❤️ 🍵 Tea’s Recommendations 🍵 ❤️ [September 2023] [Things I Like That You Might Like Too] (Patreon)

Hello!

Sometimes I get caught in a cycle of the same movies, books, activities, and whatever else. If you also suffer from this, I hope this small collection of recommendations can be of some help.

P.S. These are obviously just things I like and if you don’t like them too, then that’s absolutely a-okay ❤️

✨Podcasts:✨

Nerd Soup:

I love hearing people talk about tv shows, movies and books - and these guys do it really well. I listen to them on Spotify whilst I’m walking my dogs, cleaning the kitchen, even when I’m on the treadmill and I’m going slow. The episodes are simple, chilled discussions about characters, story telling and the love of entertainment. Give them a listen.

Toni and Ryan:

Two beautiful Aussie’s that make me snort! They’re adorable, they’re best friends and they’re unapologetically real. If you want an unvarnished take on relationships, secret behaviours and questionable decisions - this is the place for you. You can find these guys on Spotify, and I really hope you do because it’s such a nice way to spend a car journey.

Desert Island Discs:

Yes, I am 70! What of it! Desert Island Discs is a radio program that you can now listen to as a podcast on Spotify. Every episode a new guest makes an appearance (usually celebrities, politicians, activists) and they’re asked to give a list of songs they’d take with them to a desert island. Throughout the programme they explain their choices and give you deeper insight into their lives. It’s gentle, it’s relaxing, it’s perfect for when you’re just wanting to unwind from the day. See if you’re 70, too.

✨Music:✨

Jealousy, jealousy - Olivia Rodrigo

Sleep at night - Cat Burns

Dance The Night - Duo Lipa

Tomorrow - Jack Curley

Super Freak - Rick James

Paint The Town Red - Doja Cat

It’s Raining Men - DeathbyRomy

A Girl Like You - Edwin Collins

✨Activities:✨

Don’t Work During Your Downtime:

Do not answer a cheeky email, do not plan ahead, do not fall down the rabbit hole. Work is work and your life is your life. Don’t confuse the two. Obviously, you find the right balance for you, but I feel like the reason so many of us get burnt out is because we confuse success with productivity. Success, at least to me, is how contented you are on the day-to-day. You don’t have to be training for a marathon, working 60+ hours and learning a new skill in order to be worthwhile. You are worthwhile.

Don’t be Busy All the Time:

We’ve been taught that being still is ‘lazy’ or ‘unproductive’… which looking back, might be part of the reason we’re all quite mentally fucked. When you see a friend in the street and ask how they are, chances are they’ll say something along the lines of ‘yeah, good. Just so busy’. And whilst we certainly can be busy, I don’t think it’s something we should always be striving for. There’s this social pressure to always be ‘on’, scheduled, consumed with the desire to do and achieve. And honestly… that’s not for me.

As an autistic asshole, it’s really easy for me to become overwhelmed. And before my assessment, this was something that I was deeply ashamed of. I felt weak and ill-equipped to deal with daily adult life. But the truth is, we all have different batteries. We’re not supposed to assimilate and mimic each other’s lives. We’re not the same. Comparison is the devil. We’ve gotta do what works for us.

Me personally, I like to create, walk my dogs, exercise my demons on the treadmill and then shower and relax. That’s a typical day for me. Some people might think that’s not productive enough, but that’s okay - they don’t have to life my day, I do.

So, as much as you can, go at your own pace. Life’s not a competition, it’s just life. Let’s stop robbing ourselves of joy.

Be Cute with Your People:

I think we often forget how much control we have. Not over the big things, of course, but the small, personal things, like nicknames, gestures, thoughtful acts, we have complete control.

So, give your mom a cute nick name, take your friend those candies they like, send your brother that meme that made you snort. I’m telling you, this shit makes such a difference.

I always called my mom ‘mom’ from being little, but over the last few years I started calling her ‘mama’ because it’s cutesy and she’s adorable and I wanted to. I know it sounds kinda stupid, but life really doesn’t have to be such a serious thing. I want whimsy and cutesy shit and gentle kindness and gosh darn it, I’m gonna cultivate as much of it as I can.

I would encourage you to do that same - if you’re so inclined.