Author: Mara Ellison
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Why Turning Off Email Notifications Made Me Anxious
Why Turning Off Email Notifications Made Me Anxious The tiny switch that revealed how much I carry responsiveness inside me It began as an experiment I flipped the switch off without much thought. The…
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How Being Understood Started Feeling Like a Performance
Understanding was supposed to feel like connection—but here it began to feel like a skill I had to perform rather than a sense I could relax into. The first time I noticed the shift…
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What It’s Like Ignoring Slack Messages on Purpose
What It’s Like Ignoring Slack Messages on Purpose A deliberate pause in responsiveness that feels anything but neutral The decision feels small, but the feeling isn’t There was a morning when I left a…
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Why I Lower My Voice or Simplify My Language at Work
Something about this place made me start speaking smaller, as if being quieter would make my words land easier. The moment I first noticed the shift I hadn’t thought about the sound of my…
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Why Being Offline at Work Feels Like Doing Something Wrong
Why Being Offline at Work Feels Like Doing Something Wrong The quiet shame of disconnecting, even briefly Offline feels like absence, not rest I realize it most clearly on mornings when I intentionally go…
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What It’s Like Being Aware of Your Accent All the Time
My accent is part of me—but at work it feels like a lens I’m constantly adjusting against, never quite removing. The first time I noticed my accent in the room I didn’t always think…
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Why I Changed How I Sound at Work Without Realizing It
I didn’t set out to sound different at work, but somewhere along the way my own voice started feeling like someone else’s. When I first noticed my voice felt unfamiliar It happened slowly. Not…
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Why I Feel Watched When I Don’t Reply Right Away
Why I Feel Watched When I Don’t Reply Right Away That uncomfortable sense that silence isn’t silent The sensation comes before the thought does There’s a peculiar little tightening that happens in my chest…
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What It Feels Like When Humor Doesn’t Translate at Work
There are moments in conversation where everyone laughs—except me—and it feels like a tiny misalignment that never quite gets resolved. The pause that shouldn’t feel so loud I’ve watched it happen enough times that…
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How I Started Monitoring My Responsiveness More Than My Work
How I Started Monitoring My Responsiveness More Than My Work When attention shifts from tasks to response times without noticing I didn’t realize the shift until one day it was obvious At first, I…