From Substack: My brain's been mean to me.

I’m not a mental health expert.

I’ve never been diagnosed with any mental health condition, though I’ve been in and out of therapy a few times in my life. Like all of you, I have a brain, and some days it’s healthier than others. This was one of those weeks where I was already feeling more anxious than usual and I couldn’t explain why.

Then the events of Saturday, July 13 happened, and the fallout sent my anxiety into a tailspin.

When trying to explain to my very attentive husband, I kept saying, “My brain’s being mean to me today.” (Hey look, it’s the title!) Like I said, I’m not an expert on mental health, and most of the time, I’m not stellar at managing my own. However, I did want to share a couple of the simple, zero-cost things I’ve been doing this week that have been immensely helpful to me. These may not work for everyone, and some people may need additional resources like therapy and/or medication, but again, I am not the person to prescribe them to you. OK, I think I’ve drawn out this disclaimer long enough.

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From Substack: A mid-year check-in.

We're halfway through the year.

I’ve written about my complicated relationship with New Year’s resolutions in the past. I love daydreaming and setting goals; it’s the follow-through I have trouble with. Over the past several years, when I’ve made resolutions lists, I’ve focused more one one-time achievements that have clear parameters for when they are met. Seeing a bunch of check marks on the page halfway through the year is much more motivating than 15-ish habits that I’m praying my scatterbrained, Type-B self will actually still be doing by the end of the year.

Then, as I was writing this intro, I had a sudden idea for this mid-year check-in to make myself feel like I actually am making progress. I decided to put a yellow highlighter circle around the box of every goal that I was on track to accomplish by the end of the year. I figured it would keep my brain happy and thus, keep me going. And honestly, it did make me feel better! Now I just need to trick my brain into actually accomplishing them instead of thinking, “Eh, they’re practically done.”

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From Substack: How I stopped hating salad.

Content warning: healthy eating, body dysmorphia, ED. I’m not a medical professional, dietitian, or even a professional chef. This is just my experience.

I have a complicated relationship with “health,” at least how social media defines it.

I was a piss-poor athlete growing up. And while my parents did their level best to feed us healthy, balanced meals at home, we were a far cry from an almond family. In fact, my best friend used to love to come to our house because we had real microwave popcorn in the bags, something that was verboten in her parents’ house. (Funny enough, I am now the one who recently told my mom that I don’t need to buy Skinny Pop at Costco because I got an air-popped popcorn maker as a wedding gift.)

My point is that I am, like any good 21st-century American, a creature of comfort. If a healthy habit doesn’t taste good, feel good, or amuse me, I’m much less likely to do it consistently. I will probably never be the kind of “Instagram healthy” person who chugs a tumbler full of disgusting green powder or hot lemon water first thing in the morning before CrossFit.

However, throughout my adult life, I’ve had to experiment and struggle to find healthy habits that I actually enjoyed doing. It took me until just a few months ago to finally find a workout I loved (Pilates Princess 4 lyfe <3). One habit that I figured out pretty early in my 20s was how to make a salad that didn’t feel like a chore to eat. So for a fun, lighthearted post after last week’s slightly ranty one, I’ve compiled my top salad tips to implement in your kitchen. Massive disclaimer: I’m a DINK with a lot more free time than most parents reading this and who also happens to love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. I get that not everyone is like this. When I quote Ina Garten and say store-bought is fine, I actually mean it. If pre-packaged salad or bottled dressing is a better fit for your budget or your family or is the thing that is the most accessible to you or will actually get you to eat your vegetables, that’s fantastic. This is just a list of things that have made salads more enjoyable for me, but if you already like them, to quote Cogsworth, if it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it.

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