17 Comments

One year for Lent I gave up watching TV except for movies on the weekend, and I started reading on weeknights a lot more. It was amazing how much more rested and inspired I felt after sinking into a book or reading a magazine like The Atlantic (selectively! I often find their cover stories triggering but there's a lot of good stuff in there) or Smithsonian instead of mindlessly watching streaming shows. You'd think after that experiment I would read a lot more, but it's surprisingly hard to change that habit. I think I'll be staying away from TV as much as possible next week (although my husband will be watching so that will be a challenge).

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Good for you being able to give it up even for a short time. I struggle with that and being constantly drawn to my phone. If I can carve out even a 30 minute block to read I’m so much more relaxed.

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I have learned some hacks that keep the phone from being such a draw. I basically turn off all notifications except for texts, and I've deleted all social media apps except for Instagram (which I barely use anymore anyway). For awhile I had turned my phone to grayscale (on an iPhone, go to Settings>Accessibility>Display & Text Size>Color Filters>On>Grayscale) to make it less attractive. You can add an Accessibility Shortcut (further down in the Accessibility settings area) to add Color Filters to a shortcut menu that you get to with a triple-click of the power button, so you can quickly turn grayscale off if you need to. I also removed all app icons from my home screen except the four at the bottom, and use the App Library feature (left swipe from the Home Screen) to get to all other apps. It makes it a little harder to get to things and so can make me take a second to think about if I want to use it. Some of these things might seem a little extreme, but being able to only use Facebook or Twitter on my desktop has made me realize how much I really don't need them.

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I read this yesterday at the exact time I was thinking how when I'm stressed I turn to writing or I pick up my guitar. Thanks for reinforcing that thought. I enjoyed reading this.

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Thanks, Paul! I'm glad it resonated.

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Thanks for this post, Abby! Really hit home for me. I wrote a long comment that just got erased…little things like that keep adding to my frustration and anxiety! gggrrrrr!

On top of the election(!!), I’m still dealing with the devastation of Helene here in Asheville and my husband’s recent cancer diagnosis and bone marrow transplant in January. I now have little energy or focus to promote the memoir I published. Still, I don’t want to be “that person” wrapped in fear or anger.

Even remembering to do two or three things to keep self care a priority is extremely helpful. I’ve also put a quote by Michael J Fox on my bathroom mirror:

“Gratitude makes optimism sustainable.”

I am grateful to you and all the other writers who share their thoughts and wisdom, who write memoirs about getting through tough times, who keep the spirit of hope alive. ❤️

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What a great quote! Thanks for sharing that. You've been hit particularly hard lately and are in my thoughts. xo

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Thank you for this, Abby!! I love your thoughts on this as my anxiety is through the freaking roof!! I’m doing a lot of the things on your list, and although I have a constant nervous stomach, i do get some very brief and intermittent relief from them! It helps to have a village! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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It definitely helps! Distraction is helpful, too. And comedy. We've been watching Detroiters on Netflix which is stupid-funny but has us laughing hard.

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Thanks for sharing these great tips for self care, Abby. I think we can all use them right now!

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Thanks, Heather! Hang in there, my friend!

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When my anxiety was keeping me awake at night, I got a prescription for Xanax. Now I sleep like a baby. I don't use it every night, just when I'm really wound up. November 5th I might take two.

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I hear you!

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i too do wordle at 3am, 4am—- whenever my IBS symptoms interfere with my sleep 💤 ‼️ and yes, everyone is having a bit of anxiety right now. It’s just very overwhelming time in our country.

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I'll look for you in our FB Messenger thread next time I'm up!

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Good tips thanks, Abby. Glad to know I'm not the only one who does Wordle at 3am! (Followed by Globle and Nerdle.) Then I can usually get back to sleep!

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3 a.m. word nerds unite!

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