Small shifts, new information, and loosening expectations.
MONTHLY REMINDERReader, small changes can still change a life. We often think change has to be dramatic to matter. A new job, a new city, a big decision, a clear turning point. But most lives are actually shaped by smaller shifts: a new habit, a boundary set, a conversation had, a walk taken, a decision made quietly, a way of thinking slowly changing. Never underestimate the direction of small changes; they are often how a life changes. REFLECTION PROMPTS:
APRIL'S REFLECTION PROMPTIn April, I will respond to what’s present rather than what I expected. I will practise this by... Expectations are often written by a version of us that didn’t yet know what would happen. Life rarely unfolds according to those early drafts. April invites responsiveness rather than rigidity; noticing what is actually here, what is actually needed, and what is actually possible now. Responding to what’s present is about learning to live in reality rather than in imagined timelines. 2 QUOTES WORTH PONDERING
“I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out, and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in.”
Source: Virginia Woolf, Street Haunting (1930)
REFLECTION PROMPTS:
2. Writer Agatha Christie defines fear: “Fear is incomplete knowledge.” REFLECTION PROMPTS:
COMING IN MAYIn May, I’ll be sharing another essay in my anthology: 'What Healing Really Looks Like: The Unseen, Unspoken Journey of Grief and Repair'. This essay explores the quieter, more complex truths of healing: its grief, its contradictions, its secondary losses, its effect on the body, the way it reshapes our relationships, and the difference between looking fine and being deeply repaired. It is a truth-telling reflection on what healing actually asks of us, and what it can return. NOW AVAILABLE
POPULAR IN MARCHYOUTUBE: Do This Before Choosing Your Intention Word | Intention Words Guide – Part 1 of 3 (a 15-minute watch)
PODCAST EPISODE 42: 5 categories of inner dialogue (a 2-minute listen)
INSTAGRAM (@noticingwithrebeccamonique and @rbccmnq) YOUR MONTHLY BREAST CANCER REMINDERA gentle monthly reminder to stay connected to your body and check your breasts. Knowing what’s normal for you and noticing changes early is one of the most important forms of self-care. Early detection truly matters. You can learn the key signs and symptoms here. In August 2025 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I shared openly about it on Instagram – the loss, grief, trauma, inner-healing and self-care that comes with it – and from that tender space I created what I needed most: a reflective journal to walk me through the first 30 days. 30 Days Through Breast Cancer is available as a free resource for anyone affected. Please feel welcome to pass it on to those who may need it. Thankfully my diagnosis was early, and my focus now is on treatment, healing and deep listening to my body. You can find more about my journey and resources on my breast cancer page . GENTLE REFLECTIONS FOR THOSE NAVIGATING HEALTH GRIEFIllness and health changes often alter more than the body; they alter identity, plans, confidence, and how we see the future. This kind of grief is rarely visible, but it is very real. If this is something you are carrying, you are not weak for finding it hard, and you are not behind for needing time. REFLECTION PROMPTS:
SPOTIFY PLAYLISTSSoul-stirring. Empowering. Wholesome. This one’s for the moments when you remember who you are. A musical exhale—part prayer, part power, part poetic awakening. Let it carry you into the marrow of your truth, especially on days when you forget how luminous you’ve always been.
Griefy. A playlist for the ache that won’t be rushed. 'Griefy' is a tender companion for the days when your heart feels too full, too empty, or both at once. These songs don’t try to fix it—they sit with you in the softness, the silence, the sacred unraveling.
SUBSCRIBER RESOURCESRacial Trauma and Grief – Reflective Journal Who do you know would benefit from or appreciate this content? Be sure to share this muse-letter with them by forwarding on this email. USEFUL LINKSLet's stay connected. Here's where else you can find me: Website | Podcast | Blog | Instagram | Recommended Reading List* You can view the muse-letter archive here. Not yet subscribed? You can sign up to this muse-letter here. New to the mailing list? You can view the archive of the first few editions here. About this muse-letter: You're receiving this email because you've subscribed to my mailing list. You'll typically receive an email from me once a month. Rarely will I send stand-alone emails about promotions, new products or services, and partnerships. Affiliate links within my emails are marked with an asterisk (*). Update your subscription preferences: You can unsubscribe from 'Reflect with Rebecca-Monique', or manage your subscriber profile via the respective links below. |
Rebecca-Monique (rbccmnq)
MONTHLY REMINDER Reader, you’re allowed to change your mind as you go. Changing your mind isn’t a failure of commitment or clarity. Often, it’s a sign of maturity. Of listening. Of responding to new information, shifting circumstances, or a deeper understanding of yourself. Growth, grief, and healing all ask for this kind of ongoing awareness; the ability to stay with something and to gently ask, is this still right for me now? In this instance, you're not being unanchored or impulsive, but...
MONTHLY REMINDER Reader, the most enduring love is the one you practise daily with yourself. February often frames love as something to seek, secure, or perform for others. But the love that steadies you over time is quieter and closer. It shows up in how you speak to yourself, the permissions you give yourself to rest or try again, and the small choices that protect your energy and dignity. This month invites you to practise a form of love that doesn’t require an audience. REFLECTION...
MONTHLY REMINDER Reader, you don’t have to reinvent yourself to begin again. There’s so much noise in January telling us to become someone else overnight. But real beginnings are often subtle. They build on who you already are, what you’ve already lived, and the wisdom you’re already carrying. This month invites you to begin again without erasing yourself; to let continuity be just as sacred as change. REFLECTION PROMPTS: Where am I placing pressure on myself to “reinvent” rather than gently...