A New Month, A New Me

I don't want anyone to worry, but I'm also committed to not airbrushing anything about my life. This month has been a struggle. This isn't a cry for help; I'm seeking all the help I need. What this is is an admission that even when everything looks fine on the outside, that there can be an unbelievable storm going on inside. You never ever know what someone else is going through, and we should all act with more compassion with that in mind every day. I'm going to allude to a lot of my struggle with depression and anxiety over the next several months, but it's not because I'm not doing what I need to do to get better. It's because I believe the only way for people to get better is to normalize and destigmatize the way we talk about these personal struggles.

This long weekend is a chance for me to relax and reset and hopefully get back on track for the upcoming month. I've already planned myself a little warm weather getaway to escape the last doldrums of winter here in New England in a couple of weeks and I can't explain how much I'm looking forward to just a few days in the sun.

Without further ado, here are the things impacting me most this month.

Insanely popular series I finally got on board with: The Office (U.S.)

I know how late to the show I am here - pun very much intended. I've been told over and over again to try watching The Office and I've even watched a handful of episodes but I could never get through them without cringe-quitting. I think several factors contributed to finally getting into the show, but suffice it to say I finally get why everyone is so relentless about their love for it. It's funny, it's got heart, and it's just so comfortingly consistent. It gives you exactly what you expect and probably what you need and there's a lot of merit in the warm blanket of a sitcom when you feel like you're trying to claw your way out of your own brain. I am fully hooked and I doubt I'll stop any time soon, so thank you to all of you who have bullied me to watch it over the years. You win; you were right. If you've been resisting, that's totally cool, but think about giving it another try sometime when you're down.

Article that made me get serious about my own struggles: Zero by Garance Dore

I spend a LOT of my free time reading. It feels like a bath for my brain, allowing me to go deeper into my own head and process things in the background. This account of an intensely personal struggle resonated with me in a new and unsettling way. The way she describes the progression of her emotions made me stop and think about what's been going on in my own head and it really gave me pause. I tend to brush things off and power through when things get hard, but I'm taking a good hard look at a lot of things after reading this. I highly encourage you to read this even if you are perfectly fine right now in your own head. I think it's important to know how these things can happen slowly and suddenly at the same time to the people you love. Hearing about how someone else is getting through something can help you be there in the right way for the people you love.

Documentaries so ridiculous I almost don't believe they happened: Fyre and Abducted in Plain Sight

There is little I can say about either of these without spoiling the effect. I'm sure you've heard about them because EVERYONE is talking about them, but allow me to add my vote and to assure you that they are so worth the hype. The Fyre Festival was supposed to be everyone's dream tropical getaway, but instead became a nightmare fueled by influencers, greed, and complete denial. Abducted in Plain Sight tells the story of a woman who was abducted MORE THAN ONE TIME by a trusted family friend when she was a young girl. If you watch these back to back (like I did last week) you will definitely break your own record for "What the f*ck?!"s per hour. Sit back and enjoy the complete and utter spectacle.

I hope you are enjoying my monthly recommendations of things to laugh at, ponder, experience, cook, read, watch, etc. Let me know what you love, what you hate, and what you'd recommend!