“Wear your self-love today.” 💝~Lalah Delia
Shout out to Monale Alemika and Melissa Hicks for buying me coffees this past week! ☕️
Monale is the creator of WorkLife Edit, a new weekly newsletter about continuous growth, doing good work, and living well.
Melissa is a #MedX ePatient Scholar who teaches, loves patient experience and research. And she’s always stitching something cool, even notes!
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Earlier this month, as part of a self-care challenge in the Self Care for Busy People group, our coach encouraged us to watch this video and then get a piece of paper and write a list of at least ten things that are part of our happiness.
I remember smiling the whole time I was writing it, and this week, I copied the list over to the first page of my bullet journal.
Jessica's Happiness
that first sip of coffee in the morning
pressing "Publish" on a blog post
feeling the sun on my face
rainbows
accomplishing a goal
dancing
ice cream on a hot day (or any day, really)
seeing people fall in love
playing with a dog
milkshakes with my bestie
hanging with my nephew
finishing a puzzle
helping someone move forward with their goals
What would be on your list? What things/people/experiences are part of your happiness?
I know many of us are struggling right now in various ways - snowstorms, power outages, sickness, grief, loneliness, and this pandemic wall I keep hearing about (which could be causing exhaustion, stress, and anxiety of its own). Can we include some of that happiness in our days?
Is there anything I can help you move forward with (#13 on my list 😉)? I've always wanted to do an AMA-style thing but in a flexible way that could work with different time zones and commitments, so how about we try something?
Ask Jess Anything ☎️
For the rest of February, you can ask me anything on Voxer. If you're not familiar, Voxer is a free walkie-talkie-like app that you can use on your phone (or your computer) that lets people communicate using audio or text. Add me on Voxer @techbizgurl.
Not sure what to ask? I can chat about side hustles, newsletters, tools, books, WandaVision. Whatever you want. Or feel free to send me a note and say hi. I'd love to hear from you.
On to the picks!
P.S. If you are looking for ways to help friends in Texas, this article includes a great roundup of resources. Tip: Kat Boogaard
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#loves 😍
📱 Tool: Meet Edgar. So I have been using Buffer for about 5 years but seeing how one creator distributes her content got me looking into Meet Edgar as an alternate. I love that it is woman-owned. And I like that you can build a library of evergreen content that can continue to repost for you. I'm playing with a 7-day trial right now, but I am liking it so far and may try it for at least a month. Does anyone use it? Any tips?
🃏 Kickstarter: Instead - Scroll Less. A card deck intended to give you alternatives to scrolling when you take breaks. Cards say things like, "Feel your feet on the floor" and "Test your balance". So excited to support my friend Taylor with this campaign.
📺 Watching: Cover Me in Sunshine. P!nk made a song with her daughter Willow, and it is so wholesome.
#reads
Hit A Pandemic Wall? Here's Advice From a Therapist On How To Cope — advice.theshineapp.com
I have heard from a few people lately that there is such a thing as the "pandemic wall." And a lot of us are feeling it even if we don't realize it yet.
The “pandemic wall” may pop up at different times for people and it often happens more than once. There are often many emotions involved, including fear, anxiety, stress, sadness, and frustration.
It’s almost like running a marathon with no end in sight.
Martha spoke with Dr. Krystal Lewis, who breaks down the signs of hitting the pandemic wall (exhaustion, low motivation, increased anxiety, or sadness, to name a few), along with some suggestions for things you can do to help lower your stress or boost your mood:
Find small things to be grateful for
Practice self-kindness and self-compassion
Engage in new activities or a new hobby
Focus on the things you can control
10 Ways to Support Your Writing Habit — medium.com
Writing habits are definitely top of mind for me lately. Medium asked many of their writers about tips for building a writing habit and rounded up a few tips.
A few interesting ones:
Use your voice to start a draft ( I forget that many apps have the ability to do dictation)
Set a timer and write (this is definitely my kind of tip)
Switch up your writing tools (this one is interesting - I've been writing more of my drafts in Grammarly lately, and that has been making a difference)
#icymi
😍 Last issue’s top pick was: 100-Word Writing Habit.
🎧 Chatted about creating a curated newsletter with Tara McMullin.
👜 Featured in What's In My Bag?
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