Pandemmy Content Fatigue

Here's what Liza's been doing to combat it

Hi gems,

Liza here, for my first inaugural newsletter authoring! I hope it is full of feelings and laughs, but I’m worried it’s going to be a reincarnation of my high school LiveJournal which was exclusively feelings, and exclusively over-the-top feelings. God, I wish I could find that link. Wait… no I don’t. 

Anyway, I’ll be a little #real (said with an eye roll). I’ve been pretty depressed lately. It’s not original, it’s not even interesting, but depression has been my obnoxious roommate for about 10 years now. She kind of comes and goes as she likes. She’s irrational, she’s a c*nt, and she doesn’t pay rent, but I’ve learned to live with her. 

Maybe I’ll talk more about said c*nty roommate in a future newsletter, but I bring her up today because USUALLY when I’m depressed, content is my emotional support dog (don’t tell my actual dog. She’s a jealous b*tch). I crush seasons of TV shows, movies I’ve been meaning to watch for years, podcasts, books, YouTube videos, ANYTHING. I find it comforting and distracting. Who doesn’t? But after a year of lying around and watching content, I’m... getting sick of it. 

This is as surprising to me as anything in the entire world could ever be. If someone told me that one day I’d sprout an extra set of legs out of my asshole and be able to scuttle around like a fucking sand crab, it would feel more plausible. Content is my best friend, so HOW HAS SHE BETRAYED ME LIKE THIS? 

If I’m too tired/sad to do anything useful and I don’t want to watch content... what do I do? 

Here are the things getting me through:

Needlepoint

Bridgerton, Netflix

Okay listen... I am NOT cute. I am not twee, I don’t follow cottagecore accounts on Instagram, and I’m definitely not into activities that are traditionally associated with female passivity (I’m much more of an Eloise than a Daphne). HOWEVER, something about having my hands busy with something that I have to concentrate on, but isn’t that hard is really, really satisfying.

I ordered some basic embroidery sets on Etsy, and have made a few of them for friends. I love to do pretty, girly, floral patterns and then add slogans like “Fresh Outta Fucks.” I hope it gives my female ancestors a laugh in another dimension (even though my female ancestors were definitely killing chickens and digging potatoes, and not doing needlepoint in a drawing room).

Cooking

Selena and Chef, HBO Max

I think part of my content fatigue is that after eight to 10 hours on my computer during the day, rolling seven feet to the couch to watch TV all night feels like an ouroboros. Cooking dinner has broken up that fatigue. Again, it’s something to do with your hands. It’s hard, but only as hard as you make it. It’s satisfying. You can see your progress. And then… you get to eat.

Cooking can take up a good two hours of a quarantine day that is hard to fill. I even kind of like the cleanup after. I got a Ninja Foodi for Christmas (not #spon, but wish it was), and I’ve made some insanely dank gunk in there. It’s a pressure cooker/slow cooker/air fryer/rice cooker/robot angel, and it’s my best friend. It’s not cheap, but if you want to up your braised meats game, I’d highly recommend.

I’m obsessed with Bon Appetit, and recently made their Braised Lamb Shanks. I also make their Pasta Fagioli like....every 10 days or so. I have never made a bad recipe from that website. I rarely cooked before quarantine, even though I love to cook, because I was just so goddamn busy all the time. Rekindling my love of cooking has made me feel like a human (and an Italian human) again.

Staring out the window

You, Netflix

No joke. I live in New York City, and that means there’s stuff to watch, but I do this at my parents house too, and they live in the woods. In the morning, I take my coffee, sit near a window, and stare out of it for like... 45 minutes. My partner thinks it’s a The Yellow Wallpaper moment, but it’s really become more like a weird, caffeine-infused form of mediation. I’m not a big meditator because I like to fidget, and follow trains of thought, and walk around, and only mediate for the time I want, and drink coffee, BUT my window-staring morning ritual has made me feel like my time is my own, and my brain is quiet and also has ideas, and that quarantine will end someday.

Looking at outfits online

Sex and the City, HBO

I am like... not fashion. Even pre-covid, I wore mainly skinny jeans (sry Gen Z), Madewell sweaters, ankle boots, and was like “look I’m dressed!” But I’ve always wanted to be fashion, I just don’t have the eye. So, in this year of sweatpants, I’m trying to force my eye to have taste and a vibe. I want to emerge from quarantine as a fashion bitch. I definitely won’t, but looking at outfits online allows me to feel the fantasy. I especially love influencers who are not sample size. Sometimes I feel like I can’t dress well because I’m not super skinny. People like Katie Sturino (who has been on the pod!), Kellie Brown, and Rae Ann Langas make me super excited to get dressed again, when there’s something to get dressed for. 

I’m REALLY actively looking for more stuff to do that’s not content, so please COMMENT if you have something getting you through this time that isn’t streaming!

OKAY, ending this LiveJournal/faux-lifestyle blog. I’ll talk about dating and romance in the future, I promise. I just think that you guys hear me talk about love and dating every week, and this is a nice break, hopefully? Or do you want to slap me? Sound off in the comments! You can just post ‘slap’.

I think my next newsletter is going to be a rage piece on how hard it is to plan a wedding with no outdated rituals or anti-feminist propaganda, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

*Consumption Corner*

Liza’s Repeat Picks: 

• Top Chef to go along with your cooking

• Drag Race always a banger

Carlynne’s Nostalgia Watch: 

• When A Man Loves A Woman (should we bonus ep this?!)

Kimmy’s Smart-Lady Picks:

• Untamed, by Glennon Doyle (though she wants you to know she’s not obsessed like all the influencers… just… consuming…)

• POOG again, ICYMI

General, other recommendations of amazing women to follow/content to check out:

• Kimberly Drew self-described “author, art lover, and fashion person” — one of the coolest follows on the internet

• Nicole Byer and her podcast, Why Won’t You Date Me You definitely already listen to this, but she is our patron saint/dream guest/inspiration/turn on/originator of “pandemmy” and her recent episode with Randy Jackson is lolz (plus, many Drag Race guests!)

Love,

Liza