Did anybody else spend this morning with a ball of hot scratchy anxiety in their chest? No? Just me? Cool. Let me back up. The dude and I (and the dog) are leaving tomorrow for Florida. We're going to spend two days driving down, then stay for almost a week, then spend two days driving … Continue reading Oh, hey, I know you.
symptoms
Profile of a fellow anxiety sufferer
Today we're doing something a little bit different. While this blog will still mostly focus on my experiences with anxiety, I'm going to start interviewing other people who deal with anxiety and posting it here every so often. Partly this is because my experience isn't universal, and there are definitely things about me or my … Continue reading Profile of a fellow anxiety sufferer
How The Atlantic totally got anxiety management wrong
I've been super excited lately about how often well-known folks like Kristen Bell and others are being forthright and straightforward about their struggles with mental health. That is so freaking awesome. I love that we live in a world where people talking about being vulnerable, where people admit that they don't actually have their shit together all … Continue reading How The Atlantic totally got anxiety management wrong
More awesome things
I promise some longer posts (and rad, new things) are in the works. But for now, check out these two short things: These awesome illustrations from artist Pranita Kocharekar about what anxiety is like. She totally nailed it, especially the last one. Mimi smartypants' most recent take on anxiety, passed on by the dude because … Continue reading More awesome things
A brief history of the anxious state
In looking over old entries, I realized that I've written about the last two years a lot. Like, A LOT a lot. And that makes sense to me because they've been really intense, but I also feel like there's a bigger picture here. The reason that last two years were so bad is because, before that, … Continue reading A brief history of the anxious state
Working while anxious
One of the biggest struggles I've had with this whole anxiety thing is figuring out how to handle it at work. While this is tough for everyone, my job as a teacher has some very specific challenges that make dealing with anxiety really difficult. It's my responsibility to manage and guide the behavior or 30-some … Continue reading Working while anxious
Achievement unlocked: you went to work every day!
GUYS. Something important has happened. The dude is out of town this week, and I went to work every day he was gone. I know this seems like duh, why wouldn't you go to work?, but in case you haven't been following my story for very long, you know I have a history of having to … Continue reading Achievement unlocked: you went to work every day!
In defense of John Mayer’s music
UPDATE: I would just like to point out that I have a MAJOR bone to pick with John Mayer over his past comments about the women he's dated. People are complicated and he's one of those people that is simultaneously incredibly deep and observant and also totally tone deaf and problematic. I dislike cancel culture … Continue reading In defense of John Mayer’s music
Sleeping in a new place
First of all, THIS APARTMENT IS AWESOME. There are so many windows I feel like I might OD on sunlight. We're still in the process of unpacking and arranging and everything, but already I can tell it's going to be nice. What's been interesting to me about this whole process is how the anxiety has … Continue reading Sleeping in a new place
What I talk about when I talk about anxiety
I've written a lot about what panic attacks are like, and things you can do to calm yourself down. What I haven't really talked about it was the low-grade anxiety is like; the stuff that slowly builds and is just kind of always there in the background. I'm fortunate in that I don't live with the … Continue reading What I talk about when I talk about anxiety
it's only fear 