The “I Need Something” Feeling

Hey,

You’re halfway through the afternoon.
A few tabs are open. Your coffee has gone cold. You’ve answered some emails, scrolled a little, maybe checked a few things you didn’t actually need to check.
Nothing is wrong.
But the day feels slightly… flat.
So you open a shopping tab.
You scroll through a few things. A new this, new that. And suddenly the thought appears:
Maybe I should buy something.
Not because you really need the object. Because you want the feeling of something changing. And #Edition44 is about that strange modern moment where every feeling is translated into something to buy.

Inside this edition:
💨 Why Everything Feels Like It Requires Buying Something
📚 What she’s reading, watching, noticing
📰 5 headlines worth her time
✨ Her Spotlight
🤍 Note to Her

Let’s talk about the difference between wanting something and wanting a different moment.

Modern life quietly trains us to interpret almost every emotion as a purchase opportunity.
Feeling bored? Buy something.
Feeling stressed? Treat yourself.
Feeling uninspired? Refresh your space. 

Mostly, if the moment feels off, the solution must be something new.

But the strange thing about this feeling is that it rarely means what we think it means.
Our brains aren’t actually asking for objects. They’re asking for movement.

A change in stimulation.
A small sense of progress.
A shift in environment.

In other words — a different texture to the moment.

And buying something can simulate that shift for a few minutes.
There’s anticipation.
A tiny rush of novelty.
The promise that something new will arrive soon. 

For a moment, the day feels less stagnant.
But the urge and the solution aren’t always the same thing.

Often what the brain is actually asking for is much simpler.

Fresh air.
Music ​​filling the room.
Finishing one small thing that’s been sitting unfinished all day.
Walking around the block.

Tiny resets that tell the nervous system: the moment has changed.

Which makes the “I need something” feeling a little more interesting than it first appears.
Because sometimes it isn’t a craving for things.
It’s a signal. A reminder that the day needs a shift — not a package.

And learning to notice that difference might be
one of the most useful small skills modern life asks of us.

💬 Ideas to tune into when the world’s too loud.

🎬 Watch: Perfect Days
A Japanese film about a man whose life runs on small rituals. Almost nothing dramatic happens, and yet people keep describing it as one of the most calming films they’ve watched in years  → Sometimes the most interesting stories are the ones that simply slow down enough to notice things.
🧴 Try: Magnesium sleep sprays
One of those small wellness rituals quietly circulating right now – a few sprays on the pillow before bed, meant to help the body relax into deeper sleep  → Whether it’s science, placebo, or just the comfort of a bedtime ritual, people seem surprisingly loyal to it.
🛍 Notice: The return of small gold jewelry
After years of chunky, maximalist pieces, delicate jewelry seems to be back again. Thin chains, tiny hoops, barely-there rings  → kind of pieces you almost forget you’re wearing, which might be exactly the point.

🌍 5 stories shaping the week for women everywhere.

🧠 Young women are struggling too – but the conversation skips them: For two years, headlines have warned about a crisis among young men. But the data shows young women are struggling at similar levels with mental health, finances, and adulthood pressures, just with far less attention.
🍷 Why wine can suddenly hit harder in midlife: Hormonal shifts during perimenopause can change how women process alcohol, leading to stronger reactions like anxiety, sleep disruption, and hot flushes.
✨ Zendaya celebrates Black women shaping Hollywood: Zendaya joined artists and creators at Essence’s annual Black Women in Hollywood event, a celebration spotlighting their cultural power and creative leadership across film and media.
📚 A new book asks – what happens when women lead: Women now hold 31% of senior leadership roles in the U.S., down from 35% in 2024. It highlights women who’ve reshaped industries  and the impact leadership can have when more women are at the table.
🌍 Aid cuts are hitting women’s shelters hardest: Funding cuts to global aid programs are forcing some shelters supporting survivors of gender-based violence to scale back or close – leaving many women with fewer safe places to go.

Found her. Loved her. Needed you to see her.

@mona.gems – During the pandemic, while resin jewelry was flooding TikTok, she had a different thought: what if the material itself could change? So she started experimenting in a dorm room. 

And with some potatoes, she created translucent, candy-colored jewelry made from bioplastics that biodegrade back into the earth. What started as a small experiment quietly turned into a much bigger one with a massive community of earth-lovers and even a partnership with Coach.

It’s less about jewelry, really.
More about reimagining what the materials around us could be.

Some systems feel permanent only because we were born inside them.

Her Weekly Download arrives three times a week – for women imagining what the next version of the world could look like.

✨ P.S. If this shifts something in you, send it her way. The best ideas still travel woman to woman. 💚