#help i cannot go to sleep i am buzzed with creative energy

[awesome-shoes-with-wings]

Percy: The Olympians? More like the Olympains...

[marisol-holme]

The retired good girls guide to writing

Dog-pile

I’ve been on my period! Hence the lack of uploads. Being a writer, who feels obligated to share their work in the name of creativity, I felt guilty that I haven’t been working. It made me feel anxious, as if maybe I was wrong about my career path and calling. The word ‘trend’ chanted in my mind for days. 

Large brands and corporations, content creators and individuals at home Tweet, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook (still) incessantly, following the rat race churn of what’s going on in the world, as it is happening. Adhering stringently to what the viewers are reading and watching currently, desperately seeking relatability in the dog-pile of creation. 

I suffer from PMDD – Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder [1]. Since I started puberty, around 13, I’ve struggled with the both the physical and mental symptoms of PMDD. For about a week and a half (and sometimes up to two weeks) and up to the first/second day of my period, I experience depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, pain in my joints, insomnia, and rejection sensitivity – just to name a few. It’s a rough time. Honestly the breeze could waft, and I’d start bawling my eyes. It takes up more than a quarter of my life, and impacts my productivity, relationships, work, and self-image, and for 10 years, I just thought I was mad. 

Whilst working as a nursery practitioner, these symptoms meant that I took a lot of unpaid sick leave (sorry Doodles). I would often find myself overwhelmed, tearful, reaching for the door handle to head to work and terrified of what would happen if I left my home – so I’d call in sick. I mean I was sick, but the guilt of not knowing what was wrong made the situation a lot more uncomfortable. When COVID hit, these symptoms exploded tenfold. 

My COVID infection in November of 2023 was weird. My main symptoms were flu-like in their physical manifestation, but mentally, I was so confused to the point that I’d sometimes forget where I was, even in my own home. Getting lost on the tube to the point that I was walking in circles through the underground gangways at Euston station, feeling with my hands along the wall. I was so dizzy and slow; I was genuinely scared I’d fall onto the tracks if I’d let go. I could feel my brain working slower. The symptoms cleared up and then a couple of weeks after… they hit me again. I was testing negative, but all the symptoms were back. I was experiencing paranoia. Voices telling me that others were conspiring to help my mental health (a cute delusion, but still scary to experience). It wasn’t full blown psychosis, as I was still aware of what was going on, but my grip on reality was loosening. I cannot explain how terrified I was. I returned to my parents’ house to be looked after. I felt like a failure.

I was desperate to impress at my new job with the Ideas Foundation, but I was so confused, often making mistakes, forgetting simple tasks and sleeping through alarms. I was vomiting in the mornings and not being able to sleep at night. 2024 was supposed to be my year. I had to grovel at the doctors to get some help, and even when I was diagnosed with Long-COVID, I had to fight to get onto my antidepressants, and even went private for some beta-blockers. 

My prescriptions really calm my nervous system down. Which for someone who was trying to do psychotherapy, COVID recovery and everything else, they were a lifesaver [2]. I’m waffling about this because for a while now, I’ve known I was neurodivergent – yes, another buzz word now, but hear me out. 

My friends have often made jokes that I am autistic. Funny! I always thought they were jokes, but I now realise, neurotypical individuals probably don’t get the label autistic thrown at them as frequently as I do. Honestly, it all went over my head. Pretty autistic of me. Looking back, I can see how it was missed. I’m a big people pleaser. I aim to fit in, make people comfortable, often at the own expense of my individuality and energy levels (classic masking). My therapist told me to not worry too much about defining labels, I’m just – different. I am comfortable with being neurodivergent, neurologically different. 

I bring this up because PMDD disproportionally affects autistic and ADHD women. 92% of autistic women, and 46% of ADHD women, in fact [3,4]. I think it is because us neurodivergent girlies are rather sensitive to our environments. I liken my luteal phase (when my PMDD symptoms rear their big ugly head) to big Tesco. Big Tesco is the physical embodiment of my luteal phase – the fluorescent lighting, unbearably bright and yucky for my eyes is like the pain in my joints. Not quite got a warmth to it but, boy is it ON. Then the temperature fluctuations as I move throughout the store - hot, cold, back to hot, and then unbearably freezing. I feel the temperature changes in the air as I’m breathing into my lungs, and it’s on my skin. These are the mood swings! I feel raw to the temperature, the hormones, like a swing I can’t get off. The music playing, at just the dizzying volume to make you question picking Tesco for your weekly shop, is the anxiety in my chest. Growing heavier and heavier, louder and louder, but no one’s changing the volume. The occasional store announcement – those are the suicidal thoughts. You never know when they’re going to appear, but they do, well over the buzz of the store… well over the buzz of my body. 

As you can gather, I don’t like supermarkets. Click and collect has been a saving grace in terms of avoiding stress. It probably sounds quite silly. I am so lucky to be able to go into a store to get my food, checkout and leave, but doesn’t make it any easier for me. The same goes for my menses. I love being a woman. But I hate it sometimes too. 

Excuses, but I didn’t write. I was on my luteal phase, experimenting with a double dose of Paroxetine to get me through the suicidal thoughts and anxiety, and dampening the loudness of my body. I shouldn’t feel guilty for not contributing to the dog-pile. I will create my own little pile of stuff over here, thanks.  

It makes me think of Neurodiversity week. Related to the inclusivity that the Ideas Foundation champions, I (remotely) took part in a talk for neurodiversity week, listening to neurodiverse professionals speak on their experiences. I was supposed to write an article for their website. I didn’t. I remember being told that I needed to be on the ball. I wasn’t. As time went on, I felt like I’d missed the mark. The buzz that is often created and that marketing specialists feed off. I wasn’t as hungry. I guess, in a way, I’m writing the article now. It’s lovely having allocated days and weeks for things, I think. But sometimes it takes away from the message – like the generated buzz is more important that the actual message. The number of likes, comments, reposts are what counts (not!)

I fear that authentic messaging and realness is often preyed upon for the dog-pile of content creation. Are we posting pieces of ourselves for the right reasons or are we selling parts of ourselves for a click from another?  

Hello, I’m Marisol. I am a PMDD thriver, endocrine disorder haver, neurodiverse young professional creating a little pile of stuff on the internet over here! Why am I posting this and who are you?

By Marisol Holme

[1] https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd/about-pmdd/#:~:text=Premenstrual%20dysphoric%20disorder%20(PMDD)%20is,phase%20of%20your%20menstrual%20cycle

[2] https://www.tumblr.com/marisol-holme/754814396286517248/how-starting-paroxetine-changed-my-life?source=share

[3] Obaydi, H., & Puri, B. K. (2008). Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome in autism: a prospective observer-rated study. The Journal of international medical research, 36(2), 268–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/147323000803600208

[4] Dorani F, Bijlenga D, Beekman ATF, van Someren EJW, Kooij JJS. Prevalence of hormone-related mood disorder symptoms in women with ADHD. J Psychiatr Res. 2021 Jan;133:10-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.005. Epub 2020 Dec 3. PMID: 33302160.]

[tinkeringwithcannabis]

The First 90 Minutes Episode 34

Strain: Durban Poison Terp Sauce Cart

Company: Sira Naturals

Location: Somerville, Ma

Cannabis Connoisseur:  Nnahre

Website: www.siranaturals.org

 

Hello again to all my cannabis loving and canna-curious friends, and welcome back to another episode of The First 90 Minutes! Today we will be toking and talking with Durban Poison in the Sira Naturals Terp Sauce cartridge, with THC levels measuring up to 88.3%! This earthy, piney, sweet strain is said to help those struggling with stress, depression, fatigue, pain, and headaches. Patients report feeling energetic, uplifted, happy, focused, and euphoric while medicating with this lovely lady. The potential negatives associated with this strain are dry mouth, dry eyes, anxiety, paranoia, and dizziness.

I chose this particular strain today to help deal with fatigue. My medication changes have been making me extremely tired, and it has been difficult to function. My head constantly has that “I just woke up”fuzziness, and no amount of coffee seems to be helping that. It is my hope that this product will help me combat this fatigue and be able to have at least a somewhat productive day. So now that we’ve run through our background info portion of this segment, I say we jump ahead to the fun part! So let’s light up, sit back, and relax as we toke and talk about the next 90 minutes!

When you open the vial for the cartridge, you really don’t smell anything. If you hold it close to your nose, you do get the slight scent of pine. Starting our medication session at 9:15a.m., I am taking two hits using a 3 setting button-activated battery. My battery is set to the lowest (white) setting. There is a strong pine flavor on the inhale, with earthy undertones. On the exhale, the pine is still present, but it is more of an even balance of pine to earth flavor. The aroma, also strong in pine and earth, reminds me of the scent of the air as I hike deep into the forest. Based on this flavor and scent profiles, this is one would be perfect for me for hiking in the woods or enjoying other outdoor activities. Now, as far as effects, I did end up with a bit of a head rush feeling upon initially medicating, but that partially may have been due to coughing, as this is a little harsh. Outside of that, there are no noticeable effects as of yet.

At 9:25 a.m., I can feel the fatigue starting to decrease as my energy levels and focus start to increase. I can only compare this feeling to that of the first few sips of that first cup of coffee in the morning. You know the one I’m talking about. That one which takes you from the walking dead to finally starting to realize that you are sitting in your kitchen with a cup of coffee in front of you. I haven’t quite got that “I can get up off my ass and get moving” point yet, but I am at the “maybe in a half hour I can get my ass in the shower” point. In terms of mood, I see and uplift from “meh” to more happy, starting to feel more upbeat, and uplifted. I am starting to feel like the gears are beginning to function properly, and there may be hope for my day yet.

At 9:45 a.m., the effects have really gone full-blown. My level of focus has shot through the roof and the fatigue has almost completely dissipated. I finally found the strength to drag my ass into the shower, and have found the motivation to begin setting up to get going on some writing projects. That brain fog, which was so thick it could have made San Fransisco’s fog look translucent, has finally faded leaving me with a clear head and a positive and upbeat attitude. One thing I must note is that generally with strains that lift me up like this, I end up with some degree of anxiety, or a jittery feeling. This has not been the case here. Although my energy has significantly increased, along with my focus, the body effects are very balanced, leaving me feeling physically calm, cool, and collected. Overall, right now I feel such an improvement in how I feel on both a mental and physical level it’s both impressive and exactly what I needed!

At 10:15 a.m, my level of focus and motivation are still running strong. The clear-headed high has led to an amazing organized and creative mindset that has expanded my artistic flow sending me into the zone.My mood continues to remain happy and positive, and I must say I do feel a bit euphoric right now. Physically, the stress and tension has been drained from my muscles, yet I do not feel too relaxed to the point where I cannot function. The physical sensation is more that of a care-free person just nonchalantly going about his day. I am experiencing a little dry mouth at this point, but it is a small negative compared to the amount of relief and enjoyment I am receiving from this med session.

Hitting our 90 minute mark at 10:45 a.m., I am still enjoying the physical and cerebral effects Durban Poison has provided. Although the buzz portion of the high has started to mellow out a little, the focus, clarity, and creativity boost are still there and going strong. My ability to block out potential distractions has been pretty significant, and it appears this level of focus isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. My euphoric mood has decreased slightly, but I feel very happy and positive, and a sense of calmness is coming over me. My body continues to feel stress-free and at ease, although the bodily high is also beginning to taper down slightly. The only negative at this time is the dry mouth, which is still going strong. Regardless of the slight decreases in the “high” portion of the effects, I still believe that I have roughly about another good half hour or so before the high entirely wears off.

Normally, I would begin my final thoughts here, but I wanted to do a follow up to my 90 minutes. First, the psychoactive effects of the THC lasted me another 45 minutes until I felt the effects had completely worn off. Another interesting thing I found is this strain is amazing for days when I can’t be high, when I add in some CBD at the end. On a day I had things to do, and I couldn’t be high, I woke up and took two hits of this Durban Poison Terp Sauce cart. One hour later I started vaping CBD. This helped to mellow out the effects of the THC high, but allowed me the focus, energy, and mood boost I needed, accompanied by the bodily stress and tension relief I needed to get going.

Ok, now it’s time for my final thoughts. This strain and Sira product has easily become a favorite of mine. I love the way it works for me, and the dry mouth was only minor and small in comparison to the benefits I experienced. I was left feeling as though I had a cup of coffee after an amazing night’s sleep and I could take on the world. The fact that the effects of this strain exceeded 2 hours for me is also a big deal. In most cases, I may get an hour and fifty minutes at best, but this Terp Sauce cart really seemed to bring it with the long-lasting effects. When I add in the added aspect of the CBD combination with the Durban Poison Terp Sauce cart, I was able to find the perfect matchup for those days when I need to get things done, but it’s not an appropriate time to be high. I love the flavor and scent profiles of this strain, and the cartridge is even more impressive because it packs the full terpene punch experience into a small, compact, and discreet vape pen, which can be slipped right into your pocket. So Sira, another amazing product for the books, five stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️! Keep it up!!

If you are a patient in Massachusetts, Sira’s Durban Poison Terp Sauce Cartridges are sold at the following dispensary locations:

Sira Naturals:

Cambridge- Medical only

Somerville- Medical only

Needham- Medical & by appointment only

Well my friends, we have reached the end of this review. Thank you for joining me, and stay tuned for more product reviews!!

Disclaimer

*****Please remember, this blog is an account of my personal experience with this product. Not everyone has the same experience with every product, and that’s okay. I always recommend starting out with one to two hits to see if that is enough, and you can always increase your dose from there.*****

Also, if you find this post helpful, please help me get the word out to other patients by liking and re-blogging this post! Thanks!

[kitchenism]

self care

this is just a little something i made for my own future reference and for anyone else who wants to read it and consider the points i have mentioned. this is not professional help, this is just me sharing my personal tips and ideas to actually make yourself feel better about yourself/life or be more productive.

the general

this is a general, broad category of things that i have observed works for almost everyone and really helps to free up mental space.

-have some kind of outlet. i honestly cannot emphasise how important this is. an outlet does not necessarily have to mean a journal where you pen your thoughts or a person you confide in. an outlet is any activity that helps you get a clearer understanding of situation, anything you do to make yourself feel more at peace with the world. it could be a creative outlet like a pastime, a hobby or any pursuit you really enjoy or it could simply be taking a walk down your favourite streets. everybody is different, not only in who they are but also in what stimulates their intellect/how they perceive a situation. always know that no matter what, you can only free yourself by doing you.

if you don’t know what your outlet is, then keep doing the things you enjoy and try new things. something eventually will click, and sometimes a comfort zone can be found outside the regular one you live within.

-take breaks. sometimes the world gets too fast paced for us to keep up with it. at these points, when life feels overwhelming, it is important to realise your strength and to take some time off to recuperate. it’s basically just releasing the tightly held reins and letting yourself relax. whether it’s school, college or work, just take a few days off and treat yourself. read books, watch movies, cook the food you love to eat. if social media is getting toxic and it very often does get extremely toxic, just leave for a couple of days. unfollow people you don’t want to keep up with, clear out your profile of things you don’t like to see and do not feel obligated to the tedious social life if it is hampering your mental wellness. your health comes before any instagram caption or tumblr edit.

-plan your day out either in the morning or the night before. okay, so this may seem really random but it is something that really helps me to be more productive. i love to elaborately journal out my to-do lists and my daily schedule in my bullet journal. but that is just what works for me. if it isn’t your cup of tea or you simply don’t have the time, take ten minutes out before going to bed or wake up ten minutes early to just plan out your priorities and tasks for the day and a rough idea of when you have the time to get them done. it honestly saves you from that last minute rush, panic and anxiety of unfulfilled deadlines or that late night realisation of the homework you forgot to do. it leaves a lot more time to do the things you enjoy without having a guilty conscience.

-do the things you enjoy. okay, this could honestly be anything from taking long, pampering baths to working out to writing a novel. just do what releases your pent up mental energy. it is extremely important to release your energy in the form of something productive or satisfying before it gets converted to negative mental space which attracts either depressive thoughts or anxiety.

the personal

this is just a list of things that personally work for me. like i said, this is for my future reference as well and if anyone would like to try any of this, feel free.

-looking good. this may sound extremely narcissistic but it isn’t what it sounds like. wearing the clothes i feel i look good in, doing my makeup just to look pretty for myself really boosts my self confidence. i love doing my own photoshoots and having a good time. it doesn’t have to be for social media or for anyone else, it just makes me feel better about my body and features.

-bullet journaling. i absolutely adore making my daily schedule look pretty enough to motivate me to do the things written down on it even if it means doing a chapter of chemistry in two hours. it gives me a sense of self-accomplishment that is extremely satisfying and actually gives me the motivation to do more things just to know that i have been productive.

-completing unfinished work. that one half finished sketch lying at the back of my file, that unwritten idea for an essay buzzing in my head, the research on greek mythology i started but never really progressed with- when i actually try to finish doing some of these things in my free time, i feel so good about actually getting something personal done?? i don’t know if this is just me but finishing work really gives me a boost.

-doing new things. just as much as finishing previously set tasks, starting to do something new and setting myself goals to try and master it gives me a really strong sense of motivation. it could be anything, learning to play an instrument, learning a language, mastering computer technology, whatever floats your boat works here. you just need to have the drive to actually get it done.

-detoxing. this is really important to me personally. very often, i just go through all my social media accounts and delete everything negative or associated with a negative memory from them. it could be changing an instagram caption to deleting entire pinterest boards. not continuously being reminded of unhappiness helps the goal of being genuinely happy. i block people i don’t like even if it means losing followers, unfollow pages/blogs/boards that have negative vibes and try to keep myself and everything associated with me positive.

-talking opening up to someone i trust really helps me. i am lucky enough to have understanding people in my life who either remind me to keep hope in the future or give me the encouragement to drive myself out of any negative space i get into. that push is often necessary and helps me to actually come back on track and work.

-working and achieving the goal i worked towards. even if i don’t achieve the goal, i will invariably learn something important along the way or achieve an entirely different goal that is equally satisfying. but this is valid if only i have genuinely worked hard. it keeps me productive and busy enough to not involve myself in anything unnecessary.

-cheat days. this is silly but so important! some days are just meant for lazing around, eating good food, painting your nails, watching television or reading books and sleeping. these days are as important as the days you work really hard to get something done. they let me feel relaxed and rejuvenated and give me the incentive to work harder.

this list is by no means complete. i’m still discovering what helps me to be a better, happier person and i’m sure there’s lot more than just this. i’ll probably keep editing this, helping myself to grow and become the best of who i am. this is important for not just me but also my surrounding space and this holds true for every individual.

i am not a professional and if anyone is suffering from crippling mental disorder or serious disability, you should first see someone who knows the subject and can help. but if you’re set on recovering, if you have the motivation to get better, i’m reaching out to you. i’m still learning, stumbling and getting back up myself. i want to recover and i’m trying my best to figure out how. i don’t know everything, nor do i claim to. but i’m trying to know who i am.

this post is just me trying to help anyone on the other end of the screen who wants to have a starting point. humanity is a community and we all deserve help and should consider it a duty to help others.

i love you all.

[soundofawesomeblog]

Starting next Monday, Sound of Awesome will reveal its picks for the 100 best tracks from the 2000s in a new weekly column. Get ready for the countdown as we explore the genesis of the project and how the naughties became the most eclectic decade of the pop era. As a bonus, you will also find out a few honorable mentions from great artists who just couldn’t make the cut.

Navigation

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The 1950s saw rock n’ roll becoming a major part of the cultural landscape. In the 1960s psychedelic rock was the new craze. The 1970s had disco, the 80s were about new wave, and the 90s saw grunge and hip-hop sell millions of CDs. It’s a flawed, simplistic and incomplete way to describe each decade, sure, but the fact remains that these are the genres most associated with every one of them.

When it comes to the 2000s though, the portrait is a lot harder to decipher. Sure, there were trends, but each time one died, four new ones emerged.

More than a single genre, what truly defined the 2000s was the growing presence of the internet. Slowly but surely, this new found connectivity helped usher a completely new paradigm of how music would find its way from the artists to the masses. Suddenly, radio stations and music television were not the only ones in control, dictating what is hot and what is not. Platforms like Facebook, Soundcloud and Bandcamp had yet to become the go-to destinations for new acts, but MySpace quickly established itself as a major factor in the musical landscape. It gave new, hip artists a platform to reach big audiences and create a massive buzz without having to play in every city or rely on giant label-heads (see: Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, Owl City, etc.) Later in the decade, the arrival of YouTube meant that creative, viral music videos could bring a lot of attention to an otherwise average band with little money (see: Ok Go). A sign of music’s importance to Youtube, ever since Bad Romance reached 178,4 million views in late 2009, the record for most views by a video on the popular website has always belonged to a music video. Meanwhile, programs and sites like Napster and Limewire meant that teenagers didn’t have to rely on pocket money and 20$ CDs to enjoy their favorite songs, as their iPods and computers’ libraries were expanding in both size and diversity. 

Looking back, it’s easy to believe that, even as the music industry was showing its first signs of weakness on a financial level, music fans were listening to more music than ever. It is precisely this trend that made the music so interesting��in the 2000s. With so many different artists from different backgrounds just one shuffle away - from bedroom electroclash experimentation à la M.I.A. or Peaches to garage rockers like The White Stripes or The Strokes, to high profile, incredibly rich (and horny) rappers like 50 Cent or Lil Wayne - it was only a matter of time before genre labels became almost useless. In 2007, Rihanna went from R&B on Umbrella to new wave-informed rock on Shut Up And Drive in the span of few months. The same year, hip-hop’s new sensation Kanye West injected glam rock ambition on his third album Graduation before leaving rap almost completely a year later on 808s and Heartbreaks. The DFA label made punk music for the dance floor while dance artists programmed synths with so much distortion you could throw the devil sign in the air. Scenes were no longer limited to a geographical location and artists were more and more influenced by sounds from across the globe.

If the legacy of acts from the 1960′s and 1970′s is well established, the visionaries of the 2000s are yet to find that praise. Discussions about the best songs of all time steer quickly to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Michael Jackson, but it’s only a matter of time before the 00 artists get their part of the cake too. It is with this in mind that I am proud to present to you, through the next 10 weeks, a completely incomplete, ludicrous, but also very passionate and thoughtful countdown of the 100 best singles of the 2000s.

This is not necessarily a list of the most popular, influential or groundbreaking tracks of the decade, rather a commentary on the most effective tracks; those who aimed for the moon and landed right on top of it, those who induced goosebumps and those who should still fill dance floors in a few decades without any cringe. It will contain smash hits and underground phenomena. Indie darlings and hard-hitting hip-hop. Loud guitars and quiet electronic flourishes. It will be varied and all over the place, just like the decade that we’re celebrating here. It is not a definitive answer, rather the start of a discussion and a good way to discover some great music you might have been sleeping on, back when it was trending and buzzing.

Each article will present you, in decreasing order, 10 essential songs of the aughts from the countdown, with a quick description to place each track back in context and/or justify its inclusion. In order to keep the countdown as varied as possible, acts were limited to three appearances as lead artists. Each article will also include a Spotify playlist of all the songs revealed so far, when available.

100 tracks might seem like a huge number, but it’s impossible to contain 10 years of music in such a list. This is why, as an appetizer for the series to come, you will find below 10 tracks from artists who, despite leaving their mark on the decade, fell incredibly short of making it to the countdown. These do not necessarily correspond to positions 110 to 101; they are just bands and singers who deserved a quick shout-out so that you cannot act like they have been forgotten later on.

50 Cent - In Da Club

The title of Curtis’ greatest hit reveals exactly in which kingdom he was the ruler in the early to mid-decade.

Aaliyah - Try Again

With the help of mega producer Timbaland, Aaliyah brought R&B to the 22nd Century 100 years early with Try Again and its mix of EDM and hip-hop.

Black Kids - I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You

This MySpace gem remains one of the best footprints of the late 2000’s indie pop rush, cheerleaders included. 1! 2! 3!

Britney Spears - Toxic

Thanks to a killer hook built on Bollywood strings and a killer, sexy performance, Britney Spears’ biggest hit was also her best.

The Cribs - Men’s Needs

If a rock song is only as good as its riff, Men’s Needs is a track for the ages. Frantic and moving, the guitar line drives this UK staple of dance-rock.

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Sure, it opened the way for tons of half-assed, insipid and useless acapella covers, but Fleet Foxes’ début single also introduced in just 147 seconds the genius flair the band had for crafting amazing melodies, harmonies, and ageless folk.

Junior Senior - Move Your Feet

With its cowbells, horns, bouncing synths and stutter-like verses, Junior Senior never tries to be “cool” in Move Your Feet. Instead, the band decides to focus on having a good time on a track that feels as fresh after 1000 listens than it did on the first time. 

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

The exact moment when we realized that Gaga was a monster that was too big to be contained, Bad Romance features about three different hooks, each more effective than the one before.

Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure

It would be cheap and wrong to reduce Maximo Park as some Strokes/Bloc Party knock-off; as proven by the energy and creativity of this track.

Uffie - Pop The Glock

Part bratty thrash of a white teen, part genius, 17-year-old Uffie builds her own indie rap empire from scratch and rules it on Pop The Glock.

Navigation

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[funkymbtifiction]

Hello, I always enjoy the work on this Tumblr. It's informative, interesting, and satisfying. Anyway, being an Ne dom like yourself, do you have any tips to not be overwhelmed by Ne a.k.a. How to Train Your Ne? I admit there are times when the ideas are buzzing and I yearn for stimulation then I become drained to the point of being physically tired.

Good timing, since I was just reading about Si-grips last night and realizing I basically live in one six months out of the year. :P

I’m not sure exactly what you mean, so I’ll cover all the bases I can think of.

There’s pretty much four stages in my life:

Ne-dom Extraordinaire: this is when you are the unbeatable monarch in your field, when you are on such a roll that not only do you finish your project ahead of the damn deadline, you went ahead and did sixteen other magnificent things that day too, just because your brain was on such a rush of SO MANY IDEAS. For example: you felt good about finishing your essay, so you wrote six movie reviews, four e-mails, 26 blog posts, and worked on your book to boot. And then you went to bed with a smile on your face because damn, I’m so fine.

Ne-dom Uninspired: this is when you feel “meh.” Not awesomesauce, not the lowest of the low, just plain MEH. Meh for a Ne-dom equals: semi-bored, semi-uninspired, semi-annoyed about it. Now, a sane person on this day goes and watches 24 episodes of ALIAS in a row to chill. Me, I FORCE myself to be ‘creative.’ And because I’m generally good at what I do, it comes out fine. Not knock your socks off stupendous, not awful, not even average, just fine. But it feels like dragging my brain through a cheese grater and I go to bed mad that my Ne-brain was lazy as hell today. Like, it’s supposed to be AMAZING all the time!!! What’s up with this?!

Ne-dom Bored-as-Hell: generally, this happens when your life is stagnant, or you are stuck on the same god-awful project for weeks, or your friends have not spoken to you in days, and you are so bored you can hardly stand it, but NOTHING appeals to you. You crave something, but don’t know what it is. You drag yourself through the work / school day like a fish on dry land, you scope the depths of depression, you maybe force yourself to do stuff, but it’s a clear indication that your Ne is STARVING TO DEATH. You must feed it. How? That’s up to you. Get in the car and drive. Go hang out with someone. Start learning something new. Read a book that you know you’ll hate, and blow your own mind by loving it. Try something totally, radically different.

Don’t be like me, and dye your hair purple and cut into a punk rock style. Although, God knows I looked adorable.

Ne-dom Work-a-Holic: also known as tunnel vision, also known as inferior Si grip, also known as the perfect way to make yourself exhausted at the end of the day. Picture a nice normal Ne being a freight train barreling through a tunnel at 976 miles per hour. Now picture a peasant maiden (or peasant lad, if that’s you’re thing) running out onto the tracks, and holding it in place for about 15 hours. It grinds to a halt, its wheels start to smoke, and the peasant maiden/lad is inching forward at, oh, about 6 miles per hour. Fast by her standards, slow by yours. Now imagine that’s what happens to your Ne, when you develop tunnel vision. All that power, going nowhere fast. Imagine the tremendous energy that just ground to a halt. The creeping subconscious despair of the engineer. You are both the peasant maiden/lad and the freight train. See the problem? You are ripping yourself apart. How’s that peasant maiden/lad going to feel at the end of the day?

Yup. Exhausted.

Now, what if that peasant maiden does this day after day for about a week?

Exhausted. Mental exhaustion, from holding back the train, forcing Ne to stay on one topic, or focus on “boring” things for days on end. Where’s the fun? Where’s the zany? Where’s the sarcasm and jokes and random connections? Hello, inferior Si. Obsessive compulsive, aren’t you? Fixated. BAD.

How to Train Your Ne:

1) Give yourself permission to stick to one idea for awhile.

I get it. You will have thousands of great ideas in a single lifetime, or maybe even a week. If you follow all of them right now, you will never finish anything. Do what I do: think about them, ponder them, don’t let them get too developed, and write down the ones you want to hold onto, put them in a jar, and… walk away with the biggest, shiniest, most exciting idea you just had. The others will keep. Let them stew in their juices. Focus on THIS IDEA.

2) Reward yourself for finishing things.

If you want to accomplish something, give your Ne what it wants – a challenge, and a reward. I used to motivate myself through “boring” tasks by setting time deadlines and writing like a bat out of hell, or dividing the task up into separate shorter parts that I can cross off after I do them. That shows me I am making progress. Right now, I’m sitting next to a half-crossed-off list of chapters in my book, which I am proof-reading / editing. Each time a pink line goes through someone’s name, I know I’m THIS MUCH CLOSER to finishing. THIS MUCH CLOSER to starting a NEW project. THIS MUCH CLOSER TO THAT PIECE OF CHOCOLATE I PROMISED MYSELF.

Ahem.

3) Accept that you cannot be at 110% all the time.

This may be hard for you to hear, but you’re a normal human being. You need sleep. You need rest. You need food. You need days off, and dates, and to go places, and be with people, and do things other than your job or your school or writing or whatever it is that occupies 90% of your time. Those normal things that a sensor can do without much fuss, wear you out. Tedious details wear you out. Planning wears you out. Keeping track of things wears you out. The temptation when this happens is to under-estimate what you, as a low Si, needs – which is a break. You tend to way overestimate what you can do in a single week, and sometimes you get way too much on your plate… so, if you know about things in advance that are going to “drain” your Ne, because it requires other, lower functions to be heavily used in your stack, plan to limit your interaction with those functions in excess of your responsibilities.

In other words, if you (me) have to do a bunch of tedious line-editing at work, it is not a good idea for me to come home and do… a bunch of tedious line-editing on my novel at the same time. That’s all Te/Si stuff.

Ne-stuff is… new ideas, new people, new philosophies, reading things that excite your mind and imagination and help you see things in a different way, or watching something new, or going somewhere where you can just be yourself. Your Ne cannot run on full power all the time, especially when you’re trying to hold back the freight train – so give yourself permission to take time off.

4) Pace yourself.

This piggybacks on the above, but as a Ne-dom, you way over-estimate how much you can do physically. Things like going places, driving for hours, being in crowds, walking long distances, etc., are tiring to someone with minimal sensing. Ne-doms need down time, to process their experiences. You are an introverted extrovert. Remember that, and give yourself down time. Try not to be out and about 24/7. But don’t stay home all the time either. That’s a cesspool of Ne-draining boredom waiting to happen.

5) Either do it right now or write it down.

My usual pattern is: get a good thought about 10pm. Then springboard into another idea. Then zip over that way for more ideas. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, telling myself to go to sleep, while thinking about everything I should talk about, investigate, or do in the morning. By morning, of course, either the ideas are all gone or I have lost any motivation to do them. Some of my best work is from dropping everything and doing it RIGHT NOW. Strike while the iron is hot, my dander is up, whatever. Some of my best short stories or articles came from getting up at 5am and pounding the keyboard. So, do it NOW… or write it down. If you write it down, you won’t have to try and remember it (also a chore for Ne).

The best things you can do for your Ne are the following:

Accept that this is who I am, and it’s okay.

Realize that mundane or tedious tasks drain your Ne

Let your mind wander

Give yourself permission to fantasize

Reward periods of the mundane with fun activities

Never let a week go by without planning something ‘fun’

Stimulate yourself with constant NEW things (books, movies, music)

Read a wide variety of things on a continual basis

Give yourself challenges and deadlines to beat

Make sure they are SHORT-TERM (you cannot stay too long)

Always have something in the immediate future to look forward to

Hope that helps.

(This week on tumblr has been DULL. Is it just me or is it dead?! Thank God for a new Doctor Who tomorrow! I need me some NEW Capaldi + Bill Potts. I totally want to be her best friend and hang out in space and eat blue cubes together.)

- ENFP Mod