Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

— Anne Lamott

If this quote makes your shoulders drop, even just a little, this post is for you.

If this title resonates with you, here’s your sign: it’s okay to slow down. Like, really slow down.

Some days you move mountains.

Some days you move a single spoon from the sink to the dishwasher.

Both count.

But then there are days where you check every box…

• You send in your internship paperwork.
• You get paid.
• You publish a TikTok that feels true.
• You get advanced to the next round of a dream role.

And yet, instead of feeling joy, you feel… hollow. That’s the part I did not expect and no one really talks about.

Happy, but hesitant.

Exhausted, but wired.

Trust me when I say it’s an odd feeling to experience. Very unsatisfying, at least for those of us with perfectionist traits.

We live in a world that is exhausted by “hustle culture”, fed from the constant drip drip drip of dopamine through ADHD-span news and rapid-blink info-processor content.

What happens in those moments of success, when—all of a sudden— feels more hollow than that heady feeling of joy?

Was any of the struggle this past month worth it?

It’s confusing. You land the job. Your inbox lights up with good news. Even your creative content is gaining traction, because I’ve been crafting my work from a place of truth. And people pick up on that stuff, apparently.

But beneath the excitement, there is a subtle _hum of exhaustion, heavy from carrying the weight of your inner doubts and insecurities.

In that pitch-black cesspool, there is a very real desire to be left alone for a while.

This feeling of emptiness after achievement isn’t a flaw: it’s your nervous system (hello!) asking for what it needs. 🌳 A grounded solution.

When you’ve been running on adrenaline and hope for months, even good news feels overwhelming.

As if, I haven’t been deserving of the praise.

(Hello Darkness, my old friend:

_{Imposter Syndrome}: “the subjective experience of perceived self-doubt in one’s abilities and accomplishments compared with others, despite evidence to suggest the contrary”)

Your mind is telling me: “Great, now can we please rest and process all of this?”

So let me tell you what I wish someone had told me:

You can absolutely let yourself rest tonight — and you should.

Rest is not about losing progress.

Rest is how you create new paths in clarity, creativity, and self-trust.

5 Things I Learned After Dozens of Rejections:

1. Record Yourself Speaking Even When It’s Cringe AF

The best prep isn’t only Googling “top 10 interview questions for position” —

It’s recording yourself answering them.

Not for anyone else. Just to refine my articulation, p a c i n g, and tone.

The more familiar you become with the sound of your voice, the more confident you’ll sound in a room.

The more you get used to hearing yourself, the less afraid you become of being heard.

I started filming myself answering common questions using Google Interview Warmup and the TalkBook app, which transcribes your voiced-out thoughts into a transcript and AI auto-cuts filler space out.

As a reader and visual learner, I can process information better if I can read the words previously floating in my head.

Practicing for interviews out loud helps more than reading a script in your head ever will. So, practice on video. Watch it back.

It may be awkward, but it teaches you everything: where you ramble, where you shine, and where you need to pause and take a breath.

🌙 TLDR: Speaking out loud helps more than silent prep ever will.

2. Rejection is Redirection (And It’s Not Just a Cute Quote)

Every rejection email left my ego bruised — but in return, my comeback applications, resumes, and portfolio got sharper.

Each time I didn’t get the job, I tweaked minute details, restructured my answers, and tried to make up for prior mistakes.

It wasn’t punishment; it was more like pattern recognition.

Each flub taught me to articulate my story better, define my boundaries, and ask honestly: What would I genuinely enjoy learning in this role?

I finally landed roles that fit because I stopped trying to force ones that didn’t. After months of feeling less-than-ordinary, the right company (in terms of social health and mutual values) will find you.

The challenge is trusting that a higher design is unfolding, even through months of silence. The right role will finally seek you out on its own.

🌙 TLDR: Each “no” helps you shape a sharper, truer version of your “yes.”

3. Your Nervous System Isn’t Built to Be “On” 24/7

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water… is by no means a waste of time.” — John Lubbock

Neuroscience tells us that the brain needs downtime for consolidation. To remember what went on during our days and can prepare for the night. To prepare your health for tomorrow.

So when you rest, your brain is literally processing, rewiring, and evaluating everything you’ve been learning.

That’s why after a walk, a shower, or even a nap, your ideas often click. Or, at least, make more sense than before.

This is called the default mode network, and it activates when you’re not focused on external tasks: It’s your brain’s version of background magic.

🌙 TLDR: Rest helps you remember, condense notes, and solve puzzlers better. 👍🏼

4. Emotional Resilience > Any Hard Skill

There will be jobs that ghost you. Interviewers who fumble and make you feel less-than. Friends who don’t congratulate you until it’s convenient for them. You’ll be tempted to let that dim your shine.

Don’t. Please refrain from self-dulling the spark.

Your ability to bounce back —quietly and intentionally— is more powerful than any line on your CV.

🌙 TLDR: Bounce back without the drama. That’s your edge.

What This Looks Like in Practice:

Last month, I had an interview that went so badly I wanted to delete my LinkedIn and become a hermit. No, seriously.

The interviewer kept interrupting me, seemed distracted, and made me feel like my experience wasn’t valid. Old me would have spiraled for weeks, replaying every awkward moment.

Instead, I gave myself 24 hours to feel frustrated, then wrote down what I learned:

• I need to practice handling interruptions, and
• Companies that don’t create space for candidates to shine aren’t places I want to work anyway.

Let yourself recover emotionally between rounds of applications.

Burnout doesn’t come from working too hard — it comes from hoping too hard, then getting hit with silence.

We don’t need that voodoo in the house so please, honor your energy and your body’s telltale signs of stress. That crick in your neck? It’s time to step away from the desk, Stargirl.

5. Micro-Moments Matter More Than Milestones

Getting the job, the offer, the email? That’s one spark. But the real deal?

It’s what you do between those moments:

• The candle you light while you decompress.
• The walk you take after a tough day.
• The playlist you put on while editing your vlog.

That’s where the fire is stoked.

The best ideas come when your nervous system feels safe and grounded.

After a long day of effort and productivity, it’s time for some unplugged rest. Put that phone down for 15 minutes and reward yourself with a walk.

You are reinforcing the very foundation that will carry you through the next win.

Your brain. Your body. Your health.

Your spirit.

Rest will help your mind (and soul) recover from any cooped-up, stale office room air.

🌙 TLDR: How you celebrate your wins defines your path.

Bonus: Stack Your Tools

I used everything from AI to Notion templates to keep track of applications. Things to consider:

• How does this role align with my goals one year from now?
• Company website links, research notes, LinkedIn referrals
• Mock interviews with a sibling or close friend is another helpful tool.

Prepping with structure takes away the panic and retains room for clarity.

What “Finally Winning” Actually Taught Me

When I finally landed the role that felt right, the victory wasn’t only about the job.

It was a nuanced, deep knowing that I had changed from the girl at the beginning who had no resume at all, no prospects.

It was knowing that I could trust myself to complete the whole process.

This win was internal. The offers and rejections stopped defining me when I started defining what felt aligned. In my case, cozy business, dreaming, and scientifical learning.

The months of rejection had taught me to: advocate for my worth, prepare better questions, speak with confidence, and compare dissonance in company culture early.

The real win was realizing that I no longer needed external validation to know I was on the right path.

I had built internal resilience that would serve me far beyond any single opportunity.

If You’re Reading This, Here’s Your Permission Slip:

“You are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be to receive what is meant for you next.” — Stargirl Cozy

🌙 Light a candle.

🎧 Put on your comfort playlist.

📖 Flip through your book or lie still.

💻 Close the tabs. Just for tonight.

You’re racing against no one else but yourself.

You could follow no one else’s path — but after you realize that the only person you’re so vehemently competing against is yourself. Or more so, the high expectations you’ve built since young.

The person I have been running from was a version built on ageist expectations. Let that version rest.

A reminder from me to you: You deserved a congratulations the moment you started fighting for yourself.

Not when the offer came. Not just when the bank or popularity rolls in.

You’re learning how to let yourself soften if you want to, and harden again if you need to.

Closing Mantra Section

You are not ungrateful.

You are not dramatic.

You are not selfish.

🌙 You’re just learning how to protect your softness, own your ambition, and operate from a place of truth.

You are just learning how to live the most authentically and what it feels like to finally be seen.

You’ve earned rest. Your ambition will still be there in the morning, tomorrow.

And whatever the puzzler it is, you will meet it with fresher eyes, deeper resilience, and a sharper purpose.

Tomorrow, we go again. But tonight, fall asleep with lighter shoulders and sweet dreams.

— Annie

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Neuroscience Learnings 🧠:

• Cognitive consolidation happens during rest.
  • This means that after taking in a lot of new information or effort, your brain needs downtime to properly store and process it.
• Mental fatigue impairs decision-making.
  • One study showed that people under cognitive strain are more likely to make riskier decisions or default to autopilot behaviors.
• Rest boosts creativity. The default mode network (DMN), which lights up when your brain is at rest, is linked to ideation and deep thinking.
  • Basically: doing nothing helps you think better.

Resources (in order of appearance)

• Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1994.
  • Quote about unplugging to reset, sharing wisdom on rest and recovery

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• Lubbock, John. The Use of Life. Macmillan and Co., 1894.
  • Quote about rest not being idleness; supports argument that downtime is productive.

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• Mednick, Sara C., et al. “The restorative effect of naps on perceptual deterioration.” Nature Neuroscience, vol. 5, no. 7, 2002, pp. 677–681. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn864
  • How rest improves cognitive performance and memory consolidation.

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• Raichle, Marcus E., et al. “A default mode of brain function.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 98, no. 2, 2001, pp. 676–682. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.98.2.676
  • Study on the default mode network; explains why ideas click during walks and showers.

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• Goldstein, Andrea N., and Walker, Matthew P. “The role of sleep in emotional brain function.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, vol. 10, 2014, pp. 679–708. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153716
  • Adequate rest links to emotional resilience and better decision-making under stress.