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Monday

"I let this season meet me where I am."

Happy Monday! Today, we're chatting about:

• The missing ingredient in healthy eating

• A simple way to shake off winter brain fog

• Where to learn tech skills employers want

• How to improve your gut health

• Finding stock market news early

Why Pleasure Belongs on Your Plate

Food is often talked about in terms of nutrients, rules, and restraint, but pleasure plays an important role, too. Enjoying what’s on your plate isn’t indulgent or irresponsible; it’s part of how the body processes food and feels safe while eating. When meals feel calm and satisfying, the nervous system shifts into a “rest and digest” mode that supports digestion and nutrient absorption.

Research also suggests that enjoying food can support more balanced eating habits over time. Satisfaction helps reduce the urge to overeat or swing between restriction and mindless snacking. When food tastes good and feels emotionally fulfilling, meals tend to feel complete instead of rushed or chaotic.

Pleasure also adds meaning to eating beyond fuel. Shared meals, familiar recipes, and cultural foods can create comfort and connection, both with others and with personal history. Those emotional layers matter just as much as what’s on the nutrition label.

Letting pleasure have a seat at the table can make eating feel more supportive, sustainable, and human.

The Easiest Morning Habit for Clearer Thinking

Winter mornings often bring mental fog, even after a full night’s sleep. Short daylight hours, colder temperatures, and less movement all affect focus, but hydration plays a role, too. After several hours of sleep, the body naturally loses water through breathing and skin, which can leave the brain slightly under-fueled by morning.

Drinking water shortly after waking helps restore circulation and supports blood flow to the brain. Even mild dehydration has been linked to reduced attention, slower processing speed, and lower mood—often before thirst feels obvious. Hydration doesn’t act like caffeine; instead of stimulating the nervous system, it removes a physical stressor that can quietly impair clarity.

Most experts suggest starting with 8 to 16 ounces of water within the first hour of waking. Keeping water by the bed or pairing it with an existing habit, like making coffee, can make it easier to remember.

Small routines like this can help mornings feel steadier, clearer, and more grounded—especially during winter.

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Thank you to Udacity for sponsoring Note To Self. 

The Gut Health Basics Many People Miss

Your gut microbiome isn’t just about digestion. It influences immunity, metabolism, mood, and inflammation. And while genetics play a role, daily food habits matter more than most people realize.

One of the biggest issues is a lack of variety. Eating the same foods on repeat limits microbial diversity, which is linked to poorer gut resilience. Highly processed foods and sugary drinks can also disrupt balance by increasing inflammation and weakening the gut barrier.

Fiber is one of the most powerful tools for gut health, yet most people don’t get enough. Whole plant foods feed beneficial bacteria, while relying on supplements or trendy prebiotic drinks alone often falls short. Even foods that cause temporary bloating, like beans or lentils, can be helpful when introduced slowly and consistently.

Probiotic supplements may help in specific cases, but they’re not a long-term fix. A diverse, fiber-rich diet does far more to support your gut over time.

Think less about perfection, and more about variety, consistency, and real food.

If You Could Be Earlier Than 85% of the Market?

Most read the move after it runs. The top 250K start before the bell.

Elite Trade Club turns noise into a five-minute plan—what’s moving, why it matters, and the stocks to watch now. Miss it and you chase.

Catch it and you decide.

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Wellness Round-Up

Parting Thoughts

• ✅ True or False: True, body feedback is useful information.

• 🌅 Sunset Of The Day: Sunsets are more than beautiful—they’re actually good for your mood. Got a favorite one? Reply to this email with your best sunset or sunrise photo for a chance to be featured!

• 💭 Final Self-Care Thoughts for Today: You don’t need a perfect plan to nourish yourself. What matters most is listening to your body and building habits that feel realistic and kind.

Enjoying Note to Self?

Know of a great self-care tip or article you'd love to share with the community? Want to send us pictures of you completing one of your self-care rituals? Email us at [email protected]!