Issue #126| July 3, 2026 | Previous issues​

Hey Reader,

Is it Friday already?

Is it July already?

We're officially halfway through the year. Wow. 🤯

How has your year been so far?

Have you accomplished anything specific you're proud of?

What would you like to accomplish before 2026 is over and done with?

And with what energy?

That's the question I've been grappling with lately.

Let me be the first to confess that my list of wants, and to do's, is longer than my lifespan will allow. This is why Joe's ideology 'one lifetime is all we need' is so offensive to me.

Anyway, maybe this tiredness is part of the aging process, and I just haven't accepted it yet.

Every time something gets added to my plate, I moan, "and with what energy?"

Be warm and hospitable—with what energy?​
Keep the house clean—with what energy?​
Process bushels of garden produce—with what energy?​
Regulate, homeschool, train, discipline the child—with what energy?​
Show up spiritually, socially, emotionally, physically, while smiling—and with what energy please?

We tend to treat exhaustion like a character flaw when it's simply information.

Maybe our body is telling the truth about the load.

Wait—your body is telling the truth?

Imagine that!

Our mind can make up stories, but the body never does.

Fatigue tells.
Tension tells.
Headaches tell.
A clenched jaw tells.
A stomach knot tells.
A nervous system that says ABSOLUTELY NOT tells.

Trauma can train us to override ourselves, but the body keeps waving the little red flag.🚩

There's an opportunity here to integrate our mind and body for internal peace and harmony.

Last week, I shared a little trick I use to help me move through irritating moments. I said, “I don’t have to have an emotion about that” and then carried on.

However, after talking that phrase through with my life coach, she helped me go even deeper with the healing.

Here's what I learned, and how I'd adjust that process so we can experience the long-term benefits.

Step 1: Identify the feeling.

When you're in a moment, stop and name what you're feeling.

Are you frustrated? Scared? Tired? Embarrassed? Hurt? Annoyed?

Step 2: Validate.

This step is OH so important.

Why?

Because in validating how we feel, we're acknowledging ourselves, building self-esteem and worth, and increasing confidence.

When we keep ignoring our feelings, we slowly train ourselves to believe we don’t matter (aka self-abandonment).

The truth is, your emotions are allowed to exist. They just don't get to drive the car and tell us where to go. 🚗

If you're like me, I find the validating-myself step to be the hardest! I'm a writer, and yet, sometimes words fail me.

Here's a little formula ChatGPT helped me create:

Of course I feel _____. It makes sense because _____. I can honor that feeling and still choose _____.

The next step is where we tie all of it together in a pretty little bow. 🎀

Step 3: Decide—in the positive—how you want to respond.

This is the part that really updates what I said last week.

So...'I don't have to have an emotion about it' becomes...I can choose to stay peaceful and decide what benefits me most in this moment.

Isn't that such a lovely thought?

Here's what that sounds like in my kitchen:

"Of course I feel irritated that the sink is full of dishes. It makes sense that I’m tired, especially when everyone believes the dishes belong to me. I can honor my feelings and choose what benefits me most in this moment… either let the dishes go or just do them myself."

I get to decide what benefits me most right now.

I get to decide what to do next.

Your choices come from a place of connection, peace, and compassion versus judgment, shame, and mere duty.

Not from the energy I think I should have.

But from the energy I actually have.

Your emotions are allowed to exist.

They just don’t get to grab the keys, peel out of the driveway, and take your whole day hostage.

With love,

Anna

P.S. Try this today:

Of course I feel _____.
It makes sense because _____.
I can honor that feeling and still choose _____.

​aferalhousewife.com​