
review: papier wellness journal
One of my favorite skills that I acquired in therapy was mindfulness. With it, I was able to help reduce my anxiety, help improve depression (especially here in gloomy Seattle), and learn how to practice gratitude. I used the skill to practice stillness, set intentions, and reflect on all facets of life.

From overwhelmed to in Control
Have you ever been on the verge of a full-blown panic attack? The kind where the weight of the world seems to be crushing your existence until you’re the size of an ant. You can feel your heartbeat in your ears, the adrenaline coursing through your veins, and all of the words you shouldn’t say ready to fly off the tip of your tongue to cut like daggers.

When ‘Happy’ is Too Much to Ask For
Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months/years where, try as you might, you can’t pull your bootstraps up and get your ass in gear? Where no matter what you do, who you talk to, or what concoction of self care elixir you conjure up, you just can’t? Welcome to the club. It’s the reason I couldn’t publish this las week, as I’d planned. Or stick to a podcast recording schedule. *nervous laughter*

Meet Self Care: Our New Podcast
Admittedly, this blog is coming out much later than I’d planned. Though, despite the Christmas extravaganza that’s displayed at Target, it’s technically still November, so not too far off… You heard it here last, folks! I started a podcast this month! A/D OGs may remember On Air with Avec David — a two or three-episode stint of a podcast that I launched with the start of the blog. This is definitely not that.

How To: Mindfully Meditate
Once upon a time, I was a small-town spring chicken with big dreams, a fast metabolism, and an entire collection of unhealthy coping mechanisms. But actually. Like Disney’s beloved red-headed mermaid, I had gadgets and gizmos, aplenty, anxiety and emotion-aversion, galore! Conflict stressed me out, I felt nauseous at the thought of feeling much of anything real, and I suppressed EVERYTHING into teeny tiny boxes and shoved them to the back of the closet in my mind. Feelings? Not today, satan.

30 Life Lessons I’ve Learned at 30
While I had big plans to forget about my thirtieth birthday with a week and a half in Paris, Miss Rona had other plans. Instead of macarons and museums, I had Milk Bar cake and a movie. TBH though, it was actually pretty nice. After all, I feel fortunate to have been able to even celebrate my birthday this year — even if it was the big 3-0.

Quarantine Reading List (For Any Mood)
Sometimes all you need to make your problems disappear is a good book. (Okay, okay, I know that doesn’t quite apply when we’re in the middle of a pandemic sh*tshow.) But we can still embrace the spirit of that juicy summer read — we’ll just be on our patios and in our beds instead of at the beach. If you’re like me, you probably feel…

5 Things That Happened After I Quit Social Media
A couple (a few?) weeks ago I took a week off of social media. Truthfully, I don’t know how long ago it was because I don’t even know what time is anymore. Can anyone else relate? Like, is it Thursday? Is it Monday? And WHAT time is it? I feel like I’m constantly waking up from one of those afternoon naps that you only anticipated being 15 minutes. The one where you immediately think it’s the next day and you’re late for school, work, etc. and it takes…