Why Self-Improvement Might Be Burning You Out

👍 10 simple habits for a more joyful year? Yes please!

🤑 Which “money personality” are you?

🩸 Whoa, a “smart” menstrual cup could be on the horizon. 

👚 Would you buy clothes that can give you better mental clarity?

🧐 “How I changed my personality in six weeks.”

Modash

Plan Your Annual Influencer Strategy Once (Then Stop Panicking)

Be honest: Do you have your 2026 influencer marketing strategy yet? If you’re looking back at us with a blank stare 👁️👄👁️, then it’s a good thing you’re reading this newsletter right now…

Influencer-marketing platform Modash put together a handy blog post about how to build an annual influencer marketing strategy. Consider this your cheat sheet because it covers:

• Why you should have an influencer marketing annual plan

• The best time to plan for the next year

• What to include in the marketing plan

• The seasonal campaigns to prioritize each quarter

• How to make the most of slower periods (spoiler: it’s the perfect time to test and learn)

• Why your annual plans should be revisited every month and quarter

That’s right, this is everything you need to map the year ahead—no more “winging it.” Breathes a sigh of relief.

Repeat After Us: Self-Improvement Is a Trap!

There’s a good chance you’ve thought of a new personal growth goal in the past week (eat more veggies! Do Pilates three times a week! Read one self-help book a month!)… and we salute you for it! But does the endless pursuit of “trying to be better” ever make you feel kind of exhausted? Because… same. 

Sometimes it feels like we’re all so obsessed with self-improvement that we’re never fully present in being content with where we are now. Think about it: did you even acknowledge all the goals you set and accomplished last year? 

🐹 There’s no end in sight

The trouble with self-improvement is that often, there’s no end goal: it’s a hamster wheel of striving for the next thing, and the next, and the next, without being satisfied with the current version of you that already exists. And based on the fact that you’re already here reading this, we have a feeling you’re doing pretty damn well already. 🤗

The solution: Set real, concrete goals and acknowledge them accordingly. Instead of “I want to be a better public speaker,” try “I will give a presentation once per quarter,” and celebrate by going out for drinks with your work bestie afterwards.

🎯 Women are targeted the most

It’s not just in your head: women are specifically targeted with self-help messaging the most, according to “The Gendered Nature of Self-Help,” an article by four women professors and researchers in critical psychology. The authors explain that women are “the primary objects of transformation in contemporary self-help,” which leads women to believe that their behavior, feelings, and tendencies are inherently flawed (sound familiar??). This all supports the idea that for women to be successful, we need to be constantly working on ourselves. 

The solution: Think critically about the self-help messaging you receive and how you internalize it. If it involves buying more things or burning yourself out with more work, it probably won’t actually lead to a “better” version of you. TBH, being content with your current self is the radical feminist act we could all use right now. 

✅ Productivity for productivity’s sake

You know that panicky feeling that you get when you sit still and do nothing? The one that makes you feel like you should be producing something (whether it’s work, a grocery list, or a craft), instead of sitting on the couch? Sit with it. Let it be. We often feel that our value comes from what we can produce and put out into the world, but when you’re just going through the motions, it’s not really “bettering” you at all. If anything, it’s running you ragged.

The solution: Try doing something for your own pure enjoyment and do it slowly. For example, instead of speed-reading a book so that you can meet your reading goals for the month, set yourself up in a cozy nook and savor each word. Remember: the point of reading is to enjoy the act itself, not to add it to your Goodreads afterwards (although that is a nice perk 😉).

🍞 Contributor Lara finally bit the bullet and bought her dream Le Creuset Bread Oven this week. It’s on sale at Williams Sonoma, how could she resist?! 

💎 The cutest travel jewelry case is 50% off at Rifle Paper Co. right now (no more tangled necklaces is a new year's resolution we can get behind). 

😴 Who else’s sleep schedule is out of whack since returning to work? Forget the melatonin, this slept-on ingredient helps promote a good night’s sleep and a calm mood—sans drowsiness. Kate, our brand partnerships manager, swears by it.*

🔪 Love cooking shows? You need to be watching Culinary Class Wars on Netflix. It’s kind of like Top Chef meets Squid Game, and it may be the best thing on television right now. 

🌶️ For all the spice-loving gals out there, Lord’s Hot Sauce is our current hyperfixation: all of their hot sauces are wild-fermented (a.k.a. good for your gut!). Our personal fave is the Limey Bender, which is perfectly tangy but still mild enough to put on everything from eggs to avo toast. 

🥤 Senior Director, Business Analyst Lead, The Coca-Cola Company

🏝️ Director of Finance and Accounting, Marriott International

💍 Consultant, CVM Global Operations & Logistics, Tiffany & Co.

🎤 Specialist, Government Affairs & Social Impact, Madison Square Garden Entertainment

☕️ Marketing Manager, Keurig Dr. Pepper

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