I do not mean to sweep any of the problems weighing on your mind under the rug. If you need to make major life changes I’m not going to tell you that you’re wrong. But the following is meant to be helpful.

I have come to realize that seemingly extraneous thins like how well I sleep, eat, exercise, etc. have a major impact on my mood. So much so that if I start having existential crises where I question my job, where I live, other major life choices, etc., I’ve trained myself to ask first how much sleep I got the night before. Only rarely is the answer anything other than, not much.

They say the Romans were as good as they were in battle not so much because they were superior tacticians than because of their superior logistics. They were a notoriously type-A people and had things like supply chains and encampments figured out with incredible precision. When you faced a Roman army you could be sure that you were confronting not just a band of fierce warriors, but one that was well fed, well rested, and ready for the fight.

If you can think of ways to improve how well you take care of yourself that will help. But I’m actually getting at something just a little different. The reality is over the course of your life you are in for some long nights, especially with new babies. When you can’t avoid them, at least recognize the impact they have on your mood. For me, knowing why I feel what I feel helps tremendously to handle it. Just recognizing how a lack of sleep factors in makes it all seem so much more manageable.