Time-to-Read:⚡ 4-min read, 2-min skim
It’s been 5 months since the last issue. Life did its thing.
So you wanted more time,
and now you have it for a bit.
Huh.
Less chaos.
Less running.
Less putting out fires with your face.
Congrats!
Now your brain won’t shut up.
Not because you’re doing life wrong,
but because you stopped sprinting long enough to hear what’s been waiting in that mental hallway…. hmmm.
The part of you that didn’t get airtime when everything was “urgent.”
Bills.
Deadlines.
Family stuff.
Work stuff.
Your “I’ll deal with it later” pile growing teeth.
Sometimes “peace” feels like anxiety.. at first.
Because survival mode has a job:
keep you moving.
Quiet has a different job:
show you what you’ve been avoiding.
Not in a dramatic way.
In a “wow i can’t stop thinking about what comes next” way.
In a “why do i feel guilty for resting” way.
In a “I have choices now and that’s somehow worse” way.
Because when you’re busy, your identity is easy.
I’m grinding.
I’m handling it.
I’m doing what I have to do.
When you have time, the question gets LOUDER:
Who are you when nobody or nothing is chasing you?
And THAT question doesn’t land softly.
It lands like a notification you can’t swipe away…
Today: what to do with that silence
The Big Idea & little idea
Big Idea: Your mind hates open tabs
Not the Safari ones.
The inner ones.
Unfinished conversations or dynamics.
Unmade decisions.
Unspoken grief.
Half-stated dreams.
That one thing you keep “meaning to do.”
Your brain treats unfinished loops like emergency alerts.
So when life slows down, it doesn’t feel like calm.
It feels like backlog.
Little Idea: So you’re actually not overthinking.
You’re processing… late.
Survival mode delays emotional processing the way you delay laundry.
It works until it doesn’t.
And then the pile starts talking. 🤨
One Action Item
There’s a real thing where unfinished tasks stay more “sticky” in your mind than finished ones.
Your brain remembers what’s incomplete.
It keeps the file open.
It pings YOU.
So the goal isn’t “stop thinking.”
The goal is “close the loop.”
Not perfectly.
Just enough that your nervous system believes you’re handling it.
Practical Tip: The 6-Minute Loop Closure
Write down three open loops (30 seconds)
Just the headlines.
“Call dentist.”
“That weird tension with my friend.”
“I’m scared about money.”Circle one that feels heaviest (10 seconds)
Choose the next physical action (30 seconds)
Not “fix it.”
Literally the next move.
“Open calendar and pick a day.”
“Text: ‘Can we talk this week’.”
“Check balance and write one number down.”Put it on a time slot (1 minute)
Ten minutes.
That’s it.Do two rounds of this breath reset (1 minute)
Inhale normally.
Then add a tiny extra sip of air.
Long slow exhale.
Twice.Stop (because stopping is part of the training)
Your brain needs proof you can pause without collapsing.
That’s the whole thing.
It’s not about doing everything.
It’s about telling your mind: “We’re not ignoring this anymore.”
Coffee Chat Questions to Steal ☕️
When did you first learn that rest was a bad idea for you?
What part of you is scared of what happens if life actually stays calm?
If danger never came back, what version of you would finally get a turn?
Screenshot these,
send to your group chat,
or ask to someone you care about.
You’ll be surprised what comes up.
from dennis (just a guy behind empathycompanion):
I used to think having time would feel like freedom.
Sometimes it does.
Sometimes it feels like standing in an empty room and realizing the noise was coming from inside the house the whole time.
Which is annoying.
But also kind of… useful.
Because now you can actually meet yourself.
Not the version of you that’s performing competence.
The version that’s just… here (: