State of the Rax

[rax]

• Realized this morning while talking to Krinn that I am simultaneously very stressed and not depressed at all, which is unusual for me. It's kind of amazing, because I am not depressed, fuck yes. But in the past when I've been super stressed the depression was kind of a coping mechanism around not caring that much because, you know, nothing really

Comments

[jackbishop]

Apropos of being in Tucson, can I get your postal-mail address? There's something I've been meaning to send/deliver to you since you were actually in the neighborhood and I was too lame to actually ever come up.

[rax]

Oh hey, I hadn't looked at comments here! Eep, sorry! I am:

Rachel Dillon
2565 E Prince Rd
Tucson AZ 85716

[kelkyag]

Yay, not being depressed! And I'm glad you like Tucson -- and am rather surprised by your enthusiasm for the plants and the peccaries.

I would be curious to hear more about your interaction with the twelve-year-old in footnote two, as handling such things gracefully and effectively is a skill I would like to level up.

[csbermack]

I was in phoenix last weekend. I'm amused at your "how did I live anywhere else" because I was very sure very quickly that I did not want to live there. It's certainly interesting and different, but I'd have to cultivate an appreciation of the sparse and stark that does not come easily to me. Also I had a headache each day from dehydration

[krinndnz]

Let me put it this way: when I told my San Francisco friends and family that I was moving to Arizona, about half of them responded, in notably worried-for-my-health-on-multiple-levels tones of voice, "You're not moving to Phoenix, are you?"

Phoenix and Tucson. Very different.

[csbermack]

What's different? Aside from the roving peccaries?

(I'm from Michigan. Now I live in Massachusetts. I have no idea about the west.)

[krinndnz]

Hmm. My go-to explanation is phrased in terms of other cities of the of west - i.e. that Phoenix has the sincerity of Los Angeles and the culture of Dallas. It's a soulless corporate wasteland, is what I'm saying. It's also reliably 10 degrees warmer than Tucson, and it has fascist icon Joe Arpaio, one of the worst people in America, in a position of authority.

Tucson has some actual culture - which is a lot more important than climate to me. You can get used to the weather in most places. The culture, on the other hand, might actively dislike you.

[lark]

I often find that if I can reduce the amount of stress held in my muscles, I can reduce my overall stress level, so some ideas that are fast enough to not require actual time commitments:

Aromatherapy! I'm practically on an IV drip of peppermint tea this semester. It helps reduce stress levels and headaches, and has no caffeine (which I try to avoid, idk). Maybe that will work for you? Chamomile and lavender are other ideas.

Really hot baths! I took a hot bath once this semester when I was on the verge of losing my mind and nearly died from how relaxed I felt after. It's very good if you need a hard reset.

Your jaw is a huge place for holding tension; try to do some jaw relaxing techniques or learn how to massage the tension out of your jaw muscle, and it usually makes you destress really fast. You might also learn some facial massage techniques because they are pretty amazing (and useful to apply to other people). Google it!

15 minute power naps are seriously the shit. Whenever I can't take it anymore I just sleep.

[rax]

I also avoid caffeine. This is awesome! I will try these things, thank you! Now I really want a bath. <3

OH RIGHT I OWN A HOT TUB I SHOULD GET THAT FIXED ^^;;;;;;;;;