This is probably a “me” thing, but it works so I’ll post. I go out for ice cream.

Yeah, I know that sounds incredibly simple, because, well, it is. The eat/sleep/work cycle just to survive America really wears on me. This breaks me out of that mental rut, even if my reality is still the same. And “fat & happy” is a cliche for a reason, there’s something about putting sugar in our bodies that helps lift my mood.

But of course, this isn’t a “fix”. This is more like hitting the pause button. What you do in that hour is up to you. For me, giving myself that time out to reflect can be enough to salvage the day, if not the week.

I should add, I had two Italian grandmothers who absolutely stuffed us with treats. So there’s almost certainly a mental connection for me that “sweet food” = “good memories”. Not everyone is going to have that connection. You may have to dig a bit more to find what gives you that happy trigger.