Get in Loser, We're Talking Mental Health
The thing that rewired my brain but drove my friends crazy
How is it already February 21st? I feel like January crawled at a glacial pace, but February’s already packing her bags. Like, girl, slow down. What’s the rush? Did Winter get an eviction notice? Have a seat—I’m not ready for Spring just yet.
In other news, My 13-year-old son has been begging for more freedom lately, and I’m over here clutching onto his childhood like it’s the last piece of chocolate in the box. He'll be 14 this summer, but every time I look at him, I see a baby. A BABY.
This week he took his first bike ride alone to a restaurant to meet a friend. And because I’m the most dramatic person on the planet, I called my husband hysterically crying as if he’d just signed up for a one-way ticket to college. What's next? Is he going to ask to move out and never see me again?
*cue the tears*
If you have a teen, give me tips. I am not well.
Oh okay…
Saved this earlier this week:
It reminded me of that episode with Oprah on We Can Do Hard Things, where she talked about her hikes. She said she never focuses on where she's trying to get to; instead, she consciously stops, takes breaths, and turns around to see how far she's come. 'That's how I get myself to the top. Not by focusing on the top, but looking back at how far I've come.' Taking it step by step.
I saw a clip with Arthur Brooks where he shared that he tells his students to keep a ‘failure and disappointment list.’ Each time something bad happens—something that feels like a loss, disappointment, or failure—you write it down and leave two lines blank. On the first line, you write what bothered you, then a month later, you come back to that first blank line and write down what you learned. Three months later, you go back to the second line and write down a good thing that came from that loss.
By the time you’re dealing with something new that’s really bugging you, you start to look forward to it because you’ll be able to reflect on the knowledge and growth from past negative experiences. “Never waste your suffering.”
Love this visual about self doubt. Super quick video, linked here.
(In order from left to right)
Dr. Daniel Amen: The episode of DOAC on 02/11 was so good. If you love science and learning about the brain, you’ll enjoy it.
Love Is Blind (Netflix): Season 8 is out baby! I’m a sucker for reality TV and this show. If you’re unfamiliar, couples go on dates where they can’t see each other.
Malcom X on Audible: Finally finished this. It’s 16 hours long, but I loved it. It’s his original autobiography from 1965, and it’s incredibly powerful.
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I want to preface this by saying I'm just a girl who made it through one of the darkest years of her life—no degree in survival here, just some experience with things that helped me immensely. These tips don’t replace therapy, but they may just keep you from Googling ‘How to quit your job and become a llama farmer.’
Now that the disclaimer's out of the way, can we talk about the thing that kinda sorta rewired my brain but drove some of my friends crazy?