Word games & feeling it out
#021: Plus, girl summer and old TV and some great internet bits
You guys I’ve been getting semi-regular massages, and wow!
Ok when I say “I’ve been getting” and “semi-regular” what I mean is that I’ve had two in the last month. But considering I only had my first-ever massage last year, this is a significant increase from my regular! And either way the key takeaway is that I’m going to have to make this a permanent part of my regular going forward.
The first was following a long weekend of immense stress — it felt like I hadn’t taken a deep breath in five days, I could feel my shoulders inching up by the hour, my legs and arms were tight, my back was curling in on itself (and that’s not even mentioning the mental layers of all this). The second was because I had a gift card and an extra day off — nothing says unwind like a day with zero work and taking yourself to lunch. Both experiences gave me results I could feel right away in my muscles and joints, but they also gave me a renewed way to listen to my body.
My therapist and I chat a lot about feeling things outside of my head, something I find challenging as an over-analyzer. But after years of practice, I can confirm that saying “I am [insert emotion here]” is not actually the same as identifying where and how I’m feeling that emotion in body. Is my chest tight, do my limbs feel heavy, is my head pounding, are my eyes heavy, do my palms ache, is my stomach twisty?
It feels different, feeling it out. And yet, no matter how much I know this is the more beneficial path to knowing myself and what I need and what I want, I still find it very challenging to get out of my head and into my own body. But! These massages gave me a whole hour, an entire 60 minutes, to only think about the physical impact my mental state was having on my body. I *literally* disconnect from my notifications and mental analysis, and instead spend dedicated time slowly connecting an emotion here to a feeling there, a stretch here to an anxiety there. I’m reminded that my legs carry me around, my arms pick things up and set them down, my hands type and write and scroll 24 hours a day, my back holds me upright.
The hour vanishes in what feels like a minute, but I’m finding that the more frequently I engage, the more I am able to let my body feel outside of a dedicated appointment. 💌
🎉 cheer: (verb) to utter a shout of applause; (noun) light of mind and feeling
NYT Word Games: I’m a woman of words (nerd) and a woman of competition (winning) and a woman of routine (Virgo) so there is basically no app for me to enjoy more than the NYT Games. The daily Crossword, Spelling Bee, Connections and Mini Crossword literally are the first thing I look at when I wake up and how I close out my days. (I even spend most evenings cross referencing those last few tough clues with my dad, who does the puzzles too.) I love the insane clues, I love beating my own time record, I love when the connections make no sense, I love feeling superior when people tell me they can barely complete the mini let alone the full puzzle. I’m so obsessed I’m considering buying one of these mugs or, frankly, most of the nerdy game merch available. Note: I don’t do the Sudoku or Letter Boxed or Tiles, and while Strands is very difficult I *am* trying to get into it.
Rediscovering past beloved TV: I’ve long been a fan of a good ole rewatch. The number of times I’ve rewatched Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, Law & Order, Parks & Rec, Criminal Minds, New Girl? Too many to share (without humiliation) in this very public newsletter! But there is something *extra* delectable in rewatching something old you forgot you used to love. For me, right now, it’s Revenge!!! A friend and I talked about it recently in passing and it nudged further to the front of my brain this weekend when I was craving something dark and summery to watch. I always thought it was a much longer show (it’s only 4 seasons!), I love seeing a beloved Gossip Girl character with a new ridiculous accent, I don’t have any idea how the series ended. PLUS the show’s love interests met on set and fell in love and are still married so I’m kind of deeply invested on many levels!! I’m being taken back to early college-aged Serria, loving a campy ABC network drama on weeknights before bopping off to drink $1 pitchers of beer at The Chug. A simpler time! Perhaps now, with the rewatch, it will re-become a simpler time!
🗑 jeer: (verb) to speak or cry out with derision, mockery, or insulting remarks
“______” Girl Summer: Hey, so, idk if you all know this, but we can just enjoy things and love trends and go places and *not* name them. Every single thing does not need to be a brat / hot / lemon / cocktail / bookcase / rotten fish / bank robbing / mental institution / etc. girl summer! Just go do the thing(s), buy the trendy item(s), spend your time at the place(s). Society’s incessant need to name every single thing we enjoy is one of the dumbest uses of the English language since YOLO, but it also forces this unnecessary pressure to be doing shit just because the algorithm says to e doing it — not so you can enjoy it, but so you can throw it on a caption or boat bag or baseball hat and move onto the next. Here’s a thought: just make it a Girl Summer! With whatever trends or people or activities you want! And don’t, for the love of god, name it! I’m begging!!!!
This very specific video of a dolphin giving birth: I will not delve into this further, but for some reason this video has been pushed to me on every social platform basically once a day for three weeks? And I hate it!!!! I rebuke this video please never return to my feed for any reason!!! Be gone!!!
👀 mere: (adjective) being nothing more than
They will put this on my headstone one day
Ok I have a few Lisas in my life — I love them *and* also this is true
Reminder it’s important / healthy to be a hater <3
🍅 This week’s tomato item: This veeeeery cute bathing suit from Kitty and Vibe x @katiesturino!! I love anything Katie touches so I may need to purchase even though we are well into summer.
Just living the dream, amiright
Have you guys considered GETTING OVER YOURSELVES, or?
📺 What I’m currently watching: Criminal Minds Evolution on Paramount Plus — I tend to hate reboots (because I wish we could just, for once, make something based on a *new* idea!) but as a long time lover of the OG Criminal Minds, I gave this one a shot. It’s DEEPLY worth it and I now think everyone should be watching!!! You don’t need to have seen seasons 1-15 to be clued in, but I do think it makes it a tiny bit more fun. It’s darker and scarier than the original network version, and they say “fuck” a whole lot more and we all know that’s the cool stamp of approval. Truly though, if you love a crime procedural and/or serial killer content then I can’t 10/10 recommend this enough!
📚 What I just finished reading: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez — Loved the way she finished out this little trio of books, weaving things together and giving sweet little surprises to end the book! I also really loved the extra layers of family in this book, however, as always, her books are just a little too long. I’d love to just trim down those fluff 75+ pages throughout and keep the good stuff!
Me & who???
A reminder for folks who won’t shut up about “messaging”
✨ A room I’d like to live in: This painted trim is challenging me to pick up a paint brush but I am doing my best to stay strong… wow I love it so much???
That’s all this week! I hope this was a fun little Monday read to soften the blow of your post-holiday return to work — bye <3
