The Joy Edit #15
- Chloe Markham

- May 21
- 2 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
A regular edit for your joy.
Nervous system regulation tool
The Magical Eye Cave
HOW: Rub your palms together for a few seconds to warm them up, then cup them over your eyes. No eyeball pressure, just create a little magical eye-cave. Hang out here for about 30–60 seconds and deepen your breath.
WHY: Your eyes are working constantly. Even when you think you're resting, they're moving, adjusting, and tracking. Darkness removes the visual input your brain has been processing all day, and warmth signals safety to your system. Together they create an almost immediate drop in cortical arousal — your brain briefly has nothing to respond to, and takes the hint. It's a reset, not a nap. But sometimes that's exactly what's needed.
Try it before switching tasks next and notice what happens.
Listen: Golden Loam
I'm deep in luteal and feeling bone-deep exhausted right now. Laurel Premo's mellow, silky-soft guitar wiggles are soundtracking my day as I type. Don't muck about. This is golden hour in music.
Watch & Listen: My podcast is back, baby!
All my previous 37 episodes now live inside my Substack (find them here), and this is the latest one. Expect new eps monthly.
A book show I'm loving: Gathering Moss
This is a firm staple on my shelf, alongside the author's Braiding Sweetgrass. Not into moss? Tell me that after you've read this. An insightful, entertaining, and mindblowing guide into a vital part of our world.
I couldn't help but share. MOSS IS AWESOME! And these cool panels are cleaning our air, reducing noise, and adding beauty to our world. Nice one.
Behind the scenes:
I'm bone-deep tired this week. And that's okay.
We tend to power through these tired periods of our lives. Coffee-up. Slap ourselves about a bit and crack on.
But what if your tiredness is actually communicating something to you (it is)?
What if tiredness is your body asking for you to soften your belly, say no to some things (for the love of god, say no to some things!), and eat a few more carbs for a while?
It is.
That's what I'm doing this week. Eating a few more Weetabix, giving myself a little more downtime, and putting down my weights for some nidra instead. With Lauren Premo's album I mentioned above on repeat — it's the soundtrack to my self-love days.
TLDR: tired? It's not a failing, it's a signal. More softness, more ease, more acceptance, rather than pushing through.
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