And…now it’s 2023 and a full month into that, even.

Heading into the year, I was in a not-so-great place: I was burned out and overstimulated by what little social media I was still checking, and those in turn left me hiding in a blanket and eating chocolate all day while doing nothing but doom scrolling and buying shit from my phone or computer and feeling like nothing matters. I was desperate to self-soothe and couldn’t seem to get over the initial inertia to make things with my hands and find fulfillment that way instead.

So I decided something had to give in January of this year. I checked out of IG for the month and allowed myself one peek on FB every day specifically to check if an author I beta read for had announced they have a new project for us to read, which takes less than 30 seconds.  I was in, I was out, and I went on with my day. I even cut off one of my mindless games I play and am tempted to spend money on every month while I wasted 1+ hours of the day with it.

And you know what? It really improved my life to be way less online, even though I missed some very specific people I interact with regularly on IG. I felt less stressed, and not constantly being informed of things my ADHD brain would definitely want and see as a Need To Have It lifted a weight. I couldn’t feel FOMO if I didn’t realize anything was going on that my brain wasn’t going to be able to differentiate and prioritize from other things. I wouldn’t say I was peaceful by a long stretch, but that’s the best I’ve felt mentally in a long time.

I plan to continue limiting my social media time and believe I’ll use a timer for InstaGram every day to allow myself a cursory look and nothing more. If the anxiety and Needy feeling come back, I think I’ll stay away another month. We’ll see how it goes.

Anywho, this is a crafting blog—or so I’ve been told.

In 2023, I’ve decided to stick with the same knitting goal I’ve had since the ’20s started: knit something every month. Which, yes, I did knit this month. I finally evened up the strips on my handspun blanket and then added the border to complete the project. I now use it regularly as a lap blanket in my living room and have enjoyed it on all of the clammy days we have here instead of proper winter.

I spent the rest of January working on cross stitch projects and knocked out two. It was a rather satisfying month on the craft front, and now I have a few things to feel warm and fuzzy about accomplishing. I’m not on a No Buy, but I am attempting to use what I already own when possible for my makes. I’ve found I get more satisfaction when I do this instead of purchasing all new things every time I craft. I feel…clever somehow, even if I realize it really isn’t.

So. What about you, kitten? Is your 2023 off to a start you’re happy with? Have you been working on anything you’d like to share? Are you also going more analogue in life and trying to “unplug” a bit?

Take care of yourselves and each other.

XO,
Manda