The Slowdown: No 'New Year, New Me'

The Rebellious Systems "Slowdown" — Issue #2 | January 2024

Happy New Year y’all!

I’m writing you from my new (old) apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina. After being gone for almost three years, I’m back in my old stomping ground freezing my tits off.

There can come a lot of pressure with the new year. Pressure to change ourselves and our habits in pursuit of growth and development. In case no one’s told you yet, you don’t have to become a new person just because it’s January; you don’t have to become a new person at all, actually.

I hope to continue to evolve and explore throughout the year, allowing myself to become more and more of who I am instead of trying to reinvent myself or fit into a mold that wasn’t meant for me.

Peace, love and workflows,

Andrea

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📝 3 Things

Three things to check out…

I often have an internal dialogue with myself…is my intuition trying to tell me something or am I just anxious? This article was a practical and helpful read.

Join my first Mindful Inbox session of the year for free this Monday, January 8 at 9 am Pacific / 12 pm Eastern. It’ll be a 30-minute guided session where we’ll clean up and sort through our inboxes. Register here

A playful yoga flow to start off the year 🌈

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✨ VIP Room

What paid subscribers are getting this month…

• 📆 Mindful Inbox Sessions every Monday at 12 pm Eastern

• ✨ A Compassionate Approach to Resolutions — How I approach resolutions as a routine-resistant ND person + some resources for a more spacious January

• 📝 When Time Blocking Doesn't Work — I’m mapping out a different approach to task management, including a free Notion template to help you get started

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🤓 Good Reads

Check out some Substack posts that inspired me last month…

Winter Body

“When we’re immersed in fast-moving, capitalist systems that problematize these natural responses, it is apparently radical and courageous to be at peace with the slowness of Winter. While our bodies may call for less work and more rest to move at the pace of ecological systems, economical systems and societal expectations don’t necessarily shift with nature. And when the world is on fire and the need to stay active and present in our social justice movements feel urgent and necessary, slowing down can seem self-indulgent or complicit, and even more pain, guilt or shame ensues.”

Creativity 🤝 Convenience

“Creativity is like a labyrinthine garden—lush, vibrant, and begging to be explored. Convenience hands us a map and says, "Follow this path. It's the quickest." But treasures hide in the wildflowers that grow off the beaten track.”