Hi, I’m Sara, and this is Tiny Revolutions, a weekly-ish dispatch of personal writing and links about becoming who you are. Reply anytime, I love to hear from you.

Last week after writing about having had a nervous breakdown, I had what the queen Brené Brown refers to as a vulnerability hangover. I felt like a walking wound for the better part of the next day. Never mind that this happened a long time ago. Never mind that I’ve written about it before and that I’m in a 100 times better place now.

Some things are just hard.

***

When I was writing the above, I went off in search of a link where one could find a definition of “vulnerability hangover.” It seems self-explanatory, but you know, clarity and all. I couldn’t find one that was succinct – mostly I found articles about how to avoid or survive one.

Which, ha! The whole thing about a vulnerability hangover is that it sucks! But the discomfort is the point. Without taking the risk of revealing something sensitive, you cannot be rewarded with the deeper connection that is possible in its wake.

Given that Google searches return links that are most often cited by other sites on the topic you’re searching for, I think it’s fair to say that this is a perfect encapsulation of a larger problem: that we want everything to be easy. Instant ease and comfort, all the time.

I’m guilty of it. I didn’t Google “vulnerability hangover” in search of a cure for the vulnerability hangover I was experiencing, but I did soothe myself in other ways. I skipped out on work for most of the day on Monday in favor of a long walk and then driving around just for the sake of not being in my house. I skipped a deadline and got an iced coffee and took in some late afternoon winter sun.

I am constantly trying to strike the right balance between work and not work. The lines have become more blurred in recent years because of the fact that, for the most part, I love what I do. It’s just that it’s often hard.

As are most things that are worth doing. When I skipped the deadline all I really did was make things even harder for myself; it meant I had to spend the next morning cramming to get the draft done before a meeting with the client.

I got it done. I was glad I got it done. I was proud of the work I did. And it still sucked!

Anyway, I’m rambling. I’m not even sure I have a point. I just wanted to say that sometimes things are hard and that’s all there is to it.

But since you’re still here, it begs the question: if we know that many things that are worth doing are hard, why do we still want them to be easy? Why do we think we should be able to learn a language/write a novel/run a 5k/whatever in five minutes a day? Why are we always trying to remove the hard parts when we know that there’s meaning and reward in the struggle itself?

Which is not to say that just because something is hard it’s worth doing. No ma’am. But we know on a deep level the stuff that is. And still we do everything we can to try to get out of it.

So that’s what I’ve been thinking about this week. Finding the distinction between hard things I’m avoiding because they’re painful and pain sucks vs. hard things I’m avoiding because I don’t actually need to do them/they aren’t in some way necessary. Life’s hard enough without adding to the pile.

I put writing about being a head case in the former category, by the way. So thanks for all your kind notes and comments in response to last week’s email. I’ll keep sharing if it keeps helping.

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On to some links n’ things for ye.

This poem by Marie Howe.

Image result for marie howe my dead friends

“Remember that you do not live in a bubble. The cost of staying put does not only affect you. It also affects those around you. By falling for the fear of failure, you are depriving your loved ones of the benefits that come from pursuing your fullest potential.”

Nice piece on overcoming the cognitive distortions that keep us from pursuing what we want. I like the idea of framing it as an ancillary benefit for the people you love. Five Thought Patterns that Fuel the Fear of Failure

Thanks to reader Andrew L., who sent this delightful thread of terrifying thinkers.

Janna @_bwabwa_

Philosophers looking at you like you can’t sit with them, a thread:

Lyrics of the Week

“Two dozen other stupid reasons
Why we should suffer for this
Don't bother trying to explain them
Just hold my hand while I come to a decision on it”

Speaking of hard things, sometimes it’s hard for me to decide what to write about. Send help! Make life easy for me I beg of you!!! (Anonymously if you want.)

Tell Me What to Write About

Tuesday Night Zoom

The Tuesday night silent work sessions continue. Join us for an hour of using our Zoom powers for good.

A Tiny Assignment

Think of something you do that is hard. Is it the kind of hard thing that’s worth it? If not, can you find a way not to do it anymore?

See you next week.

😘

Sara

p.s. Thanks for reading! You’re the best.

Tiny Revolutions

Tiny Revolutions №57: Some Things Are Just…