Hi Friend,
Our world is noisy. Yes, we’re inundated with news, the latest headlines, the jarring soundbites, but sometimes the loudest noise isn’t out there. Sometimes it’s coming from the constant measuring: how fast others are moving, what others are creating, how someone else’s outside looks better than our inside, what others have figured out that I just haven’t yet.
Comparison has a way of turning other people’s lives into a caricature and scoreboard. And suddenly, our own life doesn’t feel like a place that needs to be justified and explained. The more we look outward, the harder it becomes to hear what we actually need.
When there’s so much external to us, it’s easy to start listening to everything but ourselves. And little by little, that pulls us away from our own internal compass and harmony.
What would happen if we shut out the world — even just for a moment, even just that one nagging headline or swirling thought — and tuned into what matters most to us right now?
Even a small return inward can change more than we expect. 🫶
Rachel
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📖 Know
Research suggests that social comparison is meaningfully associated with both depression and anxiety — especially when we’re repeatedly evaluating ourselves against others. When your attention is pulled outward all day (news, peers, “am I doing enough?”), it can quietly amplify stress and self-doubt. That’s one reason even a small return to internal focus can feel like relief.
Source: Exploring the association of social comparison with depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis (PubMed): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32222022/
🌱 Begin
Getting quiet isn’t an easy task. Try practicing the art and skill of getting silent:
⏱️ Set a timer for just two minutes. Put your phone in another room (or face down).
✍️ Write down one comparison thought you’ve been carrying (ex: “They’re ahead of me.”)
🧘🏻♀️ Then write one truer reframe: “I’m allowed to be at my pace.” or “My life isn’t behind.”
With the consistency of this practice it will allow you to come back to you, the present moment, and lighten the world around you.
⛰️ Explore
Comparison can make us talk to ourselves in ways we’d never speak to someone we love. If you’re in a season of needing more self-compassion — especially when the “I’m behind” narrative shows up — this is for you. ✨
✨ Reflect
“In the silence, we hear ourselves.”
When you stop taking in everyone else’s input, what feels most true for you right now?
📍 Currently…
A curated collection of interesting articles, interviews, products that are currently on my radar.
✨ Comparison often spikes when we’re unsure what our path is. If you need help in identifying the next phase of your career, try using this Notion template to gain more clarity when building a portfolio career.
✨ I’ve been wearing this knit dress (in blue) that is keeping me surprisingly cool in the Texas summer heat (and received a compliment each time I wear it!)
✨ Summer can make our routines feel a little more depleted, so I’ve been bookmarking easy ways to support energy from the inside out — like these high-protein smoothie recipes to fuel your summer.
✨ What's going on in your head eventually shows up in your body. Here is 5 Things to Quiet the Mental Noise.
✨ How much protein should you really be consuming daily for longevity?
🤗 Support
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