10 Things to Do Right Now So You Don’t Combust from Anxiety, Fear, and Fury.

Two great podcasts, a 90s dance party, a new natural wine shop, and more of the best things to read and do right now to get you through.

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

Friends, 

I can’t even with last week. You know how I feel, particularly if you have kids who are gay or trans, or if you have daughters, or if you are a woman, or love a woman, or someone gay or trans. Not to mention our planet. It was hard enough to function and then Prospect Park started burning over the weekend. And yet, we must. Even if it’s slowly, we will move forward . “Forward is a pace” is a mantra I use to get through a lot of my long runs. We will get there — step by step, day by day, one breath at time. But for now, after this bludgeoning, self care! And so I present to you, the first ever, Strong Buzz’s 10 Things to Do Right Now So You Don’t Combust from Anxiety, Fear and Fury.

You need to laugh and have your heart broken open with hope and unexpected love; Margo’s Got Money Troubles is the book to read right now.

1. Read something funny and wonderful. I just finished Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe and it is just what I needed – an unexpected, razor sharp, smart, funny coming-of-age story that cracked me up and made my heart swell. 

2. Listen to something that will help you understand why we lost and what needs to happen in the next two and four years for The Return of the Jedi—The Ezra Klein Show and Jon Stewart with Heather Cox Richardson sum it all up nicely.

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3. Fill your life with the community you love. Make plans to be with your people. You can start by going out and have dinner with friends – make it an easy neighborhood spot, Nightly’s is new on the UES (more on that this week), Cafe Spaghetti or Swoony’s are my neighborhood go-tos, Sawa up in Park Slope, Pasta Night in Prospect Heights, Third Falcon is a new one in Ft. Greene I’ve been meaning to get to. 

   

4. Cook for someone you adore (that can also mean you). This Baked Ziti from Alison Roman is a big pan of love; I added hot Italian sausage, removed from casings, when I sauteed the onions and garlic and it was fire. I sent leftovers packed in thermoses for the kids for lunch the next day, enough to share with friends.   

5. Make plans to see a fabulous Broadway show. We loved Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler in Romeo & Juliet and Drag, The Musical. 

6. Adopt a pet! Thinking of a furry friend? Now is the time! Pets help with anxiety and create community and grow love.

   

   This new natural wine shop on Henry Street comes from the owners of Frog Wine Bar in Bed-Stuy.

7. Find your new favorite bottle of wine. Check out the new natural wine shop, Frog, on Henry Street in Cobble Hill that comes from Alex McGowan and Charles Gerbier,  owners of the Bed-Stuy natural wine bar of the same name. Buyer Riley Hunt has stocked the store with an all natural selection with classic strokes (Burgundy Bordeaux and Tuscans) and more modern funky options. He’s doing in-store tastings Thursdays from 5pm onwards.

8. Go for a run, a walk, a bike ride, and then sit on a yoga mat. Move your body and then rest your body. If you need inspiration, check out The Slow AF Run Club! 

9. Dance with your friends at a 90s themed dance party at Parklife happening on Saturday night (I’ll be there). 

   

10. Lean into retail therapy (or therapy therapy). Friends, I love to shop. But my budget is more Carvel than Cafe Panna so I tend to head to thrift stores like Foyer in Boerum Hill, Unearth Vintage in Cobble Hill, and Olive’s Very Vintage in Red Hook. But maybe you need gorgeous clothes made in Italy? Go see Dawn at Gioletti. Or sustainable fashion you can rent? Head over to Rue St. Paul. Or jeans covered in 200 stuffed animals? You do you! 

Here’s to The Return of the Jedi.