You will get it all wrong time and time again. You’ll miss a workout, go to bed late, drink too much, eat bad food. That’s all ok. But learning that there are often very simple reasons that you feel the way you do is an absolute UNLOCK. It’s not about rigid routines or becoming a hyper-optimised version of yourself. It’s about giving your mind the conditions it needs to breathe again.

Small acts of discipline are votes for a calmer life. They are gestures of self-respect.

Perhaps the most hopeful truth of all: you don’t need to fix everything to feel better. You just need to support yourself consistently. One habit at a time. One day at a time. You are far more capable of improving your inner world than you think.

Start doing the things you know your brain needs and say NO to the things it doesn’t.

Thanks for reading and subscribing!

Run the runnable, and keep showing up for yourself.

Tommy 🙂