Friday

"It is safe for me to be happy."

Welcome to Friday! Today, we're chatting about:

• Is coffee making you anxious?

• This coconut cat litter stays fresh longer.

• Try this hack to keep your home clean

• These plants could benefit your mental health

• How to lower your electricity bills

How Coffee Can Impact Anxiety

A warm mug of coffee feels like a small act of self-care—until it doesn’t. If you’ve ever felt your heart race or your brain buzz a little too hard, caffeine might be doing more than just waking you up.

Caffeine is a stimulant that energizes your central nervous system. But in larger doses, it can overstimulate it—leading to jitteriness, a racing heartbeat, and for some, heightened anxiety. It also blocks GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps you feel calm.

That means even your second cup could be disrupting your body’s natural chill. Research has shown that anxiety symptoms are more likely to appear when people consume more than 400 mg of caffeine a day (around 4 cups of brewed coffee).

If you're someone who’s sensitive to caffeine—or just feeling off lately—it might be worth noticing how your daily dose is affecting your mood. Cutting back or switching to a lower-caffeine option can be a small but powerful tweak.

5 Billion Pounds of Cat Litter Ends Up in Landfills Each Year

Most traditional cat litters are made from strip-mined clay or silica—materials that end up in landfills and never break down. Tailfeather is changing that with cat litter that’s better for your cat and the planet.

Made from coconut husk and cassava, Tailfeather is soft, natural, and instinctively appealing to cats. Coconut is a powerful natural absorber, holding up to 9x its weight in liquid. It clumps fast, locks in odors without artificial scents, and stays in the box thanks to its low-dust, low-tracking formula.

Tailfeather is 70% lighter than traditional litter, fully biodegradable, and comes in 100% plastic-free packaging. Each box lasts up to 8 weeks, meaning fewer changes and less waste. It’s also delivered straight to your door.

Note To Self readers get $15 off your first order for the next 24 hours with code NTS15.

Try Tailfeather today. Your cat (and the Earth) will thank you.

Thank you to Tailfeather for sponsoring Note To Self.

Try the "5 Things" Method To Tidy Your Home

Feeling like you need to organize and tidy up but not having the time to do it can feel draining, to say the least.

However, we sometimes forget that it's not all-or-nothing. We can do a little at a time.

One organizing method — known as the "5 Things" method — is a great way to break down tidying up into a more manageable system.

In this system, you use 5 different categories to tidy up:

1. Trash: Pick up all the miscellaneous trash you can find, and put it in a bag to toss.

2. Dishes: Put dirty dishes in the sink (or if they're already in the sink, load what you can in the dishwasher).

3. Laundry: Put dirty clothes in the hamper or directly toss them in the washer.

4. Things that have a home: Put scattered miscellaneous items you know have a home into a pile.

5. Things that need a home: Make another pile of things that need a home.

This method doesn't ask you to do it all — it's meant to help you feel a little more organized and start feeling motivated, making the individual tasks more manageable.

If, as you start making a pile of items with a home, you want to put them all in their designated spots, give yourself permission to do that!

This is all about making things easier and doing what works for you.

How Different Plants Can Help With Our Mental Health

The great outdoors can do wonders for our mental health. Humans have a natural inclination to connect with nature — it makes us happy and has so many other great benefits!

However, we might not always be able to spend as much time outdoors as we would like.

Indoor plants are a great way to mimic the pleasure of being outside, even if we can't be.

Any house plant can have benefits, as we derive peace from tending to houseplants and the fragrance can be mood-boosting.

Some plants have specific benefits, including:

• Lavender: Helps promote feelings of calm

• Snake plants: Can help remove toxins in our homes

• Gerbera daisies: Are linked with relaxation and cheerfulness

• Indoor green plants: May help "elicit positive emotion, which in turn reduce people's mental stress."

Consider adding a plant or two to your home, and see how it impacts your mood!

Ditch High Electric Bills with Solar

Wellness Round-Up:

Parting Thoughts

• ✅ True or False: False — Even small actions, like stepping outside for five minutes or taking a deep breath, can make a difference.

• 🐈 Long-lasting and eco-friendly— this litter is better for your cat and the planet.

• 🙋🏼‍♀️ Snapshot Of The Day: We'd love to see moments from our readers’ lives that they are proud of! If you recently accomplished an achievement, experienced a joyful moment, or are proud of a picture you have taken, be sure to capture it on camera and send it to us for a chance to be featured next week! 

• 💭 Final Self-Care Thoughts for Today: Take a few extra minutes today to show your skin some love!

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]!