The Feral Housewife's Guide to

Living Authentically, Creatively, & Intentionally

Issue #84 || September 5, 2025 || Previous issues​

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Hey Reader,

How often do you celebrate your wins? 🏆

Do you even know what your wins are?

Or are they tossed in a forgotten heap, like dirty socks, because you're afraid, embarrassed, or too down on yourself to acknowledge them?

Or maybe you believe it's too prideful to pat yourself on the back?

Goodness knows, a high five, a happy dance, or a self-pat on the back leads to the sin of pride (🙄dramatic eye roll).

Is there any truth to that?

Yes and no.

Let me explain.

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To boast or not to boast, that is the question

Is it healthy to brag or boast, even subtly?

Here's the truth: nobody feels comfortable around a person that brags about their achievements.

Why?

Because the motive behind bragging is usually to inflate oneself to appear bigger and better than others. Boasting increases self-importance while diminishing the value of those listening (leading to a superiority complex).

Bragging or boasting also leads to comparison.😱

And you know comparing yourself to anyone is a great way to invite in negativity, disappointment, and failure.

Is there ever a time when it's ok to boast or brag?

Here are some questions to mull over:

• What is my (true) motive for talking about my achievements?
• Who am I sharing my achievements with and how do they react?
• What words am I using to describe my accomplishments?
• Am I generally a person who feels unworthy, untalented, or shy?
• Do I love talking about myself and what I do?
• Do I feel mostly like a success or failure in life?
• Is it ok to take pride in my work?

There aren't 'good or bad' answers to these questions. They are designed to invite reflection and increase honest self-awareness.

Motive matters.

Big time.

Words matter too.

How you say it, when you say it, and to whom you say it, all plays a part.

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A better idea

Bragging and boasting have negative connotations, and often negative consequences.

Let's look at a better way to see ourselves and think about our accomplishments.

Here's a biblical guiding principle to consider:

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Interesting, right?

Let's boil that down: Don't think more of yourself than necessary, but think with a sound (or reasonable) mind.

I love this!

This verse, if you read carefully, is implying that you MUST THINK SOMETHING of yourself but NOT MORE than necessary.

Having a reasonable view of yourself is key.

Too many of us are stuck in negativity loops and false beliefs or stories about ourselves.

• With the touch of a button, you can see millions advertising their success, vacations, and possessions on social media.
• It's easy to see what others are doing and feel terrible about what you're missing out on.
• It's way easier to beat yourself up for your flaws, imperfections, and mistakes than to admit you have a measure of worth despite your flaws.

What a dichotomy in our world!

We have an epidemic of narcissists and, in contrast, an epidemic of people with poor self-worth, low self-esteem, and little self-love.

So, here's my reminder to you...

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Don't forget to celebrate your wins!

No need to compare, brag or boast, or inflate yourself.

Instead, a healthy way to celebrate your wins is to acknowledge your hard work, first and foremost, to yourself.

This means taking time to celebrate what you feel good about.

The idea is to break the negativity patterns in your brain that say: "I'm not good enough" or "I'm not doing enough".

How do you break that cycle?

Glad you asked!

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"The Quiet Victories" Journaling Prompt

One simple way is journaling.

You knew I was going to say that, right?

I need to give credit for this prompt to my favorite AI, Claude. 🙂 It flows perfectly as is.

Here's what Claude said:

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write about these three areas, spending roughly 3-4 minutes on each:

1. The Small Stuff That Mattered Write about something you did recently that might seem "small" but actually required effort, care, or courage. This could be having a difficult conversation, showing up when you didn't feel like it, learning something new, or simply being kind to yourself on a hard day. Don't judge whether it's "worthy" of celebration—just notice what you did.

2. Your Behind-the-Scenes Growth Think about a challenge you're currently facing or recently faced. Instead of focusing on the outcome, write about the internal work you've been doing—the patience you've practiced, the resilience you've shown, the new perspective you've gained, or the way you've been kinder to yourself through the process. What has shifted in how you think or respond?

3. Evidence Against the Inner Critic Your inner critic has a story about you not being enough. Write down specific, concrete evidence from the past week that contradicts this narrative. What did you accomplish? How did you show care for others? What problems did you solve? What did you learn? List these as simple facts, not grand achievements—just honest evidence of your competence and worth.

Closing reflection: Read what you wrote and notice how it feels to acknowledge these things about yourself. This isn't about being perfect or extraordinary—it's about seeing yourself clearly and with the same compassion you'd show a good friend.

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My win for this week

And when I say win, I mean a fist pump in the air along with a major mind shift!

My son and I started homeschooling beginning of August.

8th grade. 😱

That means pre-algebra, geometry, and dreaded grammar exercises.

Maybe this looks easy to you—but my brain turns to mush with this stuff:

(64 ÷16 x 3)² - 20 x 4³

or

(3+X) - (2x2) + 6 = 9

or

−X(−2+1) =52+23

I wish I had had just ONE math teacher when I was in school that helped me believe I could do math.

I've been feeling like a huge homeschooling loser mom, and it didn't help that my son said, "Sorry mom, but I don't want a confused fellow student, I want a teacher."

Poor kid.

So, where's the win in this?

The win is that I am NOT giving up! I have dug my heels in and I'm facing the challenge of learning head on. This week I was actually able to help him with his math instead of staring dumbfounded at the math book.

The other HUGE win is that I assumed all the other homeschool moms were doing difficult math problems with their kids and I was the only dumb struggling mom.

Turns out—I WAS WRONG!

Last night, I spoke to another homeschool mom with kids older than my son who is also a certified teacher and she said she DOES NOT know 8th grade math!

WHAT???

I'm not dumb after all?

LOL

No, on the contrary. I'm a brave mom modeling to my son what it looks like to tackle hard problems without giving up. Also, that I'm willing to learn and make mistakes along the way.

These are HUGE wins.

And here's the mind shift: "I am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to!"

"I am" statements are immensely powerful.

Pay attention to whenever you start a sentence with those innocent sounding words.

It says a lot about your beliefs about yourself.

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In summary

A reasonable degree of self-love and self-respect is normal, needed, and beneficial.

Happiness comes from giving—this is confirmed by the bible and experts. It also comes from putting others ahead of yourself (just not to your own detriment).

So, go celebrate your wins!

Pat yourself on the back.

High five yourself in the mirror.

Do a little happy dance or fist pump the air.

It's ok to feel triumphant once in a while.

And, it's ok to share your win with me 🙂🏆.

Hit reply and let me know what you're celebrating this week.

With Love, Creativity, & Intention,

Anna

P.S. Know someone who's always down on themselves and could use a pat on the back? Send them this newsletter.

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​www.aferalhousewife.com​

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I'm a recovering perfectionist and sassy housewife, helping overwhelmed women create a rich and fulfilling inner life by ditching guilt, perfectionism, and the “do it all” myth through therapeutic writing and creative self-expression. ​ I'm here to inspire you to intentionally grow in all areas of life, especially emotionally, because what you think and how you feel influences everything. ​ If you're enjoying this newsletter, please forward it to a friend or send this subscribe link: The Feral Housewife's Guide to Living Authentically, Creatively & Intentionally​ ​ Write. Feel. Heal. ​ Anna Celotto Writer & Inner Life Coach