Tiny Revolutions №22: Nothing to See Here

well, maybe a few things

Hi, I’m Sara, and this is Tiny Revolutions, a newsletter with personal writing and links about about the practice of staying mentally healthy. Reply anytime and let me know what you think!

This could be me but I’m playin’

I hope this Memorial Day weekend finds you in a good place and doing things that are feeding you both literally and figuratively, and that you, unlike me, are not feeling a really fucking annoying need to be productive.

That about tells you how I’m doing. It’s actually not a terrible place to be—I’m maybe 6.5/10?—it’s just messing with my ability to enjoy doing nothing. And after the stress of the last two months, I feel like we all deserve a little nothing. So I’ll just leave it at that.

~

Here are some things I found interesting this week:

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“The thing is -- and people who live with mental health issues all know this -- it never goes away. You have good days and bad. But there's never a finish line.”

Here’s a brutally honest interview with Michael Phelps about how he’s been doing during the pandemic. Spoiler: not great. What I love about this is how he really captures how easy it is to get sidetracked from doing the things that help you feel good. How the process of just getting back on the horse over and over and over again is all you can do. It’s an incredibly brave interview that I think a lot of people will connect with. I certainly did.

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More perspective:

Shira Erlichman @sheer_awe

Remember: as many times as you've been taken away by a daydream, a nightmare, a terror, a what-if, a should-have, a distraction, an insecurity flock, an ill will, a not-so-kind thought, you've also come back. You've come back. Every time.

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Also apropos:

lizandmollie

Just a few gentle reminders: You are more than what you make, you are more than your level of productivity, and you are more than a specific title or job. During times of economic uncertainty, it’s easy to focus all your energy on work. Make sure you’re taking a step back now and then to remind yourself of everything else about you and your life that matters.
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#work #job #stress #burnout #overwhelmed #anxiety #anxietyrelief #meaning #workaholic #selflove #selfcare #psychology #emotion #feelings #illustration #drawing #art #venndiagram #artoftheday #artistsoninstagram

May 6, 2020

I highly recommend following Liz and Mollie on your social media of choice, btw.

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A short podcast episode about why we’re perceiving time differently in the pandemic.

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More brain science nerdery:

“When looking into brain activity, we found that sleep loss targets the same brain regions that make us susceptible to anxiety — regions that process and regulate emotional reactivity. When this region is taken offline, as is the case with a lack of sleep, our deep emotional centers are left uncontrolled and anxiety ensues.”

New research uncovers the link between sleep deprivation and anxiety.

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How to politely decline a Zoom call during quarantine.

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And finally, just a little reminder:

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Thanks for reading. I really gotta get back to doing nothing now.

😘

Sara

p.s. Give yourself a little present.

p.p.s. Share this with someone who knows.