Smart Podcast, Trashy Books Podcast

494. Tubthumping with Anxiety, and More New Year’s Wishes!

Amanda and I catch up on her “lots of things to look forward to” plan, which now includes things that were done! We talk about anxiety, therapy, angsty books, trimming your own bangs, and we have book and video game recs, plus new year’s wishes from Elyse, Pudding, and Jane B!

Do you like angsty books? Are there books that help you feel things cathartically?

Music: purple-planet.com

 

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This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.

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  1. Nicolette says:

    I get songs stuck in my head too (thanks for the solidarity, Sarah!). I just returned Chatter without reading it but will try again. It sounds helpful.

    With you on best friend’s little sister. It’s problematic at best.

  2. SB Sarah says:

    @Nicolette: I listened to it while driving, and I listen at 1.4 speed, so it’s a relatively quick listen. The two major takeaways that I have are to recognize when I’m feeling very very anxious, and put myself in the third person: “Sarah is/was feeling threatened, bewildered, upset…” to give some mental distance instead of being neck-deep in the emotional stew.

    The other tip that has stuck with me (I’m nearly done with the book) is to make sure I go outside or look at something that gives me a feeling of awe, that sensation that something is much much larger in scope than me. Yesterday it was spotting one of the neighborhood hawks, and making sure I watched the sunset. If I haven’t seen anything I’ll think about beaches I’ve been on and try to remember every sense detail.

    Hmm. Now I want stew.

  3. Ellen says:

    Hey Sarah – bad news about those new Girl Scout cookies, Adventurefuls. Just read an article in the Washington Post that there is a supply chain issue for Adventurefuls in the Washington DC area. Currently searching for them myself so I’ll reply back if I find them.

  4. SB Sarah says:

    @Ellen: NOOooooOoOOoOOOooooooo, she cried dramatically!

  5. Phedre says:

    They had a segment on Late Night with Stephen Colbert that talked about getting songs out of your head & Colbert basically says you’re supposed to say/sing the end of the commercial for personal care products “By Mennen.”

    Personally my go to is “Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats or any feel good cheesy song that makes you laugh/smile & get hideous Ear-Worm out of head fast.

    Hope that helps & as usual – great podcast!

  6. Emily C says:

    I was told years ago to sing the chorus of EnVogue’s “Free Your Mind” over and over to get an ear worm out of your head. Has always worked for me… “Free your miiiind, and the rest will follow (dun duh duh)”

  7. Quinn Wilde says:

    When I was sixteen I pierced a girl’s nose from a kit she bought. Apparently, they wouldn’t do it in the store (they said it was illegal according to local health codes), but they sold the little stud and punch.

    That’s on my top ten list of things I would never do again. It went well, just would never volunteer again!

    I think I like books with moderate darkness and angst. Like, I’m not one of those people who looks for books with minimal conflict and romances that are “just vibes” but I don’t feel an urge to read A Little Life, despite its being recommended to me on multiple occasions.

    No love for the Tagalongs and Do-Si-Do GS cookies?

  8. Karen H near Tampa says:

    Not a fan of angsty books and that’s mainly why I avoid YA/NA. I always feel like doing the Cher thing from Moonstruck and bopping them on the head and yelling “Snap out of it!” (Could be my age as it’s long past 20.) It’s especially annoying when the character (usually the female for some reason) keeps going over and over and over the same lament. I also don’t use books to get through feelings and I never re-read (after all, there’s just so many new books coming out all the time) so I may be an anomaly. But if it works for others, that’s great.

    Loved the Canadian bacon joke and I’m really looking forward to getting to see curling in a couple of weeks at the Winter Olympics!

  9. Malaraa says:

    I’m with Quinn on the Tagalongs!! My absolute favs! But don’t underestimate the humble looking shortbread of the Trefoils!

    One trick that works for me with stuck songs is to try and replace the most irritating ones by switching to a “sticky” song that’s a TV show intro. For instance, if i can change to the Muppet Show Intro, then watch an episode of the Muppet Show until it moves from the intro song into the show, it will sometimes help my brain move on with the video – song’s done, show has started, the brain can stop singing and move on along with the video now because it’s been trained to follow this pattern and gets unstuck. Doesn’t always work – sometimes the original stuck song comes back after, sometimes i end up singing the Muppet theme for 3 or 4 days! It is really hard to sleep when the brain is convinced it’s Time to Get things Started!

    There’s definitely a “tipping point” in emotions + media, be it books, music, shows, whatever. Sometimes it feels good to identify with and share someone else’s emotions vs. other times mine are too much and need the protective space to process themselves in the dark inside awhile yet, so i want something in opposition to them.

    I can’t talk about the game i’m super enjoying right now because it’s an alpha under NDA still, but uhhhhh… i can say if you haven’t yet, take a look at My Time in Portia, {wink wink} which is older but is really cute and fun when you’re looking for a soothing game to run around friending and romancing and living somewhere NPC’s care about making their town a better place for everyone!

    I know for most of us we’re a little past gingerbread season now, but still slightly connected, via cookies, so have a couple belated jokes!

    What did the gingerbread man use when making his bed? Cookie sheets.

    A gingerbread man went to the doctor’s complaining of a sore knee. The doctor asked him. “Have you tried icing it?”

  10. Kate says:

    I have been wrestling with periodic earworms since the beginning of the pandemic, especially when waking up in the middle of the night. Started with Thank You for Being a Friend and am currently working on Someday by Sugar Ray. Sometimes just listening to the song helps evict it from my brain but other times it just adds another verse which is at least better than the same few lines over and over.

  11. The anxiety-slash-song stuck in your head. YES! OMGeee! And this Comedy bit from Emily Heller NAILS it!!!
    Enjoy!

  12. Holly says:

    I’m with Amanda on “The Heart Principle”. I enjoyed the writing. It was very realistic for the caregiving portion but I was living it as I listened to the book and it a little too close to home. I finished it but my favorite Helen Hoang is The Kiss Quotient.” I need happy books in my life right now.

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