The Feral Housewife's Guide to

Living Authentically, Creatively, & Intentionally

Issue #79 || August 1, 2025 || Previous issues​

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Hey Reader,

Quite a few of you enjoyed listening versus reading.

Can't promise I'll record every week due to time constraints.

But when a recording is available I'll post it here 🙂.

Are you a rebel?

I am.

Most of the time, as much as I can, and I like it.

There's something about going with this world's flow that makes me crazy.

It's disturbing sometimes.

Everywhere you turn, someone is telling you how to live, how to think, and what's the best way to do 'this' and 'that'.

On occasion you'll find a decent helpful piece of advice, but seriously! I'm tired of magazines, commercials, and websites telling me the best place to go on vacation. Or the latest popular color I should paint my kitchen this year. I'm constantly rolling my eyes at the titles of articles.

I can think for myself, thank you very much!

With all the streaming noise and chatter it's easy to become a spectator of your mind rather than the one speaking from the stage.

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Who's on your stage?

Monday evening I had a few hours to myself.

I sat on my back porch and watched the wind rustle the trees. The birds sang and called to each other. It was peaceful out there.

INSIDE my mind, however, was a cacophony of conversations replaying from my day and weekend. When I'm not busy, my mind is most likely reviewing situations and conversations I've had. This is known as ruminating. You know how animals chew the cud?

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My mind does something similar. In the past, I chewed the cud to beat myself up over mistakes., wishing I could unsay what I said and that I had been smart enough to know what I should have said instead.

Rumination often leads to self-abuse.

I'm learning to put boundaries on the amount of time I spend chewing the cud. I can't help it completely, my mind holds concerts without my permission. But here's the thing.

I've learned to become a spectator of the noisy crowd instead of being a judge.

I've learned to limit how much time the crowd is allowed to talk.

Better yet, I'm learning to hush the voices and take center stage. Yep, complete with spotlight and microphone.

Visualization techniques are not only cool, but highly effective.

Picture your mind as an auditorium. The crowd is rambunctious. Everyone is fighting to be heard. You tune in (out of curiosity) to hear what the crowd is saying. But you decide enough is enough (it's your private stage after all). So you calmly walk up to the microphone. The room is dark. A spotlight shines on you and you say:

"SSHHH be quiet."

Why?

Because it's time to hear yourself speak!

Suddenly, everyone is tuning in to hear what you have to say.

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-What would you say if you had everyone's attention?

-What would your mind say to you if you had your own attention?

-What voice inside of you is dying to be heard?

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It takes a tremendous amount of courage and a bit of rebelliousness to get on that stage, hush the crowd, and hear yourself think.

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The need for rebellion

Here's the irony about my Monday night.

After a long busy day, it took some time for my nervous system to relax enough to hear my internal voice.

Once relaxed, the voice proposed an idea for a story I had written awhile ago but couldn't figure out how to make work. I was excited that when my mind was finally relaxed enough— it turned to being creative.

Just as I was grabbing a notebook to jot down those ideas, my cell phone rang. I didn't want to pick it up but since 'being a good friend' is high on my values list, I picked up anyway.

Needless to say, my friend called to vent about a stressful situation. While I was on the phone with her, my son came home distressed about his situation. After he was done venting, my husband had something to say too. 🙀

I was so stressed out by the end of that evening, I developed a cold sore. 😭

None of them were to blame.

This is ordinary life these days.

Stressful.

And this is exactly why quiet rebellion is needed.

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The shift: from guilt to power

It may sound cruel.

-But not answering your cell phone is a good start.

Cell phones, attached to our hips, are like totally open borders between two countries. What would life look like if countries had no borders and no checkpoints?

I imagine total chaos (among other things) for both countries.

I'm not suggesting you stop answering your phone completely, but I am inviting you to be in control of if and when you answer.

How many times a day or a week do you silence your phone so that you can focus? I hate to admit, but I don't do this enough. Constant interruptions lead to frustration.

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-Is every weekend of your calendar so booked that you have ZERO room for spontaneity or alone time?

I grieve how busy our lives have become.

I've said no to many invites or requests for help this year so that I could have down time. I hate a full calendar. 😢

It takes courage and quiet rebellion to protect your energy.

It takes courage and quiet rebellion to go the opposite way of the crowd (only follow a crowd if they're running from danger). Otherwise, never follow the world or its popular opinions.

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I love this quote.

Don't be a dead fish (like most people).

Don't even be an exhausted fish. Protect your valuable resources (your energy, time, sanity, faith, etc.).

-It's not selfish to say no—you're allowed to rest.

-It's not selfish to take care of yourself—so you don't burn out.

-It's not selfish to set boundaries—if you don't respect your borders why would anyone else?

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In Summary: what is quiet rebellion?

Quiet rebellion is giving yourself enough time and space to take care of yourself in all areas of life.

Quiet rebellion is protecting your peace of mind and energy as an act of self-respect.

Quiet rebellion is thinking for yourself and not following what's popular in mainstream society.

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Hit reply and tell me: What’s one way you’re quietly rebelling this week?"

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With Love, Creativity, & Intention,

Anna

P.S. If you're enjoying this newsletter, please forward it to a friend.

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​www.aferalhousewife.com​

​https://linktr.ee/aferalhousewife​

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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