Things I Stress-Bought During Quarantine

LifestyleJournal
Written By Kayla Carlson

Hello from a distance, friends! Now seems like a better time than ever to try my hand at starting a blog (again… for like, the third time), in hopes that I can provide some support, comic relief, distraction, emotional validation - whatever you think you need, this blog probably has it. Plus, if I’m being totally transparent, this fulfills a deep-seated need within me to always be creating something with my hands. (If you want to know more about this blog, or me, head to my About page.)

I am writing this from the belly of the beast that is Week 5 of the COVID-19 quarantine.  Y’all know how weird things are right now. I’ve been in the same sweatshirt for the past 8 days; my 290-square-foot apartment has now also become my office, blurring the boundaries I work very hard to uphold between work and personal life; my cellular screen time has increased by more than 25% than a month and a half ago; I’ve done multiple photo shoots with various cans of beans; anxiety I haven’t felt in months is flaring up in my romantic partnership; and last weekend, I had myself convinced that I didn’t have any friends simply because I haven’t seen any of them in the past 4+ weeks (and my capacity for video chats is quite low).  

Lucky for me, I’ve found a way to simultaneously cope with the stress while supporting some rad businesses - retail therapy!  I am very fortunate to still have a job - the company I work for has been super supportive of us working from home - so one of the ways I’m trying to play my part in this horror show is by supporting those small businesses who may be financially struggling right now from afar.  Below is a collection of my stress-buys (thus far) from some of my favorite small businesses (and a couple biggish businesses too):

I know this post won’t resonate with everyone, because we are all in varying financial and mental states, and I even contemplated not writing about this topic, but I settled on the fact that this is my experience and there is no shame in sharing that with others. One of the biggest wastes of time we can make right now is comparing anyone’s experience or suffering to another’s. Times are hard right now for everyone, no matter what your circumstance, and emotions are running high.  None of this is fair, none of this is comfortable. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs or had their hours cut.  People are suffering - financially, mentally, emotionally. People are dying. My emotions have run the gamut - sometimes at an all-out sprint - between contentment with forced rest, sadness at the suffering happening across the world, anxiety that my relationships are irreversibly changing, and hope that as we slowly transit through this horrifying phase of our collective experience, we pocket some of the little morsels of love, compassion, tenderness that have emerged.  One of these morsels for me is the desire to continue purchasing from these types of small businesses, rather than massive corporations, whenever and wherever I can.  

Sending you all love and positive vibes. Okay, maybe like, 80% positive, 20% neutral.  Because also, if you need to cry, and be sad, or scared, or mad, and punch your pillows while pretending they are corrupted governmental members, or spend your money on self-care, even if that self-care looks like $300 worth of Lush bath bombs even though you don’t have a bath tub, that’s all totally okay too. 

Kayla Carlson
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F u C k !