11 Links, Things, and Posts Sparking Joy This Week
Because I need it, and maybe you do too
I had a whole post all written and ready to go a week + ago, which I had to scrap. It was a lengthy and pretty personal romp through my lifelong relationship with anxiety, and my honest reflections on how much a Zoloft prescription has changed my life for the better over the past year. I was all ready to share and then everything went to shit, to put it simply.
Mere hours after penning this victory lap of a post about how amazingly un-anxious I’d been feeling lately, the universe said, hold my beer! A cocktail of stressors relating to work, a friend’s health diagnosis, a traumatic situation I witnessed that I won’t go into right now, a car accident and ensuing insurance headaches, and the general hellscape of watching your country descent into authoritariansm (no biggie!) all caught up with me. On top of this, I’d recently adjusted the dosage of said Zoloft prescription, and was hit with a sudden slew of side effects like extreme insomnia, an all-over agitation, and a total inability to focus.
Suffice to say, I’ll save that post for another time! It would have felt almost laughably disingenuous to post it last week, though I know these blips and ups and downs are a normal part of just A. being human, and B. being a human adjusting to an SSRI. Given the exceedingly rough couple of weeks I’ve had (and it seems like, from what I’m hearing, so many of you have had too), I thought a lighter post was in order. I’m looking forward to getting back into my regular posting routine again, hopefully sleeping through the night again soon, and being able to look back on April 2025 as simply a rough patch — because that’s just life.
In the meantime, I’m simply sharing some internet rabbit holes, sites, links, and recs that are bringing me joy. Because as the news of the world gets more chaotic and bleak and my own life busier and more challenging as of late, I find myself working overtime to focus in and truly appreciate the little sparks of joy.
We can only control the controllable, my therapist reminded me recently, and sometimes that means focusing on the littlest happy things, right in front of us.
This incredible line of nail polish. My friend turned me on to it, and I fear I have a new obsession loading. Just browsing the site is a serotonin boost. I worked in the yard ALL weekend and barely a chip! I’ve got a ton of colors screenshotted, but this one might be a must-purchase.
Driving around in my new-to-me 1999 Camry, listening to CDs I burnt in high school (Lily Allen! The Lemonheads!) is such a vibe. I’m grateful to have any car, but there’s something particularly punk feeling about a car with a CD player, no lane assist (so annoying!), and already bumped and dented, so there’s no pressure about keeping it perfect! I shared how I was feeling about the hand-me-down car, but also the general movement away from consumerism and modern conveniences with this post, and it seems I’m not alone.
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserSometimes I just love how niche the internet is. Like, ever see ancient Egyptian or Greek jewelry artifacts in a museum and wish you could buy and wear earrings like that? Because same, and this Etsy jewelry shop sells exactly that!?
Speaking of niches and realizing no single experience or interest of my life has ever been unique, I’m having a great time (is that weird to say?) on Titanic Tok. Where, amongst other things, I learned about this insanely fascinating new documentary. If you were or are remotely a Titanic girlie, run don’t walk. I was glued to the screen.
In case your algorithm is very different than mine and you didn’t hear, the gem that is 2005 Pride and Prejudice came out 20 (gross) years ago . I rewatched it for the first time the other day and wow, does it hold up. In case you need some quality escapism, and who doesn’t.
It’s full-on spring, and because I’m minding my consumerism on sites like Amazon (still using and loving these alternatives!) and Target (honestly, I don’t even miss it), I’m rechanneling some of of that add to cart energy on seed sites — and this is my go-to. Putting my tomatoes and cukes in the group next week and couldn’t be happier!
Seeing this clip blow up on Tiktok gives me chills in the best way. This happened right here in my little mountain town, and the incredible speaker is a local author. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve listened to this.
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserAs mentioned, I’m adhering to a low-buy year as much as possible, so most of my online browsing is only browsing (which I still enjoy just the same!) but I’m considering making one of these gorgeous Boden swim suits one of my few purchases of the year. I bought one last year and I’ve never been happier with a swimsuit…like ever. Right now it’s between this one-shoulder moment or this one.
I knew I was big time overwhelmed last week when a podcast I normally love sent me into an overstimulated tizzy. When your brain is filled to the brim but you don’t want to sit in silence, this playlist is everything. I’ve had it on repeat most days this past week.
If you’re a fellow witchy girlie, you likely already know about Chani, the incredible woman-owned social justice meets astrology app. If not, prepare to be obsessed. I’ve been starting my days listening to the morning meditation and kicking off each week with their Monday podcast episode and it’s a delightful new routine. I used to get my astrology info mostly from random sites and apps like Co-Star, and Chani is just light years more helpful and detailed.
Last but definitely not least, this video gave me hope and a much-needed political pep talk when I was totally down in the dumps, as I often am upon hearing the news. I immediately texted it to several friends, and now I’m imploring you to give it a watch (and maybe a share) as well.
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Back to regularly scheduled content next week — thanks for obliging the off-brand post. Wishing you a soft, easy week, filled with glimmers of joy wherever you can find them <3