1-1-1: why doesn't my life look like my instagram reels?
read about how I navigate feeling overwhelmed, my favourite reminders, and a new EXCLUSIVE channel!
april, 2023
edition 14.
hiiii everyone! I’ve been pretty distant on all social media this week because I needed to take some time to reflect on the type of content I want to make moving forward. plus I’ve been trying to savour the last few weeks of college and taking photos/creating hasn’t been on the top of my mind.
+ an exciting announcement:
I’m starting subscriptions on my podcast! for just $4.99/mo (the price of coffee in LA if you don’t get any milk alternatives or special additives…), you get two extra exclusive episodes a month! they’ll be more casual check ins with me and I might even delve into topics I normally stray away from (relationships, drinking, therapy thoughts, etc).
learn how to subscribe here.
you can expect one email from me every week containing:
one quote that has been inspiring me
one journal prompt
one piece of advice*
* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.
podcast
a new pod episode is out! this one is another guest episode with one of my friends from college. we talk about strategies to live the life we’ve always wanted to live — listen here <3
one quote
“allow yourself to grow.
when you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. you simply water them and clear away the weeds — you know that the seeds will grow in time.
similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. abandon impatience and instead be content creating causes for goodness; the results will come when they’re ready.”
—unknown
one journal prompt
if money was not an issue, what would I do for a living? how far off am I from that and why?
one piece of advice
“do you ever feel utterly overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start? any tips to manage these big feelings about big things?”
oh absolutely. I find myself obsessively scrolling social media (mainly instagram and tiktok because their algorithms are just that good) and I feel paralysed with the realisation that my life isn’t how I want it to look.
some things I remind myself/do in these moments:
start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. your life may not look like what you want it to (i.e. yeah you’re not living in a penthouse in new york, or whatever your big dream is) but that doesn’t mean you can’t have aspects of your dream life right now.
call everything an “era.” going to the gym? you’re in your gym era. trying to read more? you’re just entering your reading era. want to wake up early? sunrise era.
similarly, you can call everything a “project” (thank you cailin for this) -- project gymrat, project hot girl walk, project wake-up-early, etc.
write out a list of experiences you constantly see on social media that you want to experience as well: early morning sunrise swim, camping in a national park, a road trip, skinny dipping in the ocean, etc. whatever it is, write it out and treat it like a bucket list. you can’t achieve things if you don’t have clarity on what you want to achieve!
put your phone down. comparison is our biggest enemy, and you’ll be surprised at how little you think about others if you consciously stop seeing everyone’s successes in the morning.
feel your feelings however you need to! for me, that means journaling and/or talking through my feelings (I’m an external processor) but for others, that may mean meditation. let yourself feel overwhelmed and, more importantly, validate your feelings (i.e. use the phrases “it’s okay that I feel like this right now. it makes sense. my feelings are normal and valid”)
ultimately, I find that the voices of comparison are loudddd when I haven’t done one of three things: (1) gotten clarity on how I want my life to look, (2) start a passion project that I’m excited to work on, and (3) taken social media breaks.
I hope you know these feelings are completely normal and you’re not alone in the trap of comparison <3 you got this & I’m rooting for you!
reading updates
currently reading: throne of glass by sarah j. maas
(another CHUNKYYYY fantasy series by sjm but I’m in my fantasy era)
finished this week: a court of silver flames by sarah j. maas, someone who will love you in all your damaged glory by raphael bob-waksberg
if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)
until we meet again,
katie