Introducing 100 Days of Squee

[allizon]

Originally published at my site. You can comment here or there.

Yes, I know things have been awfully quiet around here lately. I go and get my eyes fixed and all of a sudden, what, I don’t feel like writing anything anymore? What’s with me anyway, huh?

Well, I’ll admit I’ve been more than a bit depressed lately. I don’t want to get into all the whys of it here, but between being down in de dumps and being in one of my very inward-facing phases, I haven’t written a damn thing lately. The problem there is that one of the best ways for me to combat depression is to write my through it. So consider this the start of that.

(It always helps when I’m depressed to put things in some sense of perspective. Even with all of the crap we’ve had going on, I’m still so incredibly, incredibly fortunate and blessed compared to at least ninety percent of the world, and I do know that. I’m physically healthy, my family’s healthy, my kids are happy, I’m not especially wanting for anything material, I’m not being persecuted, and I’m not, so far as I’m aware, in danger of being displaced or executed as part of an ethnic cleansing. Things could be so much worse.)

One of the best ways for me to beat off depression is to focus on all the wonderful bits of my life, all of the things big and small which make me truly happy. To that end I’m enacting 100 Days of Squee, during which I’ll attempt to touch on many of the things, people, events, places and whatnot which bring me some amount of joy. These things might be tiny details or big pictures, important or frivolous, tangible or ethereal. I’m going to try to be as specific as possible with most of the squees because the entire point of the project is for me to look back over the list later when I’m down and remind myself of the things that make me happy so I can beat the down away.

Also, I’m saying this right up front just to take some of the pressure off of me with this project: it’s entirely possible I won’t actually finish all one hundred days. I’m notoriously short of focus with this kind of thing, so if I feel like I’m done and feeling better after, say, fifteen or twenty days, then that’s cool. But I’m certainly going into this with one hundred as the goal.

So that’s that. The project will kick off on Tuesday and I’ll try to update it most weekdays for the next four months or so. Squee ho!

Comments

[sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a great idea to push off depressive thoughts. *hugs* to you for actively working on things. I look forward to reading your squees.

[badlittlemonkey.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the hugs and encouragment. I look forward to reading my squees, too... I have no idea yet how to fill up 100 of 'em. :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Excellent idea! Mind if I steal it? I've been down lately m'self...

[badlittlemonkey.livejournal.com]

Steal away, please! I hope it helps. You've got easily ten times the readership I do, so maybe your doing it will give even more people inspiration to do the same thing if they're down.

[celtfiddler.livejournal.com]

This does, indeed, sound like a most excellent way to stave off depressive thoughts. It's amazing how often the things that get us down can make us overlook the many wonderful things in our lives. I look forward to hearing you share some of yours.

-- Chris

[badlittlemonkey.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how often the things that get us down can make us overlook the many wonderful things in our lives.

Exactly! I tend to be especially susceptible to that one, so I need to consciously focus on the positive for awhile.

[rintrahroars.livejournal.com]

A truly great idea, hon. I look forward to reading about what makes you squee, besides burned cheese, of course. ;)

And perhaps you can find inspiration at some other time than 3 am? Sleep used to be one of the biggest squees of your life. *hugs*

[badlittlemonkey.livejournal.com]

Oooh, burned cheese! adds that one to the list

I'll be perfectly happy to write these not in the middle of the night. Yes, it was nice and distraction-free, but holy hell am I tired this morning! (Mmmmmm... sleep.)

[concrete.livejournal.com]

your posts will surely bee one of my daily sources of squee :)

[badlittlemonkey.livejournal.com]

Heh! We'll see! If I can induce second-hand squee in you with my posts, I'll feel like I'm doing Something Good. :)

[beah.livejournal.com]

Yay squeee! If you ever need some, you know where to find me, and I'll try to send a little your way.

The 100 Days of Beauty thing I did on LJ worked in much the same way you're hoping this will. I woke up in the morning wondering what beauty I would encounter, rather than being crabby and down. Good luck!

[badlittlemonkey.livejournal.com]

Yeah, your 100 Days project and Terry's "100 Days of North Carolina Beauty" were definitely in my head as I concocted this idea. I'm really curious to see what I come up with over the next couple of months!

And hon, you can always feel free to send squee my way. :)