Hi friend,
I’ve been apologizing a lot lately for my shortcomings.
“My apologies for the delay in reply.”
“Appreciate your patience while I’ve been out of office.”
“Thanks for understanding my impending mental breakdown.”
“I’m the problem, it’s me.”
You know, casual, automatic messages that imply my regret, shame, and self-destructive thoughts no matter how they’re phrased.
Sure, I’ve been going through some things. But aren’t we all?
And furthermore, am I going through more now than I was a year ago or two years ago? Hard to compare.
In some ways, I’m doing great. In others, I’m continuing the uphill climb.
In all the ways, I feel like I constantly need to apologize for my existence. Maybe you can relate.
But if someone were to message me back a week late because they’ve been overwhelmed with their inbox and feel anxiety every time they open the internet, I’d probably say “SAME.”
So, maybe we can all give ourselves permission to have the same grace we give to others.
If you’re going through it (whatever it is for you), here’s me telling you, “SAME.”
with warmth + love,
N
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Washington Post: Sorry you went viral
As creators, we all know how social media isn’t just addictive to its users. When success strikes, watching likes and followers come in can be such a thrill. But with it comes high expectations, hate comments, and anxiety. This piece explores how viral TikTokers have been responding to such challenges.
The Melt: The Age of ADHD Influencers
I can’t be the only person who’s considered whether or not they have ADHD after having my FYP flooded with relatable videos. This piece discusses how sharing personal experience with a subject on the internet has turned everyone into supposed experts – and why that’s so problematic.
The Atlantic: Everyone Wants to Be a Hot, Anxious Girl on Twitter
Speaking of relatable content, everyone loves a good relevant viral tweet. But everyone doesn’t like a viral tweet turning into a clickbait scam. This piece interviews Twitter creators who’ve spun out several viral “relatable” tweets and uncovers their business models behind it all.
Adweek: Thought Tropicana Toothpaste Was Weird? Check Out Its Mimosa Maker
Talk about cultural relevancy at its finest. Every time a mimosa “recipe” of people wafting orange juice into a glass of prosecco comes across my timeline, I giggle. Call me a basic millennial, but Tropicana realizing the power of this trend and creating a hilarious new product to jump on the moment is incredible.
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
Alongside those self-deprecating feelings I told you about earlier, it’s been a wildly overwhelming time too.
If you’ve felt your mind racing faster and faster, this 3 min (easy!) meditation is for you:
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
Fast Company: This is what you need to do to escape the 24-hour trap – I’ve been trying to keep up with a regular meditation habit since I came back from vacation last week and let me tell you, this approach of letting go of perfection has saved me.
Culture Study: The Diminishing Returns of Productivity Culture – This one’s an oldie-but-a-goodie from long-form queen Anne Helen Petersen. Highly recommend reading if you’ve been caught up in the toxic productivity push ahead of the holidays.
The Cut: I Changed Everything. Now What? – If you’re like me and have had at least one (if not more) major life events each year, you might feel the exhaustion and stress of starting over more than the benefits. This piece discusses it.
The Guardian: Bad weather is good for you: take a walk in the wind and rain – Leaving this here for myself as a reminder that even as we’re heading into winter in New England, it’s apparently “good” for me to keep going outside. My dog is thrilled at this news.
The Atlantic: How to Embrace Doing Nothing – I did almost nothing last week on vacation and felt the lightest I’ve felt in awhile. This piece advocates for more of nothing (but now I need to figure out how to do nothing when I’m not on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean Sea).
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
I recently loved this Link in Bio analysis from Rachel Karten on the different ways brands tease and launch their big announcements on social.
My favorite quote?
“Sometimes teasing an announcement isn’t necessary! Decide if it’s right for your brand.”
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel