(This was heavily inspired by one of my favorite books growing up. Dr. Seuss’s ‘You’re Only Old Once’ had a part called the Pill Drill. I loved it as a kid even though I didn’t know what it meant. It was just silly to me. Now, I understand it all too well.)
The last 2 years hasn’t done my anxiety any good. Normally, I’d avoid doing a big post about it because I keep getting told to not make it public. Yet, I think I should do something to help others in the same position. After all, the last few years have been brutal on all of us.
First, I want to state that these are things that work for me. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. Each person has their own flavor of anxiety. So, take this list as possible methods to help you through anxiety. Let’s get right to it:
Oils– This always sounded hokey to me, but I tried it out long ago. Mostly to help me sleep soundly. I have a small oil diffuser and a sleepy time mix that is primarily lavender. Not a fan of lavender, but I realized that it helps. I wasn’t using it for a while and then my nightly panic attacks started coming back. Decided I had nothing to lose, so I dug out the diffuser and it worked. I’ve noticed that I don’t sleep as well if I don’t have it on now. Keep it right on the headboard too. Is it really the oil or a psychosomatic thing? No idea, but it helps.
Meditation– I’ll admit that I don’t do this as well as I should. There are various apps that help. I had one on my old phone, but it’s long gone. Just taking a moment of silence and letting your mind wander. This does have its risk because your mind can go in a sour direction. So, having music or the television on could help. Just has to be something with noise that you don’t have to give full attention too. Ceiling fans can help here as well. Strange addition, but I’ve found the spinning blades can have a mesmerizing effect when I’m really stressed.
Therapy– Probably the hardest one to do because you need medical coverage to pay for it. Even then, it might not be on the list of approved services. So, an alternative is just having a friend who you can talk to when you’re stressed. That one person who understands you have anxiety and is willing to listen can go a long way. It helps get your thoughts and emotions out because keeping them pent up is one way we set off panic attacks and anxiety spirals.
Ignore/Call Out/Talk To the ‘Calm Down Crew’– We all know these people. They mean well, but their advice has the opposite effect. If you’re in the midst of a panic attack, the words ‘calm down’ or any similar suggestion can be triggering. Anxiety can come with a level of paranoia and depression, which makes these words appear condescending. They’re not perceived as being said to help the sufferer, but to make the speaker more comfortable with the situation. So, you start to think the other person simply wants you to go away or be quiet, which is upsetting. The ways to handle it are ignore (difficult), call out (easiest due to emotions), or talk to (middle because it requires controlling emotions).
Yoga (Low Stress Activity)– I don’t actually do yoga, but I know it’s suggested all the time alongside meditation. I’ve tried it, but it doesn’t really do it for me. I think the point is to have a quiet, low stress activity to help keep you relaxed. In place of this, I do jigsaw puzzles and, if possible, read manga.
Hydration– This is an odd one and I might be stretching. One of the issues I have with my anxiety is that it can set off gastrointestinal issues. I’ve recently noticed that those are minimized or avoided if I keep myself hydrated. Even in the midst of physical suffering, drinking from my 64 ounce jug to get a full day’s worth goes a long way to resetting my system. It’s important because anxiety can set off the physical issue, which creates more anxiety. It creates a nasty cycle that can last around a week if I’m not careful.
Writing– Keeping a journal where you write your thoughts can help purge them and give you clarity. Mentally, anxiety can make you spiral into dark regions of your mind or just run in circles. Maybe it’s the thoughts not having an outlet, so writing them in a stream of consciousness can get them out. It doesn’t even have to be a journal, but a piece of paper that you toss, burn, or shred once you’re better. Since it’s just for you, it can be in any way that you want with no care for organization, spelling, and grammar.
Welcome to our magical egg dying shop on the only day of the year that we’re actually open. I mean, what other time of year would you bother doing this? Don’t worry about space because we have enough to cover the necessary territories. What what? Just check out our list to see what each color will do to the eggs. I will warn you that none of them are edible, some need to be thrown, and mixing colors results in getting a random effect from the ones you’ve chosen. Also, we don’t replace eggs, baskets, or children. Now, here’s that list:
Dark Blue– Ability to breathe underwater; Does not protect from pressure and cold
Light Blue– Ability to fly; Does not provide oxygen or guarantee safe landing
Red– Throw egg to summon dragon; Control of dragon not guaranteed
Pink– Throw egg to create love spell; Not to be used on the ‘One that Got Away’ because you already blew that chance.
Yellow– Glows in the dark like a torch; Attracts moths
Orange– Gives off heat when placed on stone; Warning: Yes, It’s hot to the touch!
Dark Green– Ability to travel through tree branches; Pine sap is still an issue
Light Green– Grants photosynthesis when held in the sun; Constipation will ensue
Black– Like our HR Manager’s soul; Summons our HR Manager when throw *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR OUR OWN AMUSEMENT*
White– Nothing; You just forgot to dye the egg, so get back inside
Purple– Throw to create a wall of purple fog; Totally useless, but pretty
Brown– Turns whatever it breaks against into chocolate; Do NOT keep in pocket
Gold– Chain lighting; Probably not for kids . . . or adults . . . Military use only
Silver– Turn into a one-legged pirate and go in search of treasure; No downside
Bronze– Ability to instantly get a tan; You will smell like bacon for 24 hours
Grey– Ability to summon and control rain; Not immune from getting wet
Polka Dot– Only multi-color option with unique ability: Grants ability to do the polka and summons Weird Al Yankovic; Doest not guarantee he will be happy to be there
I made a funny post for the Jews, so now it’s time for the Christians. Really wasn’t much that didn’t involve that rabbit. At this point, I assume this holiday is about the return of God’s beloved pet bunny. The dyed eggs are symbolic of his love of painting and how he was killed by an angry chicken. Hey, my holiday has raining frogs, talking bush fires, the Angel of Death, and the banning of pizza. So, who am I to judge? (As usual, all were found with a Google Image Search.)
(Love this song. Though, it’s messing with my head a bit. Keeps giving me odd blips of nostalgia and old memories if I let my mind wander to it.)
Where to start? A lot has happened since my last goal post. Let’s do this by topic, so people can scroll through and choose what they’re going to pay attention to.
Birthday
My birthday was last Saturday and it was fun. Went to see ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ with my son. Then it was home to help him with school projects and getting a little bit of video game time in. Schoolwork comes before birthday fun, especially since we were at the start of the 4th quarter. Dinner was Chilis with the family and then I brought my son back to his mom. Rest of my birthday was a few drinks and hot wings with my friend. Looks like I can’t handle hot wings as well as I used to because they led to very weird dreams and lackluster sleep. This is going to be important later.
As far as presents go, I technically got 3. One friend got me a Lego set of the Batcave from ‘The Batman’. Got one bag left to do even though I hoped to get it done before making this post. I’ll show it off in 2 weeks or so. Another friend got me a whiskey glass with a unicorn on it and the words ‘Majestic AF’. Really enjoyed breaking that in Wednesday night. Finally, the money I got went to paying for half of another Lego set. It’s a special one of a globe that spins and has glow-in-the-dark labels. It’s 2,585 pieces and I think I’m going to leave it for June or the summer.
Work/Parenting
This is where the chaos came into play. I had to help my son with a lot of projects and studying. For other reasons, this was more difficult than it should have been. So, we had late nights starting Sunday and going on until Wednesday when I simply collapsed from exhaustion. I didn’t get to sleep in though because he was dropped off early the next day and me going back to bed would result in him only play video games. We managed to put together a big Luigi Lego set and do some cleaning for Passover. The afternoon was when we played video games until he wanted to play while talking to his friend over the phone before dinner. It sounds rather chaotic.
Work was tiring because there were a ton of tests prior to the break, which started on Thursday. I was helping out somewhere else too, so I wasn’t where I normally was to help with that situation. This resulted in helping by text if anyone had a question, using part of my lunch to straighten things up if need be, and staying late to get things ready for the next day. This is why I was utterly exhausted and collapsed on Wednesday as soon as laundry was done. I’m still shrugging the fatigue off, but I might be able to get over it entirely by Sunday. Depends on how today goes.
Spring Break
It started on Thursday and I’m kind of resting. Passover started last night, so I haven’t been able to bum around. This holiday is always a drag for me. My birthday falls on it too often, but not this year. The food restrictions eliminate 90% of my diet. Family dinners are always stressful because you have to clean and thoughts of what could go wrong come to mind. For some reason, I find Passover to be a bigger headache than Thanksgiving, but I think that’s because of the food restrictions. At least the second night will be quick and then it’s just muscling through the rest of the holiday.
I get my son for most of this break since his mother got him for most of winter break. We have some fun stuff planned, including a trip. This might result in a temporary post going up next Saturday or it being very late at night. Depends on when we return and if I can get my son’s Chromebook to work with my blog. I’d bring my laptop on the trip, but closing it will split the casing. Maybe I can try to type one up by phone. Be a nice expert to do if I have the energy. I should really just play it by ear. The Sunday post will be later in the day too, especially since I need something from the trip to make it work. It’s a surprise that I hope to pull off.
Writing
Ha! I barely had time to shave this week. Didn’t even do much for the August posts, but I do need to figure some stuff out there. Mostly, I wonder if I should do another month of Slumberlord Chronicles: Darwin & the Fate Bracelet teasers. I have 4 set up for July and August would need 5. Trying to decide between more of those, older teasers, and Do I Need to Use a Dragon? (Fantasy Writing Tips) excerpts. That third option is tough because those chapters don’t really divide up too easily. I’m leaning towards Darwin for one more month and then doing older ones again in September unless I’m set to release the tip book. This is another reason I haven’t made a lot of progress because I’m trying to juggle this issue.
I do plan on going over the outline for Slumberlord Chronicles: Darwin & the Halfling Hunttomorrow. It’s just checking to make sure everything is good and ready for me to start writing once things settle down. I’m thinking June will be when I finally get to dive back into project. That or Memorial Day weekend. May already has concerts, birthday parties, robotics competitions, and other events that will take over all of my weekends. I almost thought I could dive into it the first weekend in May, but realized I would be recovering from going back to work. Best to not push myself and only write if I feel I have the energy. With the current 3 sections/day hopes, I could finish the book in 19 days. So, it would end up being 25. My yearly goal is to write this one and the third book of the series before the end of the summer. Fingers crossed.
Goals of the Week
Rest and relax.
Sleep in at least once.
Time with family.
Finish ‘The Batman’ Lego set.
Start the LOTR jigsaw puzzle.
Finish the August posts.
Go over Darwin & the Halfling Hunt outline.
Video games if I feel like it.
Maybe re-watch an anime like ‘Assassination Classroom’ or ‘Goblin Slayer’.
It’s that time of year again. Thankfully, my birthday doesn’t fall on Passover this year, so I don’t have to be that angry. Matzah still gets old fast and there never seems to be enough Passover candy in the house. At least there are some funnies I can post. Getting harder to find these. So many involved Hitler, antisemitism, American politics, and focusing on the blood on doorways. So, I found most from the Someecards. Hope next year is more plentiful.
(This is a silly poem I made about an aquarium with unique creatures. I would make poems like this just to flex my imagination. It’s similar to Bestiary of Blatherhorn Vale, which I made years ago.)
If you find yourself near Abernath Falls
I suggest you visit old Montgomery Drawlls
He lives down the lane and on top of the hill
You may find yourself in for quit a rare thrill
*
Montgomery Drawlls is a friendly old coot
His jokes are famous for making everyone hoot
But his greatest achievement to which he can claim
Is his aquarium full of rare pets that are tame
*
Delicate Mottlefish swim up near the glass
Gathered to form a squirming polka-dot mass
A snorting Gornaxe suns his flab in the sun
Turning upside-down once his downside-up is done
*
Under a bridge are the flat-bellied Flaks
Feeding on floating crumbs that fall onto their backs
They scatter when startled by a fleet-finned Vurk
Known far and wide for being a jerk
*
The scary Latriko drifts near with long teeth
Devouring any that come near his reef
Except for the innocent Duringer Whale
Who grows no bigger than a garden snail
*
Multi-armed Hulgarts and barely seen Phems
Cackling pods of purple-skinned Shrems
Deep diving Irglos and a lonely Trunk-A-Lunk Frinx
All the creatures are playing until the sun sinks
*
Stop by the aquarium of Montgomery Drawlls
As long as you pay, you can pass through his walls
He has never turned any guests away
From where the rare and the strange splash water all day
I was going to do a ‘Ye Olde Boat Shoppe’ until my son and I reached a specific episode of the anime called ‘One Piece’. I’d already chosen the Going Merry picture, but this episode focused on her. If anyone has watched the anime or read the manga, you might know what part I’m talking about. (No spoilers in comments!) This spot really brought out how the ship was a character alongside the human (and Reindeer) ones. This got me thinking about how inanimate objects can have personality in fiction.
This goes beyond the literary tool of personification. That’s when you connect a human trait to an inanimate object, but it’s kind of brief. This is taking a long-term object and making people feel for it. Not easy and many times it’s done by accident. Yes, personification does play a role, but I would say that this is the next level. Maybe you start with that, but then it evolves to something more. This item now has a presence in any scene that it’s shown in. Not enough to steal the scene, but the audience will know it’s there and care about its fate.
What are some trends with this concept?
Typically, this is done with constantly used items such as transportation, weapons, and other pieces of gear. It can be something small, but it’s usually something big with a common use. This way, the object can be included in events more often than one with a narrow focus. For example, a warrior’s sword will have a better chance of this happening than a favorite whetstone. The audience is going to see the former in action and with more focus than the latter.
There may be a backstory to the item like it belonging to someone important prior to the current owner. It could have been a gift, which creates a scene that establishes its emotional connection. Another option is it being a family heirloom and having it involved in events from the beginning. This type of item doesn’t even need a use so much as a presence.
These items tend to get named as well, which helps to bring attention to it. A reader will differentiate this one item from others of its kind. For example, the Going Merry is specifically the boat of the Strawhat Pirates. It does have a unique aspects such as the figurehead, flag, and tangerine trees. Yet, it’s still a ship and giving it a name makes it stand out. You can have an entire fleet of ships that are each different in appearance, but the Going Merry will stand out if it’s the only one with a name.
One of the reasons this is done is to create an emotional bridge if the object is broken or lost. The owner is going to be upset for obvious reasons. By giving the object a personality and/or presence, the author can make the audience feel the same way. Not to the same extent, but enough that the event has more impact. Clearly, this is easier with living things because we naturally feel bad when something dies. If we’re talking about something that was never alive to begin with then it’s harder to create that gut punch without getting the audience to care.
So, what do you think about this? Ever have an inanimate object that people really cared about in the books you read or wrote?
Legends of Windemere 