EEDA Newsletter Vol 5, Res 18: Moderating Our Violence Intake and Mobilizing
This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!
Hi friends! Before I get into things: I’ve been told that in Sacramento, CA, the latest Covid-19 vaccine is available at some CVS locations and for some SF Bay Area Kaiser locations, they may have it as soon as this coming Monday 9/9.
Anyway, hi! I’ve been getting the itch to write things other than this newsletter, our podcast script, and Book Riot stuff. I do not know what has happened for my brain to have some extra “thinking slots” but I’d like to make use of them. Or maybe I do know what happened: I’ve been spending more time doing enjoyable things like thrifting, making pasta, and hanging out with friends and perhaps my allowing for leisure without guilt has made me feel less like I’m treading water. Huh. Rest makes me feel good? Sounds suspicious.
I do not know if I can ever fully return to working at an office when my work from home situation on sunny mornings looks like this:
This week's EEDA Pod episode is titled, “Ways to Think About Time Anxiety” and we talk about time anxiety, specifically in the ways we’ve been seeing it show up in our own lives. There are many ways that time anxiety can show up and we discuss the stress of feeling like there’s never enough time to do what we want to do, delaying joy in order to do the “shoulds” first, and all-too-common “I just have to get through this week, then things will slow down.”
You can find our show, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts.
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It’s resource week so let’s get to it!
Resource 1: 11 Tips for Protecting Yourself From Upsetting Images on Social Media via Greater Good Magazine
I know that nuance on the internet is dead, yet here I am, Sisyphus rolling a grain of critical thinking skills up a mountain at the end of every week. My sharing of this article doesn’t mean “never look at bad things on the internet” nor is it permission to ignore the ongoing horrors in Gaza, the U.S., the Congo, Sudan, or anywhere else.
I share this primarily for my Black and brown communities, for my queer and trans community, for the disabled community, and for other marginalized folks who are increasingly under attack. For me, there is no good to come from my watching videos of state violence against Black people. I know it happens. I don’t have to watch it to believe it. I don’t have to watch it to be against it nor to do something about it. As marginalized people, we should really cultivate some boundaries around our violent content consumption because repeatedly traumatizing ourselves every time we look at our phones is not helpful.
Yes, please, stay informed. But let’s take care of ourselves. We can’t do shit if we don’t keep our sanity. This article gives some tips on how we can do that.
Resource 2: Mobilize
Overwhelmed by The Horrors™ and looking for something to do about them? Check out https://www.mobilize.us/. While A LOT of the options of things to do and events to attend on this site are political, there are some “nonpolitical” options as well. Yes, everything is political but what I mean is there are options to, say, volunteer at food banks rather than go door-knocking for democratic candidates. What I especially appreciate about Mobilize is the ability to filter for virtual events, accessibility needs, location, type, tags, and you also have an option for Spanish language events and volunteer opportunities.
Recent & Current Reads
Inclusion of a book in this section is not necessarily a recommendation and these books won’t necessarily be added to my Bookshop. Links are affiliate links.
Recently Read:
Countess by Suzan Palumbo (out 9/10)
Grand Slam Romance Book 1: A Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Ollie Hicks (Author), Emma Oosterhous (Illustrator)
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee
All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong (out 9/24)
Currently Reading:
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Lovers by Rebekah Faubion (out 9/24)
Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele & John Joseph Adams (Yes, I am still working on this. I got through one particular story and it thoroughly creeped me out so I’ve set it aside)
That’s it for this week! You can shop many books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. In fact, any Bookshop, Amazon, or Etsy links in this newsletter are affiliate links so if you shop through those, it helps support my work. Or you can leave me a tip on Ko-fi, Paypal, or Venmo.
If you want to send me some snail mail, you can find me at P.O. Box 21481, Oakland, CA 94620-1481.
You can find our podcast, Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts.