The gift of a happy inbox 📬 Porch #186

a jam-packed inbox steals our joy and robs our peace of mind by taking up far too much real estate in our heads

Gosh, life is so busy right now.

Who has time to read everything that lands in our inbox the moment it arrives? Who needs the stress of endless scrolling to find that name or number that arrived months years ago? And the exhaustion of seeing 978+ emails stacking up one after the other? All that visual and mental clutter ... never mind the obnoxious accompanying bings of notifications if you dare go there.

UGH.

Talk about an anxiety trigger.

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We’ve been walking through the FREE video series STRONGER: 10 Days to Strengthen Your Mental Health and Well-Being. It’s not too late for you to get on board, so do click here.

And because we’re all a bit under the pile right now, here’s what worked for me:
I …

• subscribed

• created a STRONGER email folder

• popped each video in there when it arrived

• watched them when I had a few minutes to focus

Bonus points - you get to keep the videos forever. Having quick access to these short but hefty feasts for the soul is an incredible gift. If tending to your mental health and spiritual growth is a priority, this is your baby. You’ll return to it over and over and if you’re like me, you’ll find a new hidden gem in each viewing. And you’ll have a bounty to share with those who look to you for insight or direction.

Here’s an overview of what you’ll receive:

STRONGER: 10 DAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING

DAY 1: STOP LETTING ANXIOUS THOUGHTS TAKE THE LEAD
’What if the key to managing anxiety began with learning to take control of our thoughts before they took control of us?’

DAY 2: WHEN YOUR EMOTIONS START RUNNING THE SHOW
’Managing emotions isn’t about controlling them, it’s about understanding them.’

DAY 3: YOU’RE NOT STUCK. YOU’RE ONE DECISION AWAY.
’New actions make old patterns obsolete.’

DAY 4: BE KINDER TO YOURSELF. IT’S NOT WEAKNESS.
’Most of us are way harder on ourselves than we would be ever on anybody else.’

DAY 5: WHAT IF THIS STRUGGLE ISN’T A WALL, BUT A WINDOW?
’This doesn’t mean ignoring pain or pretending everything is fine, it means giving yourself permission to see it differently.’

DAY 6: YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO DO THIS ALONE
’What’s one step I can take to deepen a relationship I already have?’

DAY 7: YOU CAN’T HEAL WITHOUT REST
’If you’ve been feeling foggy, irritable, anxious, or maybe even emotionally off there’s a good chance your sleep probably has something to do with it’.

DAY 8: FORGIVENESS ISN’T APPROVAL. IT’S FREEDOM.
’Forgiveness is not reconciliation because reconciliation takes two people. Forgiveness only takes one and that one is you.’

DAY 9: GRATITUDE DOESN’T PRETEND. IT TRANSFORMS.
’Here’s what gratitude does. It flips the script. It retrains your brain to notice what’s good even when things aren’t perfect … It interrupts worry. Literally.’

DAY 10: SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH. IT’S STEWARDSHIP.
’Pick one boundary you need to set. Pick one self-care rhythm you need to protect. And start. You don’t have to do everything at once but you do need to start doing something on purpose.’

🤍

4 KEYS TO KEEPING YOUR INBOX HAPPY:

• Some emails can be deleted as soon as you see them. Do that.

• The unsubscribe button needs to become our new best friend. Use it.

• Create and use email folders / labels. Start that.

• When the spirit moves, browse through folders. And delete, delete, delete some more.

On my best days, my inbox will be bare naked by the end of the day. That brings a smile to my face. Really. With that comes a deep breath of freedom and a palpable sense of peace as I shut the laptop down for the night. In the process, she recharges. Literally. And I do, too.

How do you manage your bulging inbox? I’d love to hear what works for you. Or if your email life is out of control, do tell. We won’t get all judge-y on you.

If you’ve been watching the STRONGER videos, what grabbed your attention? My favorites were Day 8 / Forgiveness and Day 9 / Gratitude. Good stuff.

Let’s talk.
Linda

P.S.
Yes, if your online life would be a bit quieter without me showing up in your inbox, you can easily unsubscribe below. It’s ok. Really.