What’s True for Me This Week
The weekly column here that's a little chatty and personal so you can get to know me and my creative weird sometimes silly sometimes mundane little brain ...
I utilize the Chat tool here on Substack as a spot to daily-ish share what is true for me that day. Sometimes it’s a deep thought, sometimes it’s a mundane one, sometimes it’s just a recap of what happened during the day. And I invite others to share what’s true for them that day. I truly want to know so please join me there anytime!
Then I do this weekly roundup of what I shared there throughout the week. It’s a way for me to connect with you in a more informal, personal, chatty kind of way than my usual essays and interviews. It supplements the deeply researched stuff that I write about the relationship between art and mental health. It’s me being an artist with mental health challenges just sharing whatever is happening for me that day.
Before We Begin …
If you haven’t yet played the Choose Your Own Create Me Free Adventure game, please take a few minutes to do so, as it’s giving me some good feedback about how to move forward here:
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And in case you missed it, this is the best interview ever:
What’s Been True For Me This Week …
January 2, 2024
What’s true for me today is that I am gifting myself the first ten days of January to make no plans and allow for spaciousness before the new semester begins. And that it’s glorious but also I find myself regularly thinking of a million things I “need” to do and regularly trying to come back to what I want to do, what best supports me.
Also: I am appreciating everyone who is giving me feedback on Substack by playing my little “choose your own adventure” game in yesterday’s post and hope more of my free subscribers will join in to help me gain more insights.
January 3, 2024
What's true for me today is that I just booked a facial for myself which is not something I ever really do. I like them fine but not as much as massage for the price. In this case, though, I'm doing a facial that focuses heavily on face and scalp massage. My last massage therapist asked me if I clench my teeth and I do when I'm stressed and I realized ever since that I've bene holding a lot of tension in my face. And I think going to spend 45 minutes today focused on releasing that sounds exactly like what I need.
Also true is that one of my personal wellness goals the past couple days has been getting out of the house to move my body and I didn't manage to make that happen yet in 2024 so this motivates me to do that today. Yes, I sometimes go days without leaving the inside of my house. This, overall, is not a bad thing for me (it can be for some people, for me it's sometimes nourishing and necessary and even luxurious) but I also know that right now I need movement and fresh air.
My 2024 Intentions, Word of the Year, Musings
My word of the year is wellness because that is what I most need right now even if it's not my favorite word.
January 4, 2024
What’s true for me today is that I am walking to a dentist appointment. It’s just a cleaning but it’s the first time I have not taken anxiety meds before an appointment in a lot of years so I’m a little nervous but not too bad. I just didn’t want to be zonked out all day and I’ll still do nitrous so should be ok.
Also true is I had the most amazing impromptu dinner last night with a small group of people to celebrate a friend’s birthday and it was perfect so I regret nothing but my body is feeling my food choices today and I just really need to commit to what I’ve decided about food for a bit because there were always be a thousand reasons in this city to eat amazing food and drink amazing cocktails. So start over again today. Which is what wellness is going to be about this year. Keep starting over because we are not perfect machines operating on a linear form of growth.
January 6, 2024
Weird. I thought I had shared what was true for me yesterday and/or this morning. Either I didn't or it didn't post. Maybe time just got away from me. I had my dentist appointment and I managed to do it without any anxiety drugs (but with nitrous) and that's a huge huge deal for me so that was great.
I was so motivated that I stopped in the lab on the way home and got my bloodwork done which has been on my health to do list for approximately three million and two days. Results came back already and are mostly good ... a few things I can work on and tweak but mostly healthier than I expected the results to be which was a nice surprise.
My sister called me today and we caught up a little which was nice. I've been working on leash training the dog again now that she's almost ready to resume walks after her long recovery from the CCL surgery (she gets X-rays next week to confirm). I am scrapbooking and planning and writing and eventually might get around to cleaning.
What is true for you this week?
A little something from a chat with
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Yay to facials and beet salad and cute dogs. How are you liking Natalie’s book? I haven’t read that one.
Came here for pics of Bumi and Kya, was not disappointed! But that beet salad... holy crap that thing looks amazing!
Side note: I can also now walk to my dentist. It's an odd feeling for me, generally having to drive through some suburbs or something to get to my dentist in the past.