"Doing this was worth making it a comfortable experience."

I’m an award-winning writer and editor living in New York City, where I currently work at BuzzFeed as the Senior Lifestyle Editor.

"This is the best thing you can do. I used to 'cling on' to the notion that 'they're family.' Well, fuck that — they don't care about me, and I no longer care about them. Fortunately, my direct family (parents/brothers) is fine, but outside of that, I couldn't care less."

"A regular schedule matters even more than the amount. Yes, seven-plus hours for adults is ideal but going to bed and waking up at the same time is better than irregular sleeping.

Sleep items: eye mask ($15.99), Loop ear plugs ($34.95)

Exercise items: foam roller ($38.36) TOSAMC wrist and ankle weights ($55)

"I did this for a while, no soda before 8 p.m., replaced it with water with taste (also a lot of sugar, but still a LOT less than soda). It worked out great. I saw improvement in my teeth discoloration. I wish I could keep it up, but somehow, getting some water ended up becoming harder than grabbing a soda."

"It’s called 'Affirmations for Self Love, Gratitude, by Jess Sheperd' — a rising higher meditation on Spotify.

I do this in the morning after not opening my phone for at least 15-20 minutes. Then I go on Spotify and listen to these affirmations.

At first, you may feel weird but eventually, you will start to resonate with what is being said…Like yeah, I should appreciate my body more and all it does for me. Haha."

"Yup, I did that, too. I stopped responding to their need, waited for them to reach out, and after a year, I deleted them everywhere. If they can go a whole year without so much as a 'Hi, how are you?', they are not really friends."

Teeth items: electric toothbrush ($39.95) Cocofloss ($9.99) tongue scraper ($5.99)

"The amount of stress I had during the COVID pandemic really made me aware of how badly the news impacted my mental state."

"I had to work on letting the silence fill the space instead of my words. It was really uncomfortable, but once I started doing this in person, I did so online, too. That includes when people try to accuse me of lying about health issues and stuff like that. I simply block them. I don't owe some rando, on the internet, or real life, an explanation of why I exist and how I manage to do it. 

It's also why I will ignore/confront passive-aggressive remarks because I'm not doing another adult's emotional regulating for them. I did that a lot for my parents. 

Now, instead of being triggered to over-explain to these people, I see them as a sort of energy vampire, and I'm nobody's fucking meal. I have better things to do than explain myself to some dude who tried and failed to tell me to smile, or some woman who tries to imply my hair color isn't 'something she would do.' I'm glad I'm not either of these people frankly."

"The whole pooping experience is worth investing into. Bidet, Squatty Potty, and quality toilet paper. The works. You do this every day (or close enough to), it's worth making it a comfortable experience."

Hobby items: puzzles ($24.99), Xbox ($400+), Book of the Month subscription ($59.99)