Please, Please Me

10 Things Prompt | vol. 002

Welcome to Please, Please Me—my monthly mixtape listicle of self-care hits and people-pleasing pivots. As a recovering “yes” machine, I’ve spent years tuning into everyone else’s needs while putting my own on mute. But, as The Beatles once sang, “please please me, oh yeah, like I please you”— this is my way of finally flipping the script.

1x/month, I’ll share the books, music, rituals, and random delights that helped me put myself back on the setlist. Because if I’m going to keep saying “please,” it might as well be to myself first. This roundup is my reminder (and yours?!) that small acts of self-kindness aren’t selfish—they’re essential.

Since this newsletter started out (and remains!) based in leveraging emotional intelligence as a means to recover from people-pleasing, I thought it would be fun to activate the first pillar of EQ (Self-Awareness) and break down the listicle in terms of the 6 Senses: See, Hear, Smell, Taste, Touch or Tangible, & Spiritual/Serendipitous.

Thanks for being here!

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Inspired by the 10 Things journaling prompt by

Ash Parsons Story

over on

Suleika Jaouad

’s substack, my listicle this month will reflect the prompt of 10 things I see/use/love/return to for grounding myself.

If you are a fellow journaler- give this prompt a try!

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Thing 1: Fiverr

Sensory Association: Something we can See 🧿

I gave Fiverr a try for the first time. I needed help creating graphics for Dear People Pleasers, and I was pleasantly surprised with the image results!

If you are not skilled in graphic design, and want to focus on writing (or insert your vocation here) without also having to be a photoshop/Canva guru- Fiverr might be something to check out.

My “social media manager” made me a file of several Reels, Posts, and Stories- this one was my favorite:

What was the first word you saw?

Thing 2: Matcha

Sensory Association: Something we can Taste 👅

Bought this matcha at Costco and have been experimenting with recipes. I like it cold, but it is meant to be consumed hot- of course. What is your favorite way to drink matcha?

Thing 3: A new journal!!

Sensory Association: Something we can Touch 📖

I bought found her at Verbatim Books here in San Diego, but because I love you, I also found the link to the exact same one should you like to be journal twins this season. Click here.

Thing 4: this tweet

Sensory Association: visual stimulation! 👀

Serious question!!!

Thing 5: Sink Baths

Sensory Association: Something we can Touch & Smell 🛁 🍋

It doesn’t stain- thanks to a Magic Marker, and a few drops of citrus essential oils we made this “bath” in the sink in about 30 seconds. Outcome? HOURS of play. Can also be done in a bucket outside if you don’t want an indoor splash zone. 10/10 memory- will be bathing in the sink again.

Being bathed: Spider-Man x2, Sharky, Upside down Duckling, Monster Truck, and Orca skating the lip.

Thing 6: National Draw A Bird Day

Sensory Association: Something both tangible as we sketch, and seeable as we sit back and adore our stick-figure creations. 😍

This is not a drill. April 8th was actually National Draw A Bird Day and boy- did I deliver. LOVED this, and might start documenting more birds as clearly, I am a natural. 🤣

He needs a name!

Thing 7: This Audiobook

Sensory Association: Something we can Hear 🎶

I am still slowly making my way through the Audiobook version of Daring Greatly by Dr. Brene Brown.

The difference between this book and most of her others is that there is less corporate jargon in this one. We can apply the concepts of Daring Greatly to our careers, but not only our careers. I love a multifunctional concept. Be vulnerable. Bring the drawbridge to your heart down. Watch what happens.

Thing 8: This nook 😍

Sensory Association: Something we can See.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a day off. From everyone. Sat in this coffee shop for hours and wrote my heart out. If you have the opportunity to take a holistic wellness day, let this be your sign. ✨

Photo taken at Muri, San Diego, CA

Thing 9: this song

Sensory Association: Something we can Hear 🎶 🖤

Thing 10: Rainer Maria Rilke 😭 🌷

Sensory Association: Something we see, something we can physically feel (if you don’t get goosebumps while reading, go to doctor- immediately), reading Rilke is a Spiritual experience. 🕊️

this book has been calling to me. I’ve had two synchronistic moments over the past week to read the poetry of Rilke. Whom, might I add (thanks to my Oma for correcting me prior to public humiliation) was a male despite his middle name.

The Insight Timer meditation app quoted Rilke last week, I mentally clocked that the quote resonated (but of course forgot the actual quote) and went on with my day. The next night, Omar was browsing Netflix, and I saw a movie with Robin Williams called “Awakenings”, I asked him to click on it. We watched about an hour (it’s a long film, we’ve had to break up over several nights), and Williams reads the work of Rilke thanks to his patient, played by Robert De Niro.

At the second mention of Rilke, I knew better than to ignore the signs. Letters To A Young Poet is not a book of work that Rilke intentionally published; rather, his student, and aspiring writer, Franz Xaver Kappus, published a collection of 10 letters Rilke had sent to him, after Rilke passed away. The letters don’t actually focus on how to be a better writer, but more so, how to live a full life. The letters have been translated from German to English, and each variation of the publication will have slightly different translations.

**Something I learned while reading: Rilke wrote to Kappus that he was too poor to buy his own published books. He wanted to send a few copies to Kappus for him to study, but instead sent him the titles and publishers to track down at the library. This struck me. Rilke never wrote expecting compensation or fame. It was not a “career”. Rilke wrote out of love for the mere act. May we all find ourselves devoted to something the way Rilke was to writing.

Perhaps all the Dragons of our lives are Princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave.

-Rainer Maria Rilke

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Thank you so much for reading my 10 things!
I asked several questions along the way, if you feel so inclined to answer any of them (please let it be a name for my bird), I hope you know I cherish your feedback and each person who takes the time to sit with me each week here.

May all of your Dragons turn to Princesses,

Kaylen Alexandra