Issue #211: 35 Things I Do to Take Care of Myself Every Day, Week, and Month

Keeping myself sane, grounded, and healthy.

📚 Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman: I was completely delighted by this new romance novel, recommended to me by my book editor, Taylor. Forced by budget cuts to share a rotating “hot desk” two rival editors begin leaving passive-aggressive notes for each other that ramp up when only one can land a career-making role.

📺 “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” on Netflix: This documentary, about a group of teenager in a small town who are cyber-bullied by increasingly vicious texts was brought up, at nearly every get-together with friends this week. It’s genuinely shocking, and the best part is that the documentarians were able to get their hands on real footage that makes the entire thing worth it. Again, I can’t say much more, but it’s a wild 90-minute watch. And if you have already seen it (this link contains a spoiler), this made me laugh!

🎥 ‘Twinless’ in theaters: I took myself out on a little solo date last night to see this movie about two men who meet in a support group for people who have lost a twin. Their friendship grows close quickly, with some surprising twists that I didn’t see coming. I was also delighted to see that it was set in North Portland! I gasped when I saw Broadway Books, where we had our event last week.

P.S. I’m also enjoying the new album ‘Double Infinity’ by Big Thief.

Are you joining our September book club? I’m teaming up this month with Camille Styles to talk about Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. We’ll be discussing our thoughts Live tomorrow at 12 PT and paid readers can join our Zoom discussion next week! Scroll to the bottom of this post for that link. x

Earlier this week, I learned that I lost months of work on a novel that included chapters, research, and an outline. Poof, vanished! I had been using a new program¹ to work on it and, in opening it to add notes, realized that all of my files were fully, inexplicably, gone. Beyond it being a reminder to go back to using Google Docs, as I did for my first novel, I was surprised to notice how unruffled the entire experience made me. Even as my boyfriend helped me scour my computer for backups, I found that I was already processing the loss and able to see it as an opportunity to begin again.

This isn’t always the case. Depending where I am in my menstrual cycle and how dedicated I am to my wellness practices, I could have easily lost it, but the fact that I had the foundation of physical and emotional regulation allowed me to remain calm and see the loss for the inconvenience it was, instead of feeling like my life was over. After years of working in lifestyle media, where I often wrote about “life-changing self care products,” this grounded space of emotional regulation and physical health is largely what I’m referring to when I write about wellness, a concept that is vital but has been coopted by brands and policy makers to make money and gain power, often to dangerous ends.

The practices I’m sharing in this post are things I do daily, weekly, and monthly that have a tangible impact on the way I feel. Read on for 35+ wellness practices I do and products I use everyday, including a video on how I applied them recently, including:

• The running app I’m using for training

• A 10-minute guided meditation I do every morning, post-workout

• How I eat according to my Circadian rhythms

• The two monthly practices that help me regroup

Use a tongue scraper first thing. I’ve recently become interested in Ayurvedic practices, a curiosity that was peaked when I began working with my acupuncturist on nutrition (I’m considering joining her fall nutrition program which begins in the next few weeks!). According to Ayurveda, regular tongue scraping, particularly first thing in the morning, can impact the well-being of certain organs. It also just helps my breath and mouth feel fresher.