This morning I had the joy of someone sticking a camera down my throat to investigate what is going on in my insides. It came with a bonus of sedation. As I commonly do, I underestimated the impact this would have on my ability to function for the rest of the day.
So much for my carefully planned content calendar.
But here we are at the end of week one: CALM. And honestly, I can’t think of a better way to illustrate what this week was actually about.
Today’s thought: This week I was going to write inspiring things about choosing calm, about pausing intentionally, about taking control of your pace. But control was elusive for me. A bad day on Wednesday. A medical procedure on Friday. The universe reminding me that I can’t control it all.
What I can do is find my calm.
Calm isn’t about everything going according to plan. It’s about what you do when the plan falls apart. It’s about giving yourself permission to handle it, or not. To make the right decision for that moment. To be able to take the pause before you react instinctively, so you’re not on automatic pilot.
This week has been about finding our own calm, so we’ve got the space to find our why – and our how. We’re on a slow run up, but I promise, taking our time will help.
Today’s nudge: When things don’t go to plan, we can find ourselves acting on instinct. Try to find that pause. We can do that proactively by building friction into our day where we need to pause.
Where can you add a little friction? Maybe:
Have a “rule” that you don’t say yes to anything on the phone – you’ll call them back
When you see something you like online shopping, put it in your basket, and see if you remember to go back to it later
Take a calming breath
Create a daily practice of journalling or reflecting on your day, week, month?
Today’s Prompt: What would change if I gave myself the same grace I’d give someone else in my situation?
I used to think that when I had a bad day I had to fix it. That I must have done something wrong. That I should do better. Exercise it away. Journal through it. Positive affirmations. Action, action, action. And that can definitely help.
But sometimes that just makes it worse. Sometimes you just need to sit with that feeling. Get to know it. Name it. Befriend it. Take the power out of it.
Today’s nudge: How good are you at acknowledging and naming your feelings? If you’re neurodivergent, that might be particularly difficult – there’s even a name for it: alexithymia.
Try the How We Feel app. It’s free, produced by a scientific non-profit, and has a really satisfying interface. A couple of check-ins a day over this festive period might reveal some patterns. Even just browsing the feelings can help.
Calm doesn’t mean making everything okay. Calm is in not needing everything to be okay right this second.
Today’s Prompt: Think about a recent bad day. What did you do? Did you fix it? Could you fix it? Or did you just want it to go away as quickly as possible?
What would it be like to just let the bad day be bad, without any judgement?
Are you the kind of person who can travel light, or do you overpack to ensure you can deal with every situation – not just for you, but for everyone else too? Over the years, I’ve definitely become the second type, when I have the spoons.
Just a fraction of what I regularly carry around. All my devices use USB-C, so why I do I have every cable known to man?
Today’s thought: Just last month I travelled 100 miles to go for dinner at a place I’d been warned only took cash, and entirely forgot to bring my cash card. Which didn’t surprise anyone.
And perhaps because of that, I’ve also been the person with the Mary Poppins-esque bag which seems to have everything for every situation. Mini cutlery? I’m your girl. You’ve just been stung by nettles? No worries, I’ve got some hydrocortisone here…
I’ve watched every youtube video (well, maybe not all, but…) on EDCs and all the tiny tools, and my preferred sling bag has been referred to by others (affectionately!) as my “autism” bag, which has everything I need to feel comfortably prepared on a day out.
My natural tendency towards the first model drives the second, which is a lot of hard work. And both cause anxiety.
I WANT to be the person who everyone can rely on to have the right thing at the right time.
But the truth is, that’s not my job. I’m not responsible for everyone else. And trying to be creates a very heavy load – both literally and figuratively – to carry. Today’s nudge: Write down 3 things you worry about or carry that aren’t actually yours to hold. Maybe it’s:
That thing you delegated (provided you delegated well – that’s important too)
A colleague’s inability to keep up with their task list
A ridiculous and meaningless deadline because a client has left their request to the last minute
Other people’s feelings about your decisions
A sense of grievance from others about your opportunities
Fixing a work situation that was someone else’s job
Making everyone else happy at Christmas Water bottle carabiners, cables for every possible device, stationery (just in case), sweeteners, tissues and…
Just write them down. Three things. Look at them.
Those aren’t yours. You can help when you choose to, but you don’t need to carry them. You can put them down now.
Today’s Prompt: If I put down everything that’s been loaded on to me by others, what’s left?
What would I do with that time and space, given the option?
And having considered that, what would I truly want to pick back up?
*Artwork credit to my daughter (when a much smaller child), who clearly got this point a lot earlier than I did!
I wish I’d realised earlier that it’s OK to change your mind, change your direction, and to make mistakes. Nothing is forever, and fear of making mistakes or of being behind can stop us from being who we want to be.
Today’s thought: Taking a career break was the scariest thing that I ever did. Stepping away from a role as a partner in a global law firm, with no real plan, other than I knew that there was something else in me.
It was important for other reasons too – my family needed me more than my clients did, and my health was taking a turn for the worse (even though I was in complete denial over that).
I was expecting people to look at me like I was crazy. What if I didn’t get another job? What if things didn’t work out? But I was so surprised when actually that wasn’t the narrative. Instead they seemed to be able to see more in me than I did. They congratulated me. They told me I was brave, and it was scary, but they knew I could do it.
I wasn’t so sure. But I did know that if I couldn’t, there were options. I was in a incredibly privileged position of being able to give it some time. And I’ve never been happier.
Now, does my external success rank up there with where I was? No way. But I feel like I’m where I should be. And I still have all of my knowledge and experience, so if I need to reverse direction, I can – and maybe someday that’s exactly what I’ll do.
But for now I’m taking one day at a time. Because nothing is forever, so I’m never behind.
Today’s nudge: Try one small thing you’ve been putting off because you’re worried it won’t work.
Change your morning routine. Reach out to someone. Start that project. Say no to something. Rearrange your workspace.
Whatever it is.
Because here’s the truth: if it doesn’t work, you can just… stop. Change it. Try something different.
You’re not committing to forever. You’re just testing today.
And if you didn’t do it today? There’s always tomorrow.
Today’s Prompt: What’s one thing I’ve been avoiding because I’m treating it like a permanent decision? What would happen if I treated it like an experiment instead?
What if, just for today, you pressed pause before pressing play?
Today’s thought: I went to the opticians last week, and apparently my tear ducts aren’t working the way they should, so my tears evaporate within 1 second of being produced – I had no idea this wasn’t normal! The prescription? 10 minutes a day lying with a warm compress on my eyes. After a couple of weeks, I can reduce this down to once a week or so. But why would I want to do that? An official requirement to be still and not see anything for 10 minutes every day sounds like heaven.
Today’s nudge: Take one moment today to just notice where you are. Not where you “should” be, not where you’re going – just where you are right now.
It could be 30 seconds. It could be 5 minutes. You could be sitting at your desk, standing in your kitchen, or hiding in the bathroom (I’ve definitely done this – in the office AND at home).
Just you, right now, as you are. No goals. No plans. No fixing anything.
Just… this. How does it feel? What comes up for you in that quiet time?
Today’s Prompt: If I could just tell one story about today, what would it be? Why? Who would I tell?
#26for26 #Calm #Day1
Please share any thoughts by by email to 26for26@concatena.co.uk, or by using the hashtag #26for26 and tagging Gayle or Concatena on your social site of choice.
For more info on how to use #26for26 and a sneak peak as to what is to come, you can read the 26for26 summary. I’m not going to promise it won’t change a little, though, as I get your feedback!
If someone has shared this with you and you’d like to get these emails in your inbox, you can sign up to get your own!
For the next 6 weeks, 26 weekdays, you’ll get one short email each morning. Think of it as a gentle nudge, not a lecture. A quiet moment in your inbox before the day gets loud. They are quick to read. Some will make you think. Some might make you smile. Some might help you see you better, or change what you don’t like.
The six themes
We’re taking a journey through six themes – the 6 C’s. But don’t worry, this isn’t some corporate acronym nonsense. These are just different lenses for looking at your life as we head into 2026. And as you may come to know, I do like some alliteration!
Week 1: Calm
Slowing down when everything says speed up
Permission to pause. To not have it all figured out now. To recognise that the most productive thing you can do might be… nothing. Just for a moment. It’s time to look around and notice (before the festivities begin!).
Week 2: Clarify
Taking stock without judgment
Where are you, really? Not where you “should” be – where you actually are. What did 2025 teach you? What do you want 2026 to feel like?
Week 3: Clear
Making space (physical and mental)
Make room for whatever comes next. Clearing the decks, releasing the old stories, putting down what isn’t yours to carry.
Week 4: Curate
Choosing what stays
Now that there’s space, what actually matters? This is about being intentional with your life, not just letting it happen to you.
Week 5: Create
Building what comes next
Creating doesn’t mean making a masterpiece. It means trying something. Starting something. Building the next chapter, even if you’re not sure what it looks like yet. Permission to experiment, to be messy, to begin.
Week 6: Cheer!
Celebrating where you’ve been and where you’re going
Acknowledging what you’ve done. Giving yourself credit. Finding the joy. Looking at 2026 with curiosity instead of anxiety. You made it here – that’s worth something.
What this isn’t
Not a productivity hack
Not toxic positivity or forced gratitude
Not 26 ways to become a different person
Not going to shame you for where you are
Not going to ask you to buy anything, sign up for anything, or fix everything all at once
What this is
A pause in the chaos
A companion for navigating this weird time of year
Permission to feel however you feel about things
Gentle nudges toward actions that might help (but no pressure)
Solidarity – because we’re all figuring this out together
How you might feel by the end
I’m not going to promise you’ll be transformed. You’ll probably still be you (which is good, because you’re great just as you are).
But you might:
Feel a bit clearer about what matters to you
Have let go of some things that were weighing you down
Know yourself a little better
Feel less overwhelmed and more intentional
Actually want 2026, rather than dreading it
Realise you’re further along than you thought you were
Or you might just feel like you had 26 quiet moments in a noisy world. And honestly? That’s enough.
How to use these emails
Try the daily nudges (or don’t)
Skip days if you need to, come back to them later if you’d like
Share them with someone who might need them
Keep them all and review them at the end
Use the prompts to journal (if that’s your thing), to contemplate, record a voice note, or chat it through with your loved ones (or even AI if you prefer!)
No rules, no pressure: This is for you. Use it in whatever way serves you. There’s no test at the end. No one’s checking your homework.
A note from me
I took a career break in 2024. I launched Concatena in 2025. And I turn 50 in 2026.
And honestly? Time is moving far too fast, and I needed to take stock.
So I created this for me as much as for you. Because sometimes when the world is passing you by, the counterintuitive answer is to slow down. Just for a moment. And let yourself see things as they actually are.
I’m glad you’re here. Let’s figure out 2026 together.
Starting: 24 November 2025 Until: 31 December (26 emails) Time commitment: as much or as little as you’d like Cost: Free Requirements: Just show up as you are
