<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Thoughts from Fabs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reflections to help us be healthier humans and create healthier cultures.
]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhSM!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc1721e1-aa52-40b8-ac61-41d7182ef3fd_220x220.png</url><title>Thoughts from Fabs</title><link>https://www.fabsharford.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:52:57 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.fabsharford.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Fabienne Harford]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[fabsharford@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[fabsharford@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[fabsharford@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[fabsharford@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[When the system is the perpetrator]]></title><description><![CDATA[Implications from phase two of my Spiritual Abuse research]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/when-the-system-is-the-perpetrator</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/when-the-system-is-the-perpetrator</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:04:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v8Zy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff8bd4dab-e336-4f4f-a0e9-0e1eeee8adf1_493x362.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I'm so excited to present the second phase of my research on Spiritual Abuse at the <span class="mention-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;International Cultic Studies&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:373034626,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;user&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:null,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2c1a706c-0bf5-4cfb-856e-287ee0381d8d_1080x1080.png&quot;,&quot;uuid&quot;:&quot;dfe9d227-3970-4892-bd4d-50f1d8cb3a1d&quot;}" data-component-name="MentionToDOM"></span> Conference in July. <br><br>Presenting last year was one of the highlights of my year, and I am really excited to share th&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amaze. Amaze. Amaze. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some pondering & wondering thoughts following Splashdown]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/amaze-amaze-amaze</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/amaze-amaze-amaze</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:58:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wfVF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e8f1a9-ae24-42aa-bc4d-bc05e050729a_776x804.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well.  Wow. </p><p>For me, yesterday was almost an out-of-body experience. I could not believe I was witnessing a REAL splashdown.  My whole life, I&#8217;ve heard about this, learned about it, watched it in movi&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some thoughts on attachment, a journaling exercise, and a worksheet to help you explore your attachment to God ]]></title><description><![CDATA[April Newsletter]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-attachment-to-god</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-attachment-to-god</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:54:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to April, guys!  </p><p>I just watched the launch of Artemis II.  Wow.  What a beautiful way to start this month.  Humans: we are so, so wonderful and beautiful and capable of so much when we work together.</p><p>Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve got in this newsletter:</p><ul><li><p>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing <em><strong>[on attachment to God]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128149; A  <em><strong>[journaling exercise]</strong></em> I&#8217;m loving</p></li><li><p><strong>&#128499;&#65039;</strong> A poll <em><strong>[on rest]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128279; Some link love <em><strong>[from this past month]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128198; A full recap &amp; links to this past month&#8217;s posts</p></li><li><p>April&#8217;s free resource: <em><strong>[attachment to God]</strong></em></p></li></ul><h2><strong>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing </strong><em><strong>[on attachment]</strong></em></h2><p>I have a sort of a simple framework I use to think through attachment in relationships (including God).   It&#8217;s an oversimplification of attachment, but on a basic level, it involves three pieces: (1) how you view yourself, (2) how you view the other person, (3) how you view the relationship.  </p><ul><li><p><strong>Anxious attachment</strong> happens when you have a LOW level of trust in yourself but a HIGH level of trust in others.  You feel like you need them to be safe.  You have a HIGH value of the bond of the relationship, but it feels UNSTABLE (so you frequently panic that you&#8217;re being left).  </p></li><li><p><strong>Avoidant attachment</strong> is when you have a HIGH level of trust in self but a LOW level of trust in others.  You feel like you can&#8217;t rely on them.  You have a LOW/NEUTRAL value of the bond of relationship.  (You behave as if you are fine without it).  </p></li><li><p><strong>Secure attachment</strong> is when you have a HIGH level of trust in yourself, and a HIGH level of trust in your partner.  You have a HIGH value for the bond, and it also feels STABLE to you.  </p></li><li><p><strong>Disorganized attachment </strong>is when you have a LOW level of trust in yourself, and a LOW level of trust in others.  You can have a HIGH or LOW value for the bond depending on the day, and it often feels UNSTABLE. </p></li></ul><p>When I think about most of the way we interact with God, it seems like in most churches we&#8217;ve got some pretty intense Anxious attachment going on. My hunch is that this developed in response to watching people operate like Avoidants with God (we&#8217;re fine without Him; we don&#8217;t trust Him).  The church compensated by emphasizing our frailty.  But, in many churches, they went a little further than just describing our fallibility and humanity. </p><p>My hope is that we would begin to believe that trusting and valuing ourselves is NOT a threat to our attachment to God.  Your relationship with God does not DEPEND on you feeling worthless.  It isn&#8217;t contingent on hating yourself. </p><p>(For those of you who are paid subscribers, I&#8217;ve attached a free worksheet that you can use to explore your attachment with God through this framework at the bottom of this newsletter.  LMK how it goes!) </p><h2><strong>&#10084;&#65039; A </strong><em><strong>[journaling exercise]</strong></em><strong> I&#8217;m loving</strong></h2><p>Love this journaling exercise from @Aliabdaal - and when you do it (if you do it) - one of the &#8216;rules&#8217; is &#8220;you must have 3x as many things in the &#8216;what&#8217;s working&#8217; column than in the &#8216;what&#8217;s not working&#8217; column.  That&#8217;s a great way to help your brain compensate for its negative bias. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png" width="406" height="475.74871794871797" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1371,&quot;width&quot;:1170,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:406,&quot;bytes&quot;:305256,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/i/192892826?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AFCU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae97b6dd-7884-45eb-b7bf-a05c37c59491_1170x1371.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2><strong>&#128499;&#65039; A poll on </strong><em><strong>[on rest]</strong></em></h2><p>Here&#8217;s the poll for this month:</p><div class="poll-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:487980}" data-component-name="PollToDOM"></div><h2><strong>&#128279; Some link love</strong></h2><p>Here are some links I&#8217;ve been loving this past month:</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWSEkiwjf3L/?igsh=am9ha3o2cnFrdzl6">Obsessed with this artwork</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVzAjdoES6i/?igsh=cTJ4ZHNiczU2NGdo">A recipe I want to try</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DV02m2zkey-/?igsh=ZGs0dTl4a211Nnho">A guide for regulating your nervous system</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVUJs20j0ag/?igsh=MXVnZ3pvdWNmbWRiYg==">Some insight into what happens in our brains when we don&#8217;t move enough</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1SX4fe9fhDn5O3JK1153nO?si=215a744933d94f8f">Most listened to song this month</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>&#128198; What you missed in March</strong></p><p>Below are some links to thoughts I&#8217;ve shared this past month! (Please note that some of my messier thoughts and musings are behind a paywall. You can read more about why I do that <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/about?sort=about">here</a>, and feel free to <a href="https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044105731-How-do-I-change-my-subscription-plan-">upgrade your subscription</a> to access them and support my research!)</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/the-abuse-prevention-strategy-that">Control: the abuse prevention strategy that makes abuse worse</a> - 5 problematic narratives that keep churches from responding effectively to abuse</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/the-psychology-of-the-midlife-crisis">What if this isn&#8217;t a breakdown, but an invitation? (The Psychology of the Midlife Crisis) </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-finding-true-things">Some thoughts on finding true things to tell yourself, noticing nature, stress &amp; planner layouts</a></p></li></ul><p>&#127379; The free resource for April is below (for paid subscribers!)</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Control: the abuse prevention strategy that makes abuse worse]]></title><description><![CDATA[5 problematic narratives that keep churches from responding effectively to abuse]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/the-abuse-prevention-strategy-that</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/the-abuse-prevention-strategy-that</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 23:59:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FcrQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45c4e16d-12f3-4fc9-a18d-e219b2755a59_808x386.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s strange to watch people responding to the most recent incidence of abuse by one of the Duggar kids. I hear a lot of &#8216;us&#8217; vs. &#8216;them&#8217; narratives; a lot of calls for enforced disclosure and tighter&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What if this isn't a breakdown, but an invitation?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The psychology of the midlife crisis]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/the-psychology-of-the-midlife-crisis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/the-psychology-of-the-midlife-crisis</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:34:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_k-K!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8da96d5-7930-4c02-a1f1-9691c762dd5b_776x397.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well!  March really got away from me there for a minute!  But things are settling down a little now, so I have the time to share something that has been on my mind lately: <strong>the psychology of the midli&#8230;</strong></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some thoughts on finding true things to tell yourself, noticing nature, stress & planner layouts]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 2026 Newsletter]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-finding-true-things</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-finding-true-things</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:17:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RREz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fda1d2354-0503-4c99-a6cd-2ee7f9fa8f65_1125x820.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>March is the best month of the year.  (Besides December (cause Christmas).)  I said what I said.  </p><p>Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve got in this newsletter: </p><ul><li><p>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing <em><strong>[on affirmations]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128149; A thought I&#8217;m loving <em><strong>[on noticing nature]</strong></em></p></li><li><p><strong>&#128499;&#65039;</strong> A poll <em><strong>[on stress levels]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128279; Some link love <em><strong>[a planner&#8217;s dream]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128198; A full recap &amp; links to this past month&#8217;s posts</p></li><li><p>March&#8217;s free resource: <em><strong>[daily affirmations worksheet]</strong></em></p></li></ul><h2><strong>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing </strong><em><strong>[on affirmations]</strong></em></h2><p>I&#8217;m not an affirmations girlie. I have always thought of affirmations as a form of toxic positivity or like &#8216;putting-stuff-out-into-the-universe&#8217; type stuff, and that&#8217;s not my vibe. </p><p>But recently I&#8217;ve been doing an exercise where each morning I notice all the different parts of me, and what thoughts or feelings are most active. I spend a few minutes leaning into that part of me and just brain-dumping all the associated stress/frustration/fears.  </p><p>And then I think through what that voice needs; not like smothering fears or frustrations with positive self-talk - but more like - what does this part of me need to hear?  From God, from me?  And I think through what feels authentic, true, and important for that part of me to know. </p><p>One example: I noticed the other morning that a part of me is just longing to connect with God, but as I leaned into that part of me, I also noticed that I have nothing to bring - no cognitive energy to read my Bible or pray, no emotional energy to process, and even thinking about it leaves me feeling a little exhausted.  So, I wrote all that down, without editing or correcting.  And then I wrote next to it my &#8216;affirmation&#8217; &#8212;&gt; &#8220;God needs nothing from you.&#8221; </p><p>I&#8217;ve been liking it. That&#8217;s all. </p><p>I made a little journal page for paid subscribers that will walk you through this process if you want to try! (scroll to the bottom of this newsletter)</p><h2><strong>&#10084;&#65039; A thought I&#8217;m loving </strong><em><strong>[on noticing nature]</strong></em></h2><p>Loving this study out of Concordia University of Edmonton.  It was a two-week study, where some participants were just asked to:</p><ul><li><p>Notice the everyday nature they encountered in their typical daily routine (trees, birds through the window, clouds, etc.) </p></li><li><p>Pay attention to how it made them feel </p></li><li><p>Record responses </p></li></ul><p>This basic daily mindful noticing showed significant increases in &#8216;well-being,&#8217; (which is like positive emotions, life satisfaction, connectedness&#8230;)</p><p>So that&#8217;s cool.  </p><p>(I&#8217;ve been trying it, and the part I find the hardest?  Noticing how it makes me feel.  I have had to create a word bank because it&#8217;s so hard for me to come up with anything.)</p><h2><strong>&#128499;&#65039; A poll on </strong><em><strong>[on stress levels]</strong></em></h2><p>Despite all that I do to manage my stress levels, I&#8217;ve been noticing a lot in the past month.  There&#8217;s just a lot going on.  My hunch, for aw hile, has been that we&#8217;re all pretty stressed.  But curious about that hunch.  So&#8230;</p><div class="poll-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:463649}" data-component-name="PollToDOM"></div><h2><strong>&#128279; Some link love</strong></h2><p>Okay, I&#8217;m in deep in the journal world right now.  Like the planner-journal world, not just the journal-journal world.  So, this section is going to be pretty niche, but for those who are nerds like me - here are some setups/concepts I&#8217;ve been loving recently: </p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/da1d2354-0503-4c99-a6cd-2ee7f9fa8f65_1125x820.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7ddc52ca-c268-47cb-88be-01c6aa80c78f_736x920.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9d1857e6-e52f-48fc-a6f5-4da559071760_750x746.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ae34e022-6a5a-4236-871e-344c103fa49b_828x826.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b1dd1b15-a817-4e7f-956b-d61d6f129805_736x736.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6daeb9d5-fa09-45dd-ab79-bf702caa0093_735x762.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ac67965f-7528-4011-a75f-986492344e7e_1125x1078.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a81f40fe-abfe-4acf-b327-769b5f0b1ca9_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8489f3e2-4f98-4817-803e-15583da1709d_736x736.jpeg&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&#128525; &quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/26ee0f4e-4207-4516-911f-fd79850c7772_1456x1454.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><h2><strong>&#128198; What you missed in February</strong></h2><p>Below are some links to thoughts I&#8217;ve shared this past month! (Please note that some of my messier thoughts and musings are behind a paywall. You can read more about why I do that <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/about?sort=about">here</a>, and feel free to <a href="https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044105731-How-do-I-change-my-subscription-plan-">upgrade your subscription</a> to access them and support my research!)</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/what-are-you-ready-to-shed">What Are You Ready to Shed?</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-valentines-day">What Valentine&#8217;s Day gets wrong</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-scary-thought-about-sunday-scaries">A scary thought about Sunday Scaries</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/relational-dynamics-why-you-might">Relational dynamics, why you might hate everyone right now &amp; a resource to help you notice your &#8220;internal weather.&#8221;</a></p></li></ul><p>&#127379; The free resource for March is below (for paid subscribers!)</p><h2><strong>&#9999;&#65039; Free resource: Daily Affirmations Worksheet</strong></h2><p>I&#8217;ve been trying this practice (that I wrote about in the first section of this newsletter) to start my day, and I&#8217;m kind of loving it.  Let me know how it goes for you! </p>
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          <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-finding-true-things">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Are You Ready to Shed?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some journal prompts to help make room for what is next]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/what-are-you-ready-to-shed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/what-are-you-ready-to-shed</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:01:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhSM!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc1721e1-aa52-40b8-ac61-41d7182ef3fd_220x220.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Guys, I am so here for this <em>year of the snake</em> content.  Not because I put any stock in arbitrarily assigned symbols or timelines, but because I love a chance to reflect on an area of my life, I love &#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/what-are-you-ready-to-shed">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Valentine’s Day gets wrong]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let's stop categorizing & ranking love]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-valentines-day</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-valentines-day</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 14 Feb 2026 20:28:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kiZp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59f3a7f8-36a8-44e2-96d9-1be16acc946e_528x528.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I love Valentine&#8217;s Day, and I always have.  So there.</p><p>I would like to say this is a wisdom I have earned with age, but the truth is - I&#8217;ve always known it: <em><strong>love - wherever you find it, in all its form&#8230;</strong></em></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A scary thought about Sunday Scaries]]></title><description><![CDATA[What if our dread of Monday mornings is not about Monday at all?]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-scary-thought-about-sunday-scaries</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-scary-thought-about-sunday-scaries</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:20:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ILCV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90b96c95-8a39-4935-8dd7-a3d267106389_866x537.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here&#8217;s a thing you might find interesting: there is some speculation among dopamine researchers that the thing we call Sunday Scaries is actually not a resistance to Monday, but a response to the wee&#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-scary-thought-about-sunday-scaries">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Relational dynamics, why you might hate everyone right now & a resource to help you notice your "internal weather"]]></title><description><![CDATA[February 2026 Newsletter]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/relational-dynamics-why-you-might</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/relational-dynamics-why-you-might</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:03:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I almost titled this &#8220;February <strong>2027</strong>,&#8221; so that&#8217;s how we&#8217;re doing over here.</p><p>Anyway! Here&#8217;s what you can explore in this newsletter:</p><ul><li><p>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing <em><strong>[on why you might hate everyone right now]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128149; A thought I&#8217;m loving <em><strong>[on relational dynamics]</strong></em></p></li><li><p><strong>&#128499;&#65039;</strong> A poll <em><strong>[on what you want]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128279; Some link love</p></li><li><p>&#128198; A full recap &amp; links to this past month&#8217;s posts</p></li><li><p>February&#8217;s free resource: <strong>an internal weather tracker</strong></p></li></ul><h2><strong>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing </strong><em><strong>[on why you might hate everyone right now]</strong></em></h2><p>Okay. That&#8217;s an exaggeration, but seriously: have you noticed an inability to tolerate people recently?  Have you noticed how mild annoyance morphs into grating irritation really quickly? (Am I projecting?)</p><p>Our brain is so committed to protecting us that when the threat system is activated, we make a couple of big changes in how we engage with others. More black and white thinking, more painting people with broad strokes, less trust, less willingness to tolerate disagreement. o</p><p>And while that reflects amazingly adaptive brain functioning that has kept us alive for thousands of years, it also is not helping any of us navigate this situation/world.  And it might actually be contributing to the state of the world.</p><p>So.  Deep breaths, everyone.  Regulation before reaction. </p><h2><strong>&#10084;&#65039; A thought I&#8217;m loving </strong><em><strong>[on relational dynamics]</strong></em></h2><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DS722dnja5k/?igsh=MWV3MHRqYW5oMzRhdg%3D%3D">I like this</a>:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png" width="380" height="634.1176470588235" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1078,&quot;width&quot;:646,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:380,&quot;bytes&quot;:325075,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/i/186781300?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Y3Uk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fed3976-eec3-4090-8077-463daa9d6ed3_646x1078.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2><strong>&#128499;&#65039; A poll on </strong><em><strong>[on what you want]</strong></em></h2><p>Been thinking recently about how I&#8217;m the most annoying friend/family member cause I&#8217;m always running around telling people about the terrible things we&#8217;re doing to our brains and dopamine and blah blah blah.  And a friend asked me recently - <em>you&#8217;re creating resources you think people NEED, but what would you create if you were thinking about the resources people WANT?</em></p><p>And it&#8217;s got me thinking a lot. So help me out:</p><div class="poll-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:444058}" data-component-name="PollToDOM"></div><h2><strong>&#128279; Some link love</strong></h2><p>Quotes, Journal prompts &amp; recipes seem to be the theme of the links I&#8217;ve saved so far this year:</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUJFfa8EQEi/?igsh=aGZqYXAzZWI1dnJv">11 inspirational quotes </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTvJxgajcJ-/?igsh=cm84dnBmYzJrdXl5">High-protein brownies</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTKeJZ9Dq3Y/?igsh=am1uemRzeWVqbGY4">Some questions from monks</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTbbNi7kgxb/?igsh=MWdlbzNidDg3YjdsNg==">A salad</a> that looks amazing but probably isn&#8217;t</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTNl22KkcUs/?igsh=anV3aWY0ZGp3NHc2">Values Compass</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTFrGkxiK5Z/?igsh=MWRlZjF5M2t2NWh2eg==">January habits to &#8216;change your year&#8217;</a> (skeptical but saved)</p></li></ul><h2><strong>&#128198; What you missed in January</strong></h2><p>Below are some links to thoughts I&#8217;ve shared this past month! (Please note that some of my messier thoughts and musings are behind a paywall. You can read more about why I do that <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/about?sort=about">here</a>, and feel free to <a href="https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044105731-How-do-I-change-my-subscription-plan-">upgrade your subscription</a> to access them and support my research!)</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/why-putting-down-your-phone-might">Why putting your phone down might be the best thing you can do for democracy</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/winter-is-for-hibernation-not-hustle">Winter is for hibernation, not hustle</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-things-im-leaving">Some thoughts on things I&#8217;m leaving behind</a></p></li></ul><p>&#127379; The free resource for February is below (for paid subscribers!) </p><h2><strong>&#9999;&#65039; Free resource: Internal Weather Tracker </strong></h2><p>I first got this concept from<a href="https://austinkleon.com/2022/02/24/intentionally-spiraling-out/"> Austin Kleon</a> (who I think got it from someone else).  But it&#8217;s been really helpful for me in my life, as <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/internal-weather">I&#8217;ve shared before</a>, and a while back I made myself a little mini-planner that helps me track a few things each day: gratitude, internal weather, mood.  </p><p>When you don&#8217;t have time to journal, do morning pages, or have a quiet time, this short/quick prompt can be really helpful.  Below is the worksheet and an example!</p>
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          <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/relational-dynamics-why-you-might">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why putting down your phone might be the best thing you can do for democracy tonight]]></title><description><![CDATA[(Scrolling isn't helping)]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/why-putting-down-your-phone-might</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/why-putting-down-your-phone-might</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2026 03:42:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RhSM!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc1721e1-aa52-40b8-ac61-41d7182ef3fd_220x220.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well. It&#8217;s rough times.</p><p>And let me be honest: I&#8217;m stressed and afraid.  I don&#8217;t know how to act or what I&#8217;m supposed to do, and I feel very helpless.  </p><p>And, when I feel helpless. I research.  I seek to&#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/why-putting-down-your-phone-might">
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Winter is for hibernation, not hustle]]></title><description><![CDATA[*But scrolling is not hibernation]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/winter-is-for-hibernation-not-hustle</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/winter-is-for-hibernation-not-hustle</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 20:43:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My feed is currently full of people reminding me that winter is a season of hibernation.  It&#8217;s not the time for resolutions or new starts or rolling up your sleeves while you proclaim &#8220;this year I&#8217;m going to&#8230;&#8221; statements. </p><p>It might be surprising (considering that I&#8217;m doing a <a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop">workshop on planning for 2026</a> next week), but the truth is: I&#8217;m <strong>loving</strong> all these reminders that winter is not the time to try to execute new goals.  </p><p>I couldn&#8217;t agree more.</p><p>But - there&#8217;s one thing missing from the discourse that is really, really important.  (and explains why I&#8217;m doing the workshop next week).  </p><p>It IS a season for hibernation.</p><p>But hibernation IS NOT scrolling. Hibernation is not passive.  It isn&#8217;t a form of disconnection or dissociation, or lack of activity each day. </p><p>In fact, some of the versions of &#8216;hibernation&#8217; I&#8217;m seeing proposed for this season is actually the opposite of hibernation.  </p><p>Lying in bed and scrolling TikTok is the equivalent of a Bear pacing outside their cave for hours and hours hunting for berries and not stopping, even when it finds some.  It&#8217;s the equivalent of a rat running on a wheel.  It&#8217;s exhausting, not restorative.  It&#8217;s not a &#8216;winter&#8217; activity. </p><p>I&#8217;m a reflection/dreaming person, not because I don&#8217;t value rest, but because I <strong>do</strong>.  I actually wish MORE of us were hibernating right now.  And that&#8217;s what this season is for; that&#8217;s what the workshop is designed to be: an invitation to <strong>true</strong> hibernation.  </p><p>Hibernation is a state shift, designed to conserve energy.  Winter is hard.  And cold.  So bears enter a specific state that enables them to survive.  They shift their behavior, reallocate their energy to ensure their internal systems are prioritizing behavior that will enable their survival, vs wasting precious resources running after berries that they can&#8217;t find in winter. </p><p>New Year&#8217;s resolutions (as they tend to be understood) are counter to this.  And, they are not my jam.  As others have been highlighting - I don&#8217;t think winter is a good time for them - but more importantly, the research is clear - <strong>no time </strong>is good for them.  The way most people do resolutions and goal-setting doesn&#8217;t actually work at <em>any time of year</em>.  We aren&#8217;t good at muscling through and making change through willpower. </p><p>What I do this time of year, and what I&#8217;m inviting others to join me in, isn&#8217;t about optimization or new effort or finding energy you don&#8217;t have to do something that you don&#8217;t truly value.  </p><p>What I do this time of year is a form of hibernation.  It&#8217;s a retreat internally to notice how I&#8217;m spending my energy and recognizing that, because conditions out there are harsh, I need to reallocate my resources and prioritize what keeps me healthy.  I seek to let go of behaviors and patterns that spend energy that I do not have on things I don&#8217;t need and don&#8217;t value.  I hibernate. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png" width="170" height="164.71502590673575" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:748,&quot;width&quot;:772,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:170,&quot;bytes&quot;:158646,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/i/184044932?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0a75272-5eec-4efe-9ac5-8fb4263ede3f_1080x1350.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t4JF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcc049-e1a7-4cba-a609-df1857d2f618_772x748.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I&#8217;m a fan of reflecting and dreaming - not as a means to start something, but as a way to <em>return</em> to something - to restore something - to realign your behavior with what really matters to you.  It&#8217;s not about spending your energy to control yourself better; it&#8217;s about conserving your energy to stop wasting energy on things that don&#8217;t matter.  </p><p>And I happen to think that is exactly what this season is for.  </p><p>If you&#8217;re up for hibernating with me - come join me for the workshop live, or watch it in your own time.  Check it out at the link below.  </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Check out the workshop&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop"><span>Check out the workshop</span></a></p><p><em>Please note: shifted the time for some UK folks</em></p><p>&#128467; <strong>Tuesday, January 13</strong><br>&#9200; <strong>12:15&#8211;1:30 PM CT</strong><br>&#128205; <strong>Virtual (live)</strong><br>&#127909; <strong>Recording included</strong> (available if you can&#8217;t attend live)</p><p><em>We&#8217;ll use accessible neuroscience and guided reflection to clarify values and turn them into a few realistic, meaningful priorities for the next few months.</em></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some thoughts on things I’m leaving behind, moving toward, and some helpful tools for 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to 2026 | January Newsletter]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-things-im-leaving</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-things-im-leaving</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 16:04:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to 2026.  It&#8217;s a new year: fresh and blank, ready to be written all over by you.  That always seems like a sort of miracle to me. </p><p>Here&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve got for you this month:  </p><ul><li><p>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing <em><strong>[on what I&#8217;m leaving behind]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128149; A thought I&#8217;m loving <em><strong>[on goal setting]</strong></em></p></li><li><p><strong>&#128499;&#65039;</strong> A poll <em><strong>[on workshop-ish thing]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128279; Some links to <em><strong>[some good resources for a new year!]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128198; A full recap &amp; links to this past month&#8217;s posts</p></li></ul><h2><strong>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing </strong><em><strong>[on what I&#8217;m leaving behind]</strong></em></h2><p>I love all those posts about &#8216;letting go&#8217; or &#8216;what you&#8217;re leaving behind in 2025.&#8217; Love this concept, but when I sat down to do it for myself, I drew a blank.  I realized I needed some prompts to get my mind going that were a little more specific, so I came up with some new prompts that I&#8217;m processing through:  </p><ul><li><p><em>If I trusted that nothing meant for me would be lost, what would I loosen my grip on?</em></p></li><li><p><em>What do I want to stop resisting? </em></p></li><li><p><em>What am I no longer responsible for?</em></p></li><li><p><em>What am I tolerating that my body has been quietly objecting to?  Where is my body begging me to set boundaries?</em></p></li><li><p><em>If I let go of all the shoulds, what parts of my life or behavior would I shed? </em></p></li><li><p><em>What do I want to stop giving so much energy to (either internally or externally)? </em></p></li><li><p><em>If I let go of my expectations of how life was supposed to go, what would fall away?</em></p></li><li><p><em>If I stopped shaping myself to be easier to love, understand, or accept, what relational pattern might I release?</em></p></li><li><p><em>If I let go of things I can&#8217;t control, what would be released from my hands?</em></p></li><li><p><em>What ways of thinking or responding have been trying to keep me safe, but no longer serve me?</em></p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png" width="398" height="455.088504577823" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1124,&quot;width&quot;:983,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:398,&quot;bytes&quot;:1528002,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/i/183134597?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0edca627-d634-4817-8b66-0615f0358ce5_1080x1350.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-W4v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F687f8490-4621-4ead-afc8-64321291986c_983x1124.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2><strong>&#10084;&#65039; A thought I&#8217;m loving </strong><em><strong>[on goal setting]</strong></em></h2><p>Three things research shows that I want to tell you about that are influencing my goal-setting right now:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Goals need to be specific.  </strong>You&#8217;ve heard this before. We&#8217;ve all heard about SMART goals, and that&#8217;s because the research on this is clear: specific goals work better for our brains than vague &#8216;be better&#8217; goals.  BUT &#8212;&gt;</p></li><li><p><strong>Specific goals don&#8217;t always work.  </strong>Here&#8217;s the twist: other research demonstrates that a goal can be specific and measurable and still won&#8217;t happen if it doesn&#8217;t align with deeper values.  AND &#8212;&gt;</p></li><li><p><strong>Identity-based goals activate motivation.  </strong>We are most likely to do something when we think we associate a behavior with identity.  (E.g., people given tasks in studies who are told &#8216;don&#8217;t cheat&#8217; will cheat more than people who are told &#8216;don&#8217;t be a cheater.&#8217;) How we frame our goals matters.</p></li></ol><p>Goals work best when they are <strong>specific, value-aligned, and identity-supportive.</strong> </p><p>Come <a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop">make some goals with me in January</a>, and/or download <a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2025-values-workbook">the workbook</a> to make your own!</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>&#128499;&#65039; A poll on </strong><em><strong>[on workshop-ish thing]</strong></em></h2><p>I&#8217;m offering a <a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop">workshop in January</a> for goal-setting, but I&#8217;m curious if that&#8217;s the right format/timing/content for people?  </p><p><em>The guided workshop is designed to help you set goals that actually fit your values, your vision, and your real life.  It&#8217;s got some psychology stuff, practical tools, and intel on what actually helps us make real change in our lives.  (It&#8217;s virtual and live, but a recording will be available for those who can&#8217;t make it live.) </em></p><p>When you read that, what&#8217;s your impression of the workshop?  (And feel free to email me your thoughts too! Learning mode over here!!) </p><div class="poll-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:426440}" data-component-name="PollToDOM"></div><div><hr></div><h2><strong>&#128279; Some link love</strong></h2><p>For New Year&#8217;s reflection &amp; dreaming! </p><ul><li><p><a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop">Link to the workshop </a>if you are interested (you don&#8217;t have to attend live)!</p></li><li><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxHQkdcDCU2OQ5JnoTOhEiLpiL4ww4hejoxS8njoYfs/template/preview">A template of some reflection questions I use </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2025-values-workbook">A workbook</a> I made on setting goals aligned with values </p></li><li><p>Inspo for a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DS7_zY-DyNC/?igsh=N3ptcW9jYWFnazYz">&#8216;More and Less&#8217; </a>list for the coming year</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DS2ZY9Cj-g-/?igsh=MW1jNTh3NXhnNWNjdg==">Days to put on the calendar in 2026</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DS2bIDLCDQW/?igsh=bmM2Mmt4bmM4OWk3">Noticing your constraints and energy before you set goals </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSxFfFoD4Kt/?igsh=aXpwNGdrZnF2OWp5">A guide to journaling for 2026</a></p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2><strong>&#128198; What you missed in December</strong></h2><p>Below are some links to thoughts I&#8217;ve shared this past month! (Please note that some of my messier thoughts and musings are behind a paywall. You can read more about why I do that <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/about?sort=about">here</a>, and feel free to <a href="https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044105731-How-do-I-change-my-subscription-plan-">upgrade your subscription</a> to access them and support my research!)</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/processing-and-planning-at-the-end">Year-End Reflection &amp; Planning Resource</a>s - Downloadable resources (plus free workbook for paid subscribers)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-little-food-for-thought-this-christmas">A little food for thought this Christmas Eve</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/tis-the-season-2ca">&#8216;Tis the season for grief </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-advent-to-those-who-feel-like">Happy Advent to those who feel like they&#8217;re in a holding pattern</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-hope-some-advent">Some thoughts on hope, some Advent resources, and links to my favorite products from 2025</a></p></li></ul><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading all the way down here! My writing is fueled by coffee, curiosity, and readers like you! If you want to help me keep writing and researching, you should know that subscribers are my heroes.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Year-End Reflection & Planning Resources]]></title><description><![CDATA[Downloadable resources &#128071;]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/processing-and-planning-at-the-end</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/processing-and-planning-at-the-end</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:15:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s the second most wonderful time of the year: reflection &amp; dreaming season.  I&#8217;m a sucker for a year-end reflection, and I&#8217;m obsessed with a reset and focus for the coming year.  </p><p>Over the years, I&#8217;ve developed a <strong>few tools</strong> I use every year to reflect, reset, and plan, informed by research on motivation, values, and behavior change. I&#8217;ll share those below. </p><p>I&#8217;m also offering a <strong><a href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop">workshop in January</a></strong> where I walk people through this process more fully and help them turn reflection into goals they can actually follow through on.</p><h4><em><strong>Phase one: Processing</strong></em></h4><ul><li><p>Reflection: I do a little bit of journaling and a lot of reflecting at the close of a year. I keep this super open-ended.  I&#8217;m not usually trying to form any conclusions here. I&#8217;m just letting my brain notice and reflect on what my year was like.   </p></li><li><p>I do the same kind of open-ended processing when I think about the next year. I think through different categories of my life and just dream about how I want them to look and feel.  Nothing concrete, just&#8230;dreaming.</p></li></ul><p>I use the same questions each year and write my answers all in one doc.  I&#8217;ve gathered so many over the years and edited them to work for me, but below is a pretty exhaustive list I found.  I&#8217;ve saved it as a template, so you can just click use and use it. (One of my favorite things is reading the dreams I wrote last year as I&#8217;m reflecting, and admiring the surprising ways life sometimes makes sense of things you didn&#8217;t even understand when you were writing them.)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxHQkdcDCU2OQ5JnoTOhEiLpiL4ww4hejoxS8njoYfs/template/preview&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Reflection Questions Template&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxHQkdcDCU2OQ5JnoTOhEiLpiL4ww4hejoxS8njoYfs/template/preview"><span>Reflection Questions Template</span></a></p><h4><em><strong>Phase two: Planning </strong></em></h4><p>Phase two is turning those thoughts and processes into concrete goals and plans.  I do this in a few steps.  </p><ul><li><p>First, I come up with some succinct values. I read through my answers and processing and write out some values that I notice that I want to live into in the coming year.</p></li><li><p>Then, I translate those values into concrete goals, behaviors, and habits. </p></li></ul><p>I created a workbook to help with this, which you can purchase at the link below. If you&#8217;re a paid subscriber, you can scroll to the bottom of this email and get a coupon code to <strong>get it for free!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://fabienneharford.com/2025-values-workbook&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Values Workbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://fabienneharford.com/2025-values-workbook"><span>Values Workbook</span></a></p><p>If you find yourself unsure how to move from processing and dreaming into goals that actually fit your values and real life, or you just want company and structure for this process, <strong>I&#8217;m hosting a small, guided workshop</strong> in January where we&#8217;ll do this work together.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Designing Your Year Workshop&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://fabienneharford.com/2026-designing-your-year-guided-workshop"><span>Designing Your Year Workshop</span></a></p><p><strong>Designing Your Year Workshop</strong> is a live, 90-minute online space to clarify what matters, set direction for the year, and build goals that align with the life you&#8217;re actually trying to live.</p><p>Monday, January 13 | 6:30&#8211;8:00 PM CT<br>Live online &#183; Recording provided</p><p><strong>$39 &#183; $19 for paid subscribers</strong></p><p>Paid subscribers - get your free workbook &amp; workshop coupon code below!</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png" width="344" height="311.49893842887474" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:853,&quot;width&quot;:942,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:344,&quot;bytes&quot;:860315,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/i/182577189?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4fae1b86-e1c7-46f5-bfca-c41d3ae369ed_1080x1350.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-nZX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F07887331-9893-400b-94cc-9d4e6e743c70_942x853.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A little food for thought this Christmas Eve ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Merry Christmas]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-little-food-for-thought-this-christmas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-little-food-for-thought-this-christmas</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 11:00:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I like to think about Mary and Joseph all those years ago, waking up that first day with their new baby. As they looked at him they will have done what most parents do instinctively. It&#8217;s called <em><strong>&#8216;mirroring and marking,&#8217;</strong></em> and it&#8217;s what we all do when we look at new babies.</p><p><em>Mirroring</em> is what happens when you see a respectable adult making weird faces at a baby. It&#8217;s the instinctive way you make a sad face as the baby cries, as you feel empathy and pain with them. By entering into the feeling the baby is feeling, and reflecting it back to them, it helps them know they are understood and not alone in the sensation they are experiencing.</p><p><em>Marking</em> is the interruption of their sensation from someone outside of the experience. It&#8217;s when a parent speaks soothingly as a child screams. It helps a baby grasp that what they are feeling is not happening to everyone everywhere. Which makes them feel safe.  It means there is someone who is not overwhelmed by the same experience who is able to help them manage whatever is going on.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png" width="420" height="259.7080291970803" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:593,&quot;width&quot;:959,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:420,&quot;bytes&quot;:618987,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/i/182497566?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F917654b7-7e56-466e-b88e-f690a3c93359_1408x768.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jAqx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89bc84f-ad8b-4a47-9eae-87d47a8375ec_959x593.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Too many of us reduce God to a &#8216;marking&#8217; God. A God who speaks calmly into our pain - telling us true things to pull us out of our emotional spirals; who interrupts our emotional experiences with His glorious promises of truth. </p><p>But today we celebrate the miracle of Advent: a God who came to enter into this world with us to be with us inside the chaos. <em><strong>Emmanuel</strong></em>: the God who <em><strong>mirrors</strong></em> to us - the God who feels with us.  Who lets us know that our emotions and feelings make sense, that they are understood, and we are not alone.</p><p>The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, indeed. </p><h1><em><strong>Merry Christmas</strong></em> </h1><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to prioritize what really matters this Christmas]]></title><description><![CDATA[A little brain science to help you be present with the people you love]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/how-to-prioritize-what-really-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/how-to-prioritize-what-really-matters</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 17:59:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3gk_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F17158d74-463a-4872-bce1-d3b60fabfd1d_1080x1350.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve been doing a deep dive into goal setting and the neuroscience of our obstacles to focusing and achieving our goals (workshop coming soon maybe?!)  One of the things I&#8217;ve been trying to get my he&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA['Tis the season]]></title><description><![CDATA[for grief]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/tis-the-season-2ca</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/tis-the-season-2ca</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 18:22:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wZD2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf1d3b17-3513-4898-a1ce-61a74fb4a006_849x882.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I fully believe it is the most wonderful time of the year, AND it&#8217;s also the season of grief.  </p><p>The divided family that was once united, the absent spouse, the missing mom, the empty seat at the table&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Happy Advent to those who feel like they're in a holding pattern]]></title><description><![CDATA[God with us when life feels meaningless]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-advent-to-those-who-feel-like</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-advent-to-those-who-feel-like</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:33:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GOEB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F677acf04-7cd4-4f83-989f-d908f6144411_1546x934.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For those who are going through the <a href="https://fabienneharford.com/advent-emmanuel-god-with-us-in-the-mess-of-life-poster">Advent devotional </a>or<a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/advent-daily-audio-devotional"> Advent audio guide</a>, today&#8217;s Advent is <em><strong>God with us when life feels meaningless.</strong></em>  </p><p>I think maybe <em><strong>meaningless</strong></em> was the wrong word to use.  But stil&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some thoughts on hope, some advent resources and links to my favorite products from 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[December 2025 Newsletter]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-hope-some-advent</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-hope-some-advent</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 21:37:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EMWZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F41e903d1-2bd0-4165-8822-b8740b9ac6ac_227x252.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We have arrived in the greatest month of the year.  And I have a VERY FULL newsletter, so skip around to whatever piques your interest!   Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ve got:</p><ul><li><p>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing <em><strong>[on how we avoid hope]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128149; A thought I&#8217;m loving <em><strong>[on a good question to ask others]</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128214; Advent resources! <em>[I&#8217;m swapping out the monthly poll to share links to some <strong>Advent resources + free audio guides</strong> for paid subscribers]</em></p></li><li><p>&#128279; Some links to: <em><strong>my favorite products of 2025 for some gift inspo for your peeps!</strong></em></p></li><li><p>&#128198; A full recap &amp; links to this past month&#8217;s posts</p></li></ul><h2><strong>&#129300; A thought I&#8217;m processing </strong><em><strong>[on how we avoid hope]</strong></em></h2><p>I just shared our kick-off <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/questions-of-christmas-how-can-i-be-sure/id1121889508?i=1000739034226">Advent message at church on Sunday, </a>and prepping for it had me processing a lot about hope.  Hope is the theme of the first Sunday of Advent. </p><p>Hope is hard on the brain.  We have to have really good distress tolerance and strong emotional resilience to be willing to engage with it.</p><p>Hope is defined by <strong>three elements,</strong> and we tend to avoid it or manage the anxiety of it by reducing one of these three elements:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Desire or longing&#8230; -</strong> we tend to avoid hope by reducing this (e.g., in the words of Elphaba, &#8220;<em>don&#8217;t wish, don&#8217;t start&#8230;&#8221;).  </em>But real hope includes feeling the fullness of <em>longing</em> associated with a desire.</p></li><li><p><strong>&#8230;accompanied by expectation or anticipation&#8230; -</strong> some of us are &#8216;defensive pessimists&#8217; who &#8216;hope for the best, plan for the worst&#8217;, but if this is you, you are not&nbsp;hoping at all. Because part of what makes hope hope is that we <em>hope</em>.  (We actually &#8216;get our hopes up&#8217;.)</p></li><li><p>&#8230;<strong>in a context where the outcome is uncertain or unclear </strong>- this is what makes hope so hard.  We have to have hope when something isn&#8217;t yet fulfilled.  Which means it includes uncertainty and risk of disappointment.  This is why we don&#8217;t like it so much in the brain places.  Some of us think of ourselves as hopeful, but really we&#8217;re just blind optimists who ignore the reality that something is uncertain or not fully promised or guaranteed.  We just say &#8220;it&#8217;s going to happen&#8221; and ignore the possibility that <em>it might not.</em>  </p></li></ol><p>To be a hopeful people is to tolerate uncertainty and to face the risk of disappointment, because we trust ourselves, or our faith, to endure that disappointment.  </p><p>Here&#8217;s hoping we get better at hope. </p><h2><strong>&#10084;&#65039; A thought I&#8217;m loving </strong><em><strong>[on asking good questions]</strong></em></h2><p>I am obsessed with <a href="https://thesicktimes.org/2025/11/28/you-know-someone-with-long-covid-they-need-you-to-ask-about-it-genuinely/">this beautiful essay about living with Long Covid</a>.** The ideas I&#8217;ve extracted below feel relevant for all of us: </p><blockquote><p>&#8220;At a bookstore last summer, I came across Sigrid Nunez&#8217;s novel <em><a href="https://sigridnunez.com/books/what-are-you-going-through/">What Are You Going Through</a></em>. There it was: the question I&#8217;d longed to be asked, written on its cover in unfussy lowercase letters, like a whisper meant for me&#8230;</p><p>&#8220;The title of Nunez&#8217;s novel is borrowed from Simone Weil&#8217;s essay collection <em><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waiting-for-god-simone-weil/1000322467?ean=9780061718960">Waiting for God</a></em>. Weil writes that asking, <em>What are you going through?</em> is the truest form of loving one&#8217;s neighbor. In her native French, the translation sounds even more frank: <em>Quel est ton tourment?</em></p><p>It reminded me of another great question I used to hear when I taught English as a Second Language in San Francisco. When my Saudi students entered my classroom each morning, they&#8217;d greet me with <em>Kayf haal-ik?</em> Which is to ask, <em>How is your heart doing, at this very breath?</em></p><p>Questions such as these, in their sincerest expression, don&#8217;t seek easy answers. Asked with genuine care, they offer an opening for the unspoken to be witnessed. In a landscape of hurried glances, they stop to truly look&#8230;</p><p>Lately, on my slow walks around the neighborhood, I try to keep an eye out for people who seem to be holding some untold grief. It could be anyone. The man outside the 7-Eleven with the egg-white hair, his hand trembling as he opens a pack of cigarettes. The nanny, kneeling to lift the child&#8217;s dropped lunch bag in the crosswalk.</p><h4><em>What are you going through? How is your heart, at this very breath?</em></h4></blockquote><p>(**Reading this essay felt like someone speaking for my heart, and at the same time, made me so incredibly thankful for my family and others in my life who have made this disease less lonely than it could have been and has been for so many.)</p><div><hr></div><h2><strong>&#128214;  Some resources </strong><em><strong>[for advent]</strong></em></h2><p>Okay!  Here are some resources for your advent season: </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://fabienneharford.com/advent-emmanuel-god-with-us-in-the-mess-of-life-poster&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Advent Devotional (PDF) - $9.99&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://fabienneharford.com/advent-emmanuel-god-with-us-in-the-mess-of-life-poster"><span>Advent Devotional (PDF) - $9.99</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://bit.ly/4pFI8JZ&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Advent Audio Devotional (Free for PSubs)&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://bit.ly/4pFI8JZ"><span>Advent Audio Devotional (Free for PSubs)</span></a></p><p>Everyone can try out Day One below &#8212;&gt; </p><h4><strong>DAY01: </strong><em><strong>Jesus with us in the mess</strong></em></h4><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;5003c98e-df05-408c-80de-53acca3ebf28&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:410.25305,&quot;downloadable&quot;:true,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div><hr></div><h2><strong>&#128279; Some link love for gift inspo!</strong></h2><p>Okay - here are my favorites of  2025.  These are the items I own that I have loved this year that I own.  </p><ol><li><p><strong>BRICK &#8212;&gt; </strong>This is a good practical gift.  This device helps me with my phone so much and I am HERE FOR IT.  (I think <strong><a href="https://www.getbrick.app/FABIENNE96715)">this link</a></strong> should give you $10 off)</p></li><li><p><strong>Best sheets ever &#8212;&gt; </strong>I never share these because I do&#8217;nt want to be judged for how expensive they are, but listen. I have Long Covid.  And when I bought these for myself I was spending 75% of my life in bed.  So, they should cost as much as my couch okay?  And they don&#8217;t.  OBSESSED.  (I think my link gets you a discount, and me something!) <strong><a href="https://cozyearth.com/FABIENNEHARFORD">Here you go</a>! </strong> (Also, amazing return policy)</p></li><li><p><strong>Journal I loved this year &#8212;&gt; </strong>I put this <strong>Plotline Journal </strong>on my christmas list <strong>last year,</strong> after a series of instagram ads, and I&#8217;ve been surprised at how meaningful it&#8217;s been for me!  I&#8217;m going to make my own and put my own twist on it this year, but someting about this concept was SO helpful for my brain!  <a href="https://doitfortheplotline.com/">No code, but here you go! </a></p></li><li><p><strong>App</strong> <strong>for health</strong> <strong>&#8212;&gt; </strong>Okay, obvi I started using this cause I have long covid, but I also tell EVERYONE about it. I&#8217;m obsessed with the way it tells me exactly what exercise/heart-rate I have to hit each day based on sleep/HRV - to help my body gradually get stronger.  I&#8217;m so obsessed, I asked for an affiliate link, which I think gets you lik 90% off.  <strong><a href="https://app.welltory.com/payments/plans/main/?coupon=ambassadormonth">Here ya go.</a></strong>  Try it for free and you&#8217;ll be hooked. </p></li><li><p><strong>Pens </strong>&#8212;&gt; Okay, I&#8217;m a total pen snob, but these are all over the place:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Cheap pens</strong> for fast writing - my bro-in-law got me t<a href="http://amazon.com/dp/B0BK53DW9N?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1">hese cheap pens</a> for my birthday a few years back becuas ethey&#8217;re funny, but I enjoyed writing with them so much I re-upped when I ran out!! They aren&#8217;t fancy or for precision writing, but I use them for brain-dump-journaling and I love them.  </p></li><li><p><strong>Fatter option - </strong>I tried <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZHBZP84?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&amp;th=1">this guy out</a> after it won some kind of japenese stationary award and I like it. It&#8217;s not an every day use for me, cause I like a fine point, but I use it for headings and find it pleasing.</p></li><li><p>My go-to pen - I like a FINE POINT so don&#8217;t come at me becuase it&#8217;s too fine, but <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y3T81ZZ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5">this is my go-to</a>.  I use this EVERY DAY ALL DAY in my planner.  </p></li></ol></li><li><p><strong>Back to bed &#8212;&gt; </strong>I wasn&#8217;t crazy about the sheets, but straight up obsessed with the sunday citizen comforter, and also love their weighted blanket.  Not sure what discount this gets you, but I think $20 off? <strong><a href="http://rwrd.io/twmbw31?c">Here you go!</a></strong><a href="http://rwrd.io/twmbw31?c"> </a></p></li><li><p><strong>Comfy clothes &#8212;&gt;</strong> Obsessed with these joggers. I have them in multiple colors.  One of oprah&#8217;s fave things (and mine). (I think my link gets you a discount, and me something!) <strong><a href="https://cozyearth.com/FABIENNEHARFORD">Here you go</a>! </strong>(Also like the pjs!)</p></li></ol><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/41e903d1-2bd0-4165-8822-b8740b9ac6ac_227x252.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/09321d12-cbf7-4d75-a00b-ebce2b4eb21e_368x568.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8362365c-1815-46a3-82be-b02446dc64ca_400x540.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/27052824-6b73-46b7-a51a-bc497d1a691b_1396x1138.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2035eda1-76f7-4f29-b74c-7284b95c474d_577x618.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b95535b3-cbf2-4f08-8599-d46f0119d26d_184x463.png&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4eb51334-2dcf-4106-8cc7-219dc98e622d_1456x964.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div><hr></div><h2><strong>&#128198; What you missed in November</strong></h2><p>Below are some links to thoughts I&#8217;ve shared this past month! (Please note that some of my messier thoughts and musings are behind a paywall. You can read more about why I do that <a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/about?sort=about">here</a>, and feel free to <a href="https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044105731-How-do-I-change-my-subscription-plan-">upgrade your subscription</a> to access them and support my research!)</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/a-thanksgiving-table-activity-that">Some gratitude activities </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/happy-national-singles-day-to-everyone">Happy &#8220;National Singles Day&#8221; to everyone who wasn&#8217;t expecting to celebrate </a>- some reasons singleness might feel surprising </p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/while-were-on-the-topic-of-singleness">While we&#8217;re on the topic of singleness</a> - a rant about modern-day dating/relationships</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.fabsharford.com/p/some-thoughts-on-gratitude-a-dopamine">Some thoughts on gratitude and a dopamine habit challenge</a></p></li></ul><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.fabsharford.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">(I&#8217;m trying to figure out how to make building resources and courses and such, my livelihood, so that&#8217;s why I charge for these things.)</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="pullquote"><p>Thanks for reading! </p></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Advent Daily Audio Devotional ]]></title><description><![CDATA[God with you in the mess of life]]></description><link>https://www.fabsharford.com/p/advent-daily-audio-devotional</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.fabsharford.com/p/advent-daily-audio-devotional</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[fabsharford]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 20:55:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8d1ee92c-5e4e-4098-8cc5-929743ab8056_585x586.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Happy Advent Day One!  </p><p>The people have spoken: Audio Guide was the preferred Advent vibe in my November poll.   Luckily, for you (and me), I created some Advent daily devotional audio guides a few ye&#8230;</p>
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