I'm having an existential crisis (I'm sure I'm not the only one)... so I guess I'm seeking recs for that? 🤡

Question

Meredith · Answer

Embrace It/Travel: An existential crises can be a great teacher. It can help you sift through what you want to keep and what you want to let go of. And traveling (doesn’t have to be far) will disrupt your routine, which can serve as a nice reset.

dhblikes · Answer

The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation by Jenna Free: I’m in the same boat, and strangely, this book and listening to the author Jenna Free (a therapist w/ ADHD herself) on the Terri Cole podcast was helpful. It is super validating & all about nervous system regulation w/ counter-intuitive mantras like: “There is No Rush.” Knowing I’m not alone,(w/ Rec League & kindred spirits!), having one thing to look forward to a day, like going to the movies— tonight is the new Witch one w/ Sandra Bullock—all are helping a bit.

Elena · Answer

The Gift: A stunning Turkish tv show which can be watched on netlix, it starts by following a painter in Istanbul who recognizes symbols she has been painting for years in a newly unearthed discovery at the ancient site Göbeklitepe. Many lovable flawed characters in this archeological magic/mystery with portals, past lives and thought provoking questions about cycle breaking. The show has three incredible seasons that land you in a completely different place than you began.

Elena · Answer

Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers: Two short stories which together tell of a human rethinking their purpose and what brings them fulfillment, and a wild robot learning about humans needs.

Even with such thoughtful subject matter, the book stays refreshingly grounded and light and leaves you feeling buoyed. A hopeful and illuminating balm for the sensitive soul that paints a beautiful picture of what life could be like if we opt to take real care of the living world around us.

Bethany Poteat · Answer

I Heart Huckabees: Existential detectives! This movie is very strange, but feels a lot like life right now.

Ksteg · Answer

Book an astrology reading with Maliea Croy: Astrology is wonderful for so many things, but especially helpful when you’re in the crunch phase of a big transformation. It speaks to timing (aka when the fuck will this shit end?), it parses context and trajectory when everything feels messy (aka why the fuck is this happening now?) and it points you to the areas of strength and support you can lean on to get through it. @Maliea Croy is an astrologer AND a therapist and she is the best of the best of the best.

Coofandy · Answer

finding meaning in the second half of life james hollis: Definitely the book that helped me the most in the last few years. No platitudes or encouragements to pivot n grind. Lots of hard truths presented with respect and care. Of all the books on the midlife crisis shelf, this is the only one I’ve read twice.

Kate · Answer

having an arbitrary stupid goal: I stole this from Tamara Shopsin’s excellent memoir, but her dad’s take is that to be happy, you should always have SOMETHING you are chasing. No matter how stupid. It makes life fun!

Good potential goals:

Going to all the state parks in your state

Reading every Jane Austen book in a month

Seeing a movie a week for a year

Unicorns · Answer

WHEW. It's alot right now.: SAME. POLYCRISES, am I right?! Here's my go-to's when the polycrises goes from hum to dull roar.

a) Water. (Swim, dunk, drink, bathe, shower.) Get thee to water, somehow. 
b) Slow the efff down. This is not my jam and it helps.
c) Find your luminaries. Stressed about the AI robots ending society as we know it? YUP, me too. I read/listen to Abi Awomosu, Molly Kinder and Tristan Harris. Doesn't fix it but it does help. Mental health feels bananas? Reading Hyperbole and a half by Allie Brosh makes me feel less singularly low. 
d) Find mutual aid homies in your neighborhood. Helping folks in ways that feel manageable in your life doesn't immediately solve the polycrises, but it can help how we feel about it.

Rooting for you! 
(Illustration by Allie Brosh)

Abby Phoenix · Answer

The Soft Stoic Letter: I recently got this rec from Rec League (meta!), so can’t speak to it as well as others here have, but after signing up, I received this perfect newsletter yesterday.

Reading it helped me start healing something that I wasn’t even fully aware had been happening below the surface, and I just woke up today feeling better: more content with where I am and ready to handle whatever comes next.

Frances · Answer

A grounding yoga session: Whenever I’m feeling disregulated my first step is to ground myself, and hopefully to find a little joy in my very own body. Yoga With Adriene is my go-to, and this Connect to Self practice (with guest teacher Sam) never fails to leave me feeling more at home in my body, and therefore in the world. It happens to be a membership practice, but you can do a trial if you want to check it out. If not, I think Adrienne’s Yoga For Self Doubt, Yoga For When You Are Spiraling, and Yoga For Overthinking also hit the spot.

bradshaw · Answer

big huge giant graph paper notebook: and a lot of colorful markers and like an hour or two. i use this notebook to literally just dump everything into it and then figure out what’s manageable, but it’s important to just get it all out of your brain first.