Volume 1, Resources 2: DIY Self-Care Self-Check & Ambient Sounds to Transport You
Hi friends! How’s everyone doing? I’ve turned into a reading monster. I’m trying to squeeze in reading time whenever I can. Putting away the dishes? I can listen to 5 minutes of an audiobook but according to the Audiobook Speed Calculator, if I listen to it at my usual 1.55x speed I’ll get through it in about 3 minutes. I’m going to get my hair bleached and purpled soon and I’m looking forward to being trapped in the salon for hours and I am absolutely bringing a book with me.
Anyway, I’m going to share a couple resources with you that I think are worth knowing about. As usual, these resources are free!
Resource 1: You Feel Like Shit: A Self-Care Game
If you have never yourself asked Google “Why do I feel like shit?” then you may not have come across You Feel Like Shit: A Self-Care Game. “Patricia, have you actually Googled, ‘Why do I feel like shit?’” Absofruitly! Many, many times…
Anyway, this resource is an interactive flow-chart for self-care. It starts with a physical check, beginning with asking if you’ve eaten in the last 4 hours. Depending on your answer, it will either give you a tip then an option to move forward, or just move you on to the next question. Like I mentioned, it checks physical things first (hunger, meds, hydration, movement, current environment). It does its best to not be ableist or pushy when it mentions exercise and I appreciate that. It then goes through a mental health check. This is not comprehensive nor should it be used in lieu of seeing a licensed therapist; however, if it’s 7pm and I’m feeling like shit, this is a helpful thing to walk myself through.
I was going to type, “It’s like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure™ but the adventure is your feelings!” and then I realized wow, that is a major turn-off for me. Your mileage may vary.
You Feel Like Shit was adapted, with permission, from the work of Jace Harr.
Resource 2: Ambient Sound Mixer
When I am trying to do work that is writing and not reading books, I have a mild obsession with Ambient Sound Mixer. Ambient Sound Mixer allows you to listen to audio atmospheres created by folks in the community and for you to create and save your own audio atmospheres to listen to and share. Whereas a simple ambient sound site may offer something like “soft rain,” on Ambient Sound Mixer you can hear “Victorian London,” a mix of multiple rain sounds (rain on cement, rain on umbrella), a horse whinny, church bells, the Columbia Road Flower Market, and a few other sounds. It’s a delight! If you’re overwhelmed by choice, I did a round-up of some of the best literary-themed ones.
That’s it for this week! If you enjoy this free resource email, feel free to buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/theinfophile.
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.
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