What has been/is getting me through

I know.

I know.

I haven’t been around much.

Sorrrreeee.

Lots of reasons, nothing major to report, just “everything is too much,” but this week, it hits a bit harder because my wife and I are remembering the passing of her mother and best friend in the same week two years ago. Her friend, Deb, died April 24 after months of being in and out of the hospital for various ailments; her mom, April 28 after years of suffering from Parkinson’s. Kim and her sister, Debbie, were with their mother when she passed away.

So, I thought in light of those two commemorations this week, I’d share what has been/is getting me through.

Four Tet & Skrillex & Fred Again… at Coachella 2023

Short backstory: headliner Frank Ocean canceled his Weekend 2 set after, in my opinion, he should have canceled his Weekend 1 set. In his place, Coachella announced TBA would perform or as the three deejays who finally ended up playing called themselves “OMG TBA.” The trio was, and is Four Tet, Skrillex and Fred Again… I am a huge fan of Four Tet and over the last few months have been making my way slowly through his epic playlist on Spotify so when I heard this was happening I knew I couldn’t miss it. It was streamed at 1:45 a.m. on the East Coast Sunday morning and went until after 3 a.m. Luckily, I didn’t have to work until 3 p.m. that day and it was more than worth watching.

The set, at least for now, is available here via The Internet Archives below:

Therapy, Prozac, meditation, and journaling

Yep. I take Prozac and have for about 30 years. I started taking it in response to dealing with the deaths of my two grandfathers when I was young and a fear of eternity. It helps me not get fixated on those fears or to think of thinking about eternity in a more rational way than I might otherwise. However, it doesn’t mean that I don’t get depressed or don’t have other anxieties. That’s why a couple of years ago (prepandemic), I started therapy (teletherapy because of where we live) in response to work and just life in general.

Along with medication and therapy, I also “do” meditation and journaling. The journaling has been a work in progress, something that I especially try to do – but not limited to – after a day of work. It helps me reflect on the day, not just the bad but the good too. I discovered meditation during the pandemic through the podcast Wake Up/Wind Down with Niall Breslin, which has since ended but the archives are still available on Spotify and he has a new podcast “Where Is My Mind?” To learn more about Breslin, visit his website. I also used, and paid for, the app Headspace for the last couple of years and now am using the app Insight Timer for free. I still listen to the podcast Headspace Studios has: Radio Headspace, Dear Headspace, and Sunday Scaries, all of which are free.alm

I also discovered two other podcasters I enjoy listening to: meditation teacher and psychologist Tara Brach and pianist Chad Lawson with Calm it Down. Among all the choices of podcasts and meditation courses, I pick and choose what works for me that day or that week. Sometimes one hits more than another for me

So how about you? What gets you through your days, weeks, months, and years? Please share in the comments. (I’m also restarting to use my Substack. To see it – I’ll be updating the design soon – and subscribe, click here.)