I was at the grocery store the other day and I picked up a cute dot-grid journal. Do I need another notebook to add to my pile of notebooks? Nope. But I have a nice collection of cute notebooks and with them scattered all about, I always have one nearby when my mind starts racing and I need to let some thoughts out onto paper so I can put them out of my mind.
Not long before that, I baked two dozen strawberry cupcakes, knowing that with the pandemic and with my boyfriend not able to eat cake, I’d end up eating them all by myself. I no longer have any cupcakes in case you were wondering. Well, no strawberry cupcakes at least. I have about fifteen chocolate cupcakes now that will meet the same fate. On top of that, I’ve got a candy stash that makes most people question how I maintain my figure.
When I found out my temp job was finally (actually!) coming to an end, I binged watch two seasons of the Order on Netflix. I was pretty glad to have a comfortable sofa for those couple of days.
I’ve got a drawer of makeup that’s been steadily getting fuller over the course of the pandemic, and a growing collection of self-portraits that the internet has been subjected to as I try new makeup styles, new costumes, or whatever else strikes my fancy. 
I have an app that tracks my steps, and according to it, I’ve definitely spent a lot of time just wandering around in my neighborhood in Chicago.
I’ve got a whiteboard full of writing and editing projects. A spreadsheet of new recipes. A plethora of crafts to try. A pile of postcards to write. A watchlist of shows and movies. A box of my ciders to try. A list of friends that I’ve been meaning to schedule Zoom calls with…
But you know, I’ve also got blankets to burrow under or that comfortable sofa to just lay on having an existential crisis. And that’s okay too. Sometimes it’s helpful to just let my anxiety bubble up and out and confront it. I’ve got lots of self-care methods. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, but I do the best I can and I think that’s all any of us can do really.
Do you have any self-care activities that you find yourself doing frequently? 
