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Stuff That Keeps Me (Mostly) Sane
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items Stuff That Keeps Me (Mostly) Sane
No crystals, no $80 supplements, no “rise at 4 a.m. and conquer” energy here. Just the small, real-world things that help me hold it together on the days when my brain’s a bit feral.
Think: morning rituals that do...
Sections
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Slightly Unhinged Ways To Calm Down
Essential Oils
Slightly Unhinged Ways To Calm Down
For when “take a deep breath” just isn’t cutting it. This collection is for the moments when your brain feels like a tab with 47 pop-ups, and you need to reset—preferably through chaos and comedy. Think: yelling into a pillow in iambic pentameter, pl...
Like, inhale so dramatically people around you think you’re auditioning for a period drama. Exhale with theatrical despair.
Deep, exaggerated breaths activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” mode). Doing it dramatically adds humor, which helps break the feedback loop of anxiety. You’re physically calming your body and emotionally tricking yourse...
Deep, exaggerated breaths activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” mode). Doing it dramatically adds humor, which helps break the feedback loop of anxiety. You’re physically calming your body and emotionally tricking yourse...
Aggressive Deep Breathing
Literally grab an ice cube and hold it in your hand, rub it on your neck, or run it along your arms. It shocks your brain into “oh, we’re not dying, just… confused.”
Cold exposure triggers the dive reflex: your heart rate drops, blood moves to your core, and your brain basically gets told, “we’re cooling off, we’re safe.” It’s immediate and sensory, which helps ground you in the present moment.
Cold exposure triggers the dive reflex: your heart rate drops, blood moves to your core, and your brain basically gets told, “we’re cooling off, we’re safe.” It’s immediate and sensory, which helps ground you in the present moment.
Ice Yourself
Pretend you’re solving a mysterious case called “Why am I like this?” Bonus points for muttering to yourself.
Movement burns off cortisol and adrenaline. The “pretend I’m solving a mystery” part gives your anxious energy a narrative, so it feels purposeful instead of aimless.
Movement burns off cortisol and adrenaline. The “pretend I’m solving a mystery” part gives your anxious energy a narrative, so it feels purposeful instead of aimless.
Put On Shoes and Pace Like a Detective
Just one line, over and over, until your nervous system gives up and joins in.
Vocalizing uses breath control and forces long exhalations (again, calming your system). Plus, it engages your vagus nerve — the same nerve stimulated in most meditation and grounding practices.
Vocalizing uses breath control and forces long exhalations (again, calming your system). Plus, it engages your vagus nerve — the same nerve stimulated in most meditation and grounding practices.
Sing One Line of a Song Way Too Loud
“Listen, microwave, I just feel like I’m the only one putting in emotional labor here.”
Externalizing thoughts helps organize them. By “performing” your worries to a neutral object, you’re creating distance from them, which is basically CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) disguised as chaos.
Externalizing thoughts helps organize them. By “performing” your worries to a neutral object, you’re creating distance from them, which is basically CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) disguised as chaos.
Talk To An Inanimate Object Like It’s Your Therapist
It’s part exercise, part existential purge.
Movement + absurdity = regulation through embodied expression and laughter. You release tension in muscles and get an emotional reset.
Movement + absurdity = regulation through embodied expression and laughter. You release tension in muscles and get an emotional reset.
Do Interpretive Dance To Express Your Current Mental State
Like you’re hosting the Queen and a raccoon at the same time.
Rituals and sensory experiences (smell, warmth, taste) signal safety and predictability. Making it fancy gives your brain a sense of control and care, even if everything else feels out of whack.
Rituals and sensory experiences (smell, warmth, taste) signal safety and predictability. Making it fancy gives your brain a sense of control and care, even if everything else feels out of whack.
Make a Ridiculously Fancy Cup of Tea
Pick one tiny corner of your space and clean it like you’re in a redemption montage. Fold your laundry like it insulted you personally.
The Dramatic Clean
Make yourself a snack with the reverence of a Michelin-star chef plating gold dust. Doesn’t matter if it’s just peanut butter toast — cut it diagonally and plate it like art.
The Snack Ritual
Play the most inappropriate music for your mood. Sad? Blare disco. Anxious? Gregorian chants. Angry? Lo-fi beats and pretend you’re a chill barista instead.
The Soundtrack Swap
Pretend the shampoo bottle is your TED Talk audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, resilience is not linear.” Suds = applause.
Shower Monologue
Move at half-speed for one minute. It confuses your brain into calm because it’s like, “Wait, are we in a meditation ad?”
Slow-Motion Walk
Essential Oils
Because sometimes life smells like chaos and burnt toast, and you deserve better. Essential oils are those tiny bottles of plant-powered magic that can calm your nerves, lift your mood, or make your house smell like you’ve got your act together—even ...
The overachiever of the essential oil world. Lavender is here to help you chill, sleep, and stop overthinking that one text from three days ago. A few drops and suddenly you’re the calm, collected version of yourself you meant to be all week. Smells ...
Lavender Oil
Smells like clarity and confidence in a bottle. Sharp, herbal, and just a little bossy—rosemary wakes up your brain, helps you focus, and makes your space feel fresh and alive. Perfect for days when your to-do list is giving main character energy and...
Rosemary
Like a breath of fresh, minty mountain air that slaps your sinuses awake—in a good way. Eucalyptus clears your head, opens your lungs, and makes you feel like you just had a spa day in the middle of a forest (even if you’re actually hunched over your...
Eucalyptus
Smells like ancient wisdom and calm confidence—like if a monastery and a spa had a baby. Great for grounding your thoughts, deep breaths, and pretending you have your life together during meditation (or Monday emails).
Frankincense
Instant wake-up call in a bottle. One whiff and you’ll feel like you just got hit with a cool breeze and a new lease on life. Great for headaches, mid-afternoon slumps, and pretending you’re totally fine.
Peppermint Oil
Like sunshine in a bottle with a side of sass. Bergamot’s citrusy-meets-floral vibe is your go-to for turning “ugh” into “okay, maybe I’ve got this.” It’s the scent of calm confidence—perfect for when you want to chill out and feel fancy about it.
Bergamot
Your all-in-one BFF for skin, scalp, and sniffle emergencies. Tea Tree is basically nature’s little disinfectant—fighting blemishes, soothing irritation, and keeping your space fresh. A few drops, and suddenly you’re feeling cleaner, calmer, and way ...
Tea Tree
Bright, zesty, and impossible to ignore—lemongrass is like a citrusy wake-up call for your senses. Perfect for boosting focus, freshening your space, or just pretending your life smells as organized as it looks on Instagram.
Lemongrass Essential