Attempts at Some Calm

Oh man friends, oh man. If you’ve been around here for any length of time you probably know that last year I was battling with my mental health pretty dang hard. That was a rough go, but I learned a lot of really healthy coping mechanisms and also was actually able to get really in touch with my emotions. Which was exhausting, but so nice. As this year has progressed though, I’m having to pull out those coping mechanisms more and more often. If you live the US right now, specifically in a big city like I do, I’m pretty sure you know what I’m alluding to.

In a world where it is so easy to be oversaturated by media, I’ve been doing my damned best to disconnect now and then to give my brain a chance to find some calm. Audiobooks, puzzles, LEGO sets, anything that will let my mind wander and stop thinking of worst case scenarios. It’s been hard though. How does one walk a line between staying responsibly informed, and doomscrolling to the point that you feel like the world is going to fall apart tomorrow. If anyone here has figured out that balance, please, share with the class. I need that.

What’s been most interesting to me is that I can’t read print books right now. Honestly, I haven’t been able to for almost a year a half. For some reason, I can’t get immersed enough in them to actually enjoy the story. It’s like my hands have to also be busy in order for me to focus. So audiobooks have become my best friends. A way to get lost in a story, to escape reality, while being able to also do something else that I really enjoy. I admit, they also make chores a lot easier to tackle as well. Especially when chores feel like… well… a chore.

Have you found the same phenomenon happening to you at any point? I’m genuinely curious.