February 2025
This freaking month and other good things.
Image above: a scene from my desk this month— someone once told me that a “glimmer” is the opposite of a “trigger”— so something that makes you happy. I like it!
Tips for getting through it
Well I don’t know about you all, but this has been A MONTH. Based on the pulse I’m getting from friends and clients I’m confident I’m not alone in this. Rather than try to make an intelligent or interesting commentary on these times, I’ll share a few things that I’m trying right now to get through this intense first quarter of the year. For me, total overwhelm shows up as my nervous system being entirely shot, so you’ll notice that many of these items involve trying to get back to basics to restore and regulate my body and energy. I hope these things can help you too!
Tune in & take deep breaths. The key to not getting completely sucked in to overwhelm/anxiety/depression/whatever is currently ailing you is to notice when you start to feel the big feelings and to take a pause to regulate before the emotions get out of control. For me, that means noticing in my body when the overwhelm is starting to happen (my stomach starts to flutter, my head starts to spin and hurt, and I notice that my thoughts start to pile up very quickly) and to force myself to pause and take some deep breaths.
Remember that everything is temporary. As I breathe, I remind myself that feelings are temporary and will pass soon. Research shows that emotions typically last about 90 seconds, so if we notice them, acknowledge them, and decide to let them go, we can expect to feel at least a bit better in a little over a minute. The trouble starts when we instead choose to ruminate on the triggering event or let our emotions spiral deeper. We all have a choice when it comes to feeding our emotions— this month especially it’s been helpful for me to remember this.
Practice meditation/quieting the mind. I famously can not hold a consistent meditation practice to save my life, but over the years I’ve cultivated some meditation-adjacent ways to quiet my mind throughout the day. Some things I like to do are arts/crafts, cooking, cycling, and knitting— as I do these activities I practice noticing the thoughts that come into my head and letting them go until my mind is completely empty and focused on the task at hand.
Resist the scroll. Activities like the ones listed above can be some of the first things to go when things get overwhelming and I often turn to things like TV or phone scrolling to “relax” instead. I constantly have to remind myself not to give in and that although those activities may seem like they take “too much energy,” if I focus on activities that I truly enjoy I’ll likely find myself much more recharged than with an evening of scrolling.
Keep going. When things get hard, I usually just want to drop everything and curl up in a little cave. It’s helpful for me to remember that hard things won’t be so hard forever and that if I just keep moving one step at a time and taking care of myself, I can get through anything.
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Some Little Pictures:
(from top left to bottom right)
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February Playlist
This month I’ve been listening almost exclusively to test prep audio as I prepare to take my clinical exam, so I have nothing new to report. Sorry! Here’s hoping I pass so I can get you some better recommendations soon.
Image above: a picture that I made that I love that I took to remind myself that I will start making pictures again soon.
Recent Work: Heads down 2025 hustling
In my astrology for 2025 I read that I would need to put in an intense bout of hard work in the first quarter of the year but that it would pay off by summer if I hustled through it. This has proven to be maybe the most accurate astrology prediction I’ve had as I’ve found myself knee deep in heavy work in every area of my life for the past two months. Because of this, I once again have nothing to share with you here this month but I hope that the energy I’m putting in right now results in much more rich creative content for this newsletter throughout the rest of the year. Thanks for bearing with me for this one!
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Some Other Good Things
Took a quick trip to Death Valley last weekend to look at the stars and I highly recommend it! Looking at the night sky is a great way to put things in perspective. Accommodation plug: Stovepipe Wells is legit.
After stating that I would never buy another expensive water bottle again, I’m here to admit that I did finally cave and buy a 32oz Owala bottle and it has indeed changed my life. The sip/gulp top is revolutionary! No more leaks! I have never had such a leakproof bottle (and I’ve had a LOT of bottles you guys). Will this finally be my year of total hydration??
This hat pattern for all the new bbs in my life. It has been hard having a packed agenda while many of my friends bring little cuties into this world because it means I don’t have the bandwidth I require to make them nice little cozy gifts… until now! Bless this quick knit pattern.
Just wanted to update you that the Planta app is still revolutionizing my life and saving all my plants. A friend recently downloaded it and has completely redone his landscaping because of his newfound plantspiration and confidence, so be warned— your life WILL be changed!
A bright red sweater. Have you noticed that everyone is wearing bright red things lately? (I know this probably sounds MAGA-y but I promise it is/feels very un/anti MAGA— we need to reclaim red ok?) I picked up this sweater from Uniqlo and it returns so much energy to my body every time I wear it. Bright colors may be the real key to getting through these times.
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Thanks for reading – see you next month!