Hi Friend,
My newsletters are always set and scheduled for Thursday mornings at 10 am, my time. Even though I normally pre-write and schedule them out, this week I just couldn't fit in the time to sit down and create the space to write this newsletter. It was on my mind this morning, too, and I was considering writing something really quickly just to get it done and check the box off.
I sat with it for a few moments and thought: Is this newsletter, this creative outlet of mine, this opportunity to connect with you and share even a tiny bit of weekly inspiration, really something I want to treat like just another box to check off? The universal question that comes to me now is…
Is this really something that I want to rush through, or do I want to do this with intention?
So here I am on Thursday evening, after getting work and life done, listening to my 528 Hz playlist, lights dimmed, with a warm cinnamon persimmon Korean tea, really enjoying this process of writing.
Sometimes we can be so laser-focused on checking off the boxes that we can forget that life actually isn’t a set of boxes. Life is about the experience and creating the intentional energy behind the actions that we take.
Me writing this with a bit more mental space, with more ease, with a nervous system that feels calmer and more regulated at this point versus frantically trying to GTD…it feels so much better 🙏
Is there something in your life where you feel that sometimes you rush through and try to check off that box, but at the end of the day, it doesn't actually feel good doing life that way?
Here's to slowing down, doing things on your own time, and carving out the attention and energy for what truly matters to you. 🫰
Rachel
📖 Know
Our brains and nervous systems respond differently when we move quickly just to finish versus when we slow down and choose what matters. Research on stress shows that time pressure and constant task-switching can keep us in a heightened, reactive state, making it harder to feel present and enjoy what we’re doing. But when we bring intention to an action, we give it meaning, and that meaning can shift the experience from “another thing to get through” into something that actually restores us.
Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC — “Stress at Work” (Publication No. 99-101). https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/default.html
🌱 Begin
Before you start your next task, choose one small “intention anchor”. Ask yourself, “What would it look like to do this with care?” and let your answer be something small and sweet 💞 It could be to turn down the background noise, clean up your work area, light a candle, or even to take one intentional deep inhale and even deeper exhale.
⛰️ Explore
This video explains why it might be hard for you to rest (and what you can do today to break old patterns).
✨ Reflect
“Wherever you are, be all there.” — Jim Elliot
Where in your day are you physically present, but mentally elsewhere—and what would help you come back to yourself?
📍 Currently…
A few helpful reads and little finds on my radar this week.
🧠 If what you believe and what you do don’t quite line up, this guide to cognitive dissonance offers a helpful way to understand that uncomfortable, pulled-in-two-directions feeling.
🧭 When a work decision looks good on paper but feels a little off, this piece on staying true to your values in business offers practical ways to pause and think it through.
🥕 For a little kitchen inspiration, my Quick & Colorful Pickled Veggies Short turns a few favorite vegetables into a bright, crunchy side to turn to in your next salad or bowl.
🌿 If you’re exploring fertility supplementation, you can take a look at Bird & Be, which came up in my conversation with Dr. Sasha Hakman—my link gives you 10% off if you find something that fits.
💧 If your water tends to sit forgotten while you work, keeping an Owala stainless-steel water bottle nearby is one small way to make a sip easier to remember.
Missed any of my newsletters? You can browse them here whenever you have a moment: rachelrhee.com/newsletter.
🤗 Support
Thank you for being here 🫶 If you'd like to support the growth of this free newsletter, here are a few ways below… ⤵️
🫶 Support the newsletter and buy me a coffee (or matcha latte in my case 😊🍵)
💛 Screenshot your favorite part of this newsletter and share on your stories! Make sure to tag me @rachelrhee so I can see 💖