In partnership with
Hi Friend,
This week I had a moment where I realized I needed to lay off the self-imposed pressure based on a timeline I made up on my own.
I had a plan and I made a promise to myself. There was a box I wanted to check so I could feel caught up!
And when I didn’t follow through, I felt my inner monologue creep in: You’re behind. You’re not consistent. You don’t get to rest yet.
But the thing is, the thing I didn’t actually do wasn’t the real problem (upload a new Youtube video this week!). The real story was that I could feel my body asking for rest. At first, my initial reaction was to ignore it at first. I wanted to prove I could keep up!
When I finally let myself pause, it didn’t feel like “giving up” though. It felt like listening.
And now I look back and realize that rest was the most responsible choice I made all week. The actual pressure I piled on top of myself was the part that hurt me.
I noticed how quickly a simple “not today” turned into a whole story about who I am. How one unfinished thing can start demanding emotional interest. So I’m practicing a different kind of consistency now. The kind where I keep showing up for myself with honesty.
Where I can say to myself, “I didn’t get to it,” and “It’s okay.” Where my life and how I am feeling doesn’t have to shrink into my to-do list.
Maybe you’ve had a week like that too, where the hardest part wasn’t what happened, but the way you talked to yourself about it.
Here’s to a restful remaining week where we listen to our inner voice,
Rachel
📖 Know
In research on shame vs. guilt, psychologist June Tangney found that shame (the “I am bad” feeling) is more associated with hiding and avoidance, while guilt (the “I did something wrong” feeling) is more associated with finding a solution and making things right. So when you miss a plan and immediately turn it into a story about who you are suggesting you are bad, not good enough, etc, your system will want to shut down instead of try again.
Next time you miss a plan, try not making it about you and who you are. Turn it into a neutral problem to solve: What got in the way? What support do I need? What’s the smallest next step that is actually possible to do today?
🌱 Begin
Write a quick “I missed the plan” debrief with zero judgment.
💫 What got in the way?
💫 What do I need?
💫 What’s the smallest next step I’m willing to do?
Then do only that smallest step. Send the text, open the doc, outline one bullet, put it on the calendar. Whatever it is, feel accomplished in knowing the smallest step is done.
⛰️ Explore
Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a way to gain self-trust over self-pressure.
1,000+ Proven ChatGPT Prompts That Help You Work 10X Faster
ChatGPT is insanely powerful.
But most people waste 90% of its potential by using it like Google.
These 1,000+ proven ChatGPT prompts fix that and help you work 10X faster.
Sign up for Superhuman AI and get:
1,000+ ready-to-use prompts to solve problems in minutes instead of hours—tested & used by 1M+ professionals
Superhuman AI newsletter (3 min daily) so you keep learning new AI tools & tutorials to stay ahead in your career—the prompts are just the beginning
✨ Reflect
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day… is by no means a waste of time.” — John Lubbock
Where have I been treating rest like “wasted time” and what might be possible if I treated it as necessary?
📍 Currently…
A curated collection of interesting articles, interviews, products that are currently on my radar.
It’s almost time to give another health update, but here’s Episode 1 in my healing journey
Making life harder could be good for you. No, really.
One thing about me is I love a side hustle. Here is a list of different ways to make money
More flexibility is making us less connected.
My doctor said 100 oz of water is so important for my health — I know that if I fill this up two times a day I’m on a good track
🤗 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 💖