👋 I can't stop thinking about you.

It's Monday. I'm here for you.

The Pick Me Up is a Monday morning newsletter filled with advice, personal stories, and tips to help you get out of bed and jumpstart your week.

Greetings friend.

It’s me — Jen Glantz.

People with very good intentions are telling me to trust my gut.

It’s advice I used to love and hand out like free candy on Halloween.

But what I’m learning, deep into my journey as a brand new mom, is that trusting your gut is a fuzzy numb feeling when your anxiety is high and your sleep count is low.

I don’t feel like I have a gut right now and if I do, it’s dancing to an EDM set in Ibiza or something.

Everyone has been telling me that motherhood is easy because you secretly always know what to do. “Just listen to your intuition, you’re made for this!”

But I don’t feel like I’m made for this. I feel like I’m learning how to do this minute-by-minute.

This whole gut thing bothers me. It’ll be 3 in the morning and my baby will be screaming her lungs out for what seems like no reason and i’ll be sitting there rubbing my stomach thinking: Gut, where are you? If you’re trying to tell me something, can you speak up? Can you make it more obvious? Can you say it three times ?

I’ll look for clues. I’ll grab onto anything as a sign.

My gut throws me question marks. It makes me feel like I’m not good at being a mom.

But I know that’s not true. I’m a really good mom. I’m just realizing that maybe some people have a gut that tags along with them 24/7 and maybe some people don’t.

My gut has stopped me from making some very questionable decisions - like getting my lip pierced at 18 or marrying someone very wrong for me.

But right now, my gut is on a sabbatical, a vacation, a hibernation.

When it decides to come back, I’ll be the first to say that I’ve missed it, strangely. But I’ve been able to find my way without it, somehow, in some very odd way.

In this issue: Part (2) of the year-end inventory process and little life updates.

Why you’re getting this: I'm Jen Glantz and this is The Pick-Me-Up newsletter. I've been sending it every Monday, for 8-years, to thousands of awesome humans, just like you. Thank you for letting this email live in your inbox. It truly makes my heart explode with joy.

Ps. I’m so grateful that you’re reading this because writing this newsletter every week is my favorite thing. If you know anyone who would adore getting this in their inbox, it would mean the world if you’d share it.

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⚡Instant Pick Me Ups

Ps. All of the picks from the past few months are all inside this list here!

📚: I’ve never been into celeb memoirs before but here I am listening to another as an audiobook. Have any books to recommend from this year? Leave them in the comments below.

📄: I’ve noticed that I feel better when I match my workouts with my energy level and mood. Right now, high-intensity workouts or bootcamps just overstimulate and exhaust me in ways that aren’t good. So I’ve been using this to take local pilates and yoga classes. It’s been really good for my mental health and also my body. Hot yoga is my absolute favorite thing in the world.

👗: I was scanning Oprah’s favorite thing list of 2023 and here are the items that seemed like good gift ideas:

• I see everyone wearing this bag. It’s a little pricey but seems great for everyday use and errands.

• Gemma is too young for this but I love this brand. A great gift for kids.

• I got this for one of my besties who loves her dog more than anything in the world.

• This is a little dark but also important. I grabbed this to help me get things in order.

• A sweet gift for anyone in your life who travels a lot of or wants to be more organized.

🛠️: I’ve been working hard on a few big things. Bridesmaid for Hire officially launched (3) new tools. We have a maid of honor and best man speech writing tool + a vow writing tool. They are fun, interactive, and super easy to use. All of them are here + free to test out!

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A List of Things I Never Want to Think About Again.

Last week, we started chatting about how to do a year-end inventory.

AKA how to properly say goodbye to a year you just lived so you can walk into a new one without so much baggage rummaging around on your shoulder blades.

Part (1): Was all about taking inventory on the months that you lived.

Part (2): Is getting the things done that you’ve put off too long.

I call it: I never want to think about you again week.

It’s where I make a list of things I should have done ages ago and I go off an do them.

I finally went to the doctor this week for my lingering knee issues.

She asked me how long my knee has been hurting for.

Three years, I said.

You mean three months? she said.

No, three years.

I didn’t even bother to tell her why it took me so long to book an appointment and get my knee checked out because I’m not in pity-me mood, I’m in: Get things done mode.

I made a list of 10 things that I should have done years ago — or just this year — that I haven’t done.

Getting my knee looked at is one of those things. Finishing the final chapter of my book that I was supposed to finish in 2021 is another.

The rest of the list is so boring but it’s necessary.

Because if I walk into 2024 with these things undone, I’ll feel like a sad little sloth.

I don’t want to think about these things anymore.

I want to clear out space in my mind.

So I made this list and now I am doing these things as quickly as I can.

There are 8 weeks left in the year.

What’s on your “I should have done these things already” list?

Write the list down and keep it in front of you.

Make plans to make these things happen.

There’s no better feeling than sitting down on the last day of the year knowing that you said goodbye to lingering things in your life, things that don’t need to follow you into 2024.

Share one thing from your list below. Let us all cheer you on as you go.

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👩 Real Life Pick-Me-Ups:

• I’m trying to stay chill about holiday gifts this year. I don’t want to spend a fortune but I have a long list of people I want to give something nice too. I’m starting the process early but making a spreadsheet of who is on my gift list and what type of gift I want to give them (sentimental, funny, helpful, etc.). I’m hoping by staying organized and easing into the process, I won’t overspend. I’d like to gift 20 people nice things without spend more than few hundred dollars.

• No two-bedroom apartment update. We’ve completely outgrown our one-bedroom apartment and it makes me so sad that one day we’ll leave it behind. It’s a small but beautiful space. I’ll forever cherish this space but I’m aware that we can’t stay here much longer.

• Your comments, support, and feedback keep me going with this newsletter! Say hello in the comments below :)

Until next week —