Yo Duolingo and the NYT Spelling Bee are my productive distractions these days. The world is trash but at least yo hablo español and made it to Queen Bee 🫠🫠🫠
I downloaded a free "design" app that was working for me, but after a few room designs, you had to start spending real $ to continue. Ugh.
I'm going to try Duolingo, but I'm not a writer or language person, so I think I need something more visual. Feeling productive is key, though. So often lately, I feel like if I think about the future I'll start crying or hyperventilating, so I need to force myself into the present moment and do something productive.
Also, thank you for recommending Ross Gay's work, I got 2 books of his and they are wonderful! (Not as wonderful as yours, but there can be only one Saeed.)
Thank you! Every. Word. Of. This. Exhausting. I love the term "productive disassociation". I've been doing typing lessons/games to combat the fact that I hunt-and-peck despite being a writer. Might have to get Duolingo though.
ALL OF THIS. Daily Duolingo has helped me through vast swaths of this pandemic. I am a very resilient person, but recently I've been frustrated by what you're describing.... having to be so damn ON IT with mental health/therapy/daily yoga/walks, etc. just to survive the news cycle. I'm thankful for all the healthy coping mechanisms I have in place, but tired of living in a world where they are constantly, unrelentingly necessary. Would be wonderful to have some sort of breather or break from the onslaught, but barring that, je parle francais avec Duo!
I spent years pressuring myself to be okay when I wasn't ready to be okay. It's a relief these days to allow myself to truly break when it's safe to do so. So much happens in the rupture and repair cycle. Thanks for sharing your heart, Saeed.
Your voice and your laugh are survival tools for me. And now, Duolingo.
Your mirroring of all this breathed life into me. Thank you boo.
*inhale exhale*
so much discipline, for like, the most basic performance of life ;-; but caesar pics and your substack make me feel less alone
Yo Duolingo and the NYT Spelling Bee are my productive distractions these days. The world is trash but at least yo hablo español and made it to Queen Bee 🫠🫠🫠
I’m with you. Terrible times. Terrible news.
Thank you for this!
I downloaded a free "design" app that was working for me, but after a few room designs, you had to start spending real $ to continue. Ugh.
I'm going to try Duolingo, but I'm not a writer or language person, so I think I need something more visual. Feeling productive is key, though. So often lately, I feel like if I think about the future I'll start crying or hyperventilating, so I need to force myself into the present moment and do something productive.
Also, thank you for recommending Ross Gay's work, I got 2 books of his and they are wonderful! (Not as wonderful as yours, but there can be only one Saeed.)
Thank you! Every. Word. Of. This. Exhausting. I love the term "productive disassociation". I've been doing typing lessons/games to combat the fact that I hunt-and-peck despite being a writer. Might have to get Duolingo though.
YES! Downloading Duolingo cut my doomscrolling in half ✨ my streak is so long it’s almost embarrassing
I'm fraying.
ALL OF THIS. Daily Duolingo has helped me through vast swaths of this pandemic. I am a very resilient person, but recently I've been frustrated by what you're describing.... having to be so damn ON IT with mental health/therapy/daily yoga/walks, etc. just to survive the news cycle. I'm thankful for all the healthy coping mechanisms I have in place, but tired of living in a world where they are constantly, unrelentingly necessary. Would be wonderful to have some sort of breather or break from the onslaught, but barring that, je parle francais avec Duo!
I so needed to listen to this today, thank you!! Your ability to articulate these things - to pull the threads together - is sublime
I spent years pressuring myself to be okay when I wasn't ready to be okay. It's a relief these days to allow myself to truly break when it's safe to do so. So much happens in the rupture and repair cycle. Thanks for sharing your heart, Saeed.
"Productive disassociation" is the PERFECT descriptor for Duolingo.