Though I had moved out of the noisy unit, I was still waking up at 5 or 6 AM.

In hindsight, it would make sense that the month in the noisy unit would linger within me, as a mild insomnia. However, I catastrophized my new quieter unit was disrupting my sleep. My anxiety triggered a vicious cycle, making my sleep worse and worse.

It surprises me how quickly and deeply mental disorder re-shaped my experience and perspective. At one point, I even considered breaking my lease (again, except in this case early termination would cost 2 months’ rent), and moving to the Middle of Nowhere.

Eventually, I calmed down, and talked to my wonderful friends. They helped me realize that my reaction was causing the greatest harm, and how to properly address my insomnia.

Thus, I have started to implement sleep compression, a measure taken from CBT-I, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.