A Day in the Life 2022

Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by—I’m so glad you’re here! 😁

Remember when this was The Thing? Actually, I’ve seen multiple Day in the Life-type IG/YouTube posts recently, so maybe nosiness never goes out of style, haha!

My hope is that this post can provide a tiny bit of sparkle if you too are anxious about the terrifying state of the world or, really, about any of the eight million reasons to be anxious since 2020. ❤️ I know that writing it put some sparkle in my week! (I’m increasingly seeing creative pursuits as necessary for my mood and anxiety.)

Not a ton is going on for me in 2022, but I was looking at my first A Day in the Life post, and my life is so different from what it was in 2015. Well, except for my job, haha. My job is still the same, but I am no longer dating someone, working in an office, taking 4 hours of public transportation a day, or having in-person therapy! What a time we live in! 😂

(FYI: I make a small commission for purchases or clicks made through links in this post.)

Friday, February 18, 2022

6:13 AM

My work hours are extremely flexible, so I would not have gotten up this early by choice. As I mentioned here, I changed my antidepressant last fall, which has been great for my overall mood, but, as anyone who takes meds for mental health knows, it’s all very trial and error. When you find a medication that helps in one area, it usually comes with side effects, and you have to see if the good outweighs the bad. So far, I’d say that it does, though med changes alway seem to affect my (already terrible) sleep—never helpful for anxiety! I am now a very light sleep sleeper, and I’m sometimes wide awake way before my alarm. On this particular day, 25 mph winds woke me up!

I tried watching some ASMR, but when that didn’t knock me out, I decided to watch Sam’s latest video:

I have zero interest in makeup, yet Sam is the only YouTuber whose videos I watch promptly. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Sam and Alyssa both! I used to listen to their podcast while driving to visit Kristin in 2019, so they just feel like friends at this point. 😁

7:15 AM

Might as well get up. I have therapy on Fridays, so starting work earlier than usual is not a bad idea.

Speaking of therapy—most days, I wash my face when I get up in the morning, but I intentionally don’t on Fridays because therapy-crying and freshly applied moisturizer don’t mix! 😵

7:34 AM

“Opening the office,” as Pops would say! My work computer is set up in our living room because that was the most available spot on a day’s notice in 2020! At least I have a sweet sweet window!

I have never wanted to write about my job, and that is still true today. I like to keep the different parts of my life separate. Just know that there’s a lot of computer-ing involved, haha.

8:56 AM

Shout-out to Nabooru from my amazing Zelda tarot deck!

Back to my bedroom for Zoom therapy! In today’s session, we started with what is obviously the most important topic: how my therapist’s SWEET ANGEL CAT crashed our last session and snoozed through the whole thing. DELIGHTFUL. 😻

Then, on to less fun things. As I mentioned here, I’ve been feeling a lot in therapy and connecting with childhood parts, and that depth of healing was noticeable in this session as well. I’ve begun to experience what I think are neurogenic tremors in therapy sessions lately. (One of my other therapists introduced me to them, but I think I’ve only felt them in my work with her.) When the tremors start, I just take it as a sign that we’ve hit on an important point. They’re not my favorite thing to sit through, but maybe I’m releasing some old, deep-down stuff?!

OOTD

I don’t know what I did to make the picture quality here so terrible, but apologies for that and the equally terrible editing/filtering efforts!

This is basically my uniform these days: leggings + boxy tee + the coziest sweatshirt! A definite must a.) after therapy and b.) while working directly in front of a drafty window! I got this sweatshirt on a Black Friday sale, and while it is pricey, it is also an excellent option for a cozy and wearable-in-public Snuggy/Comfy-type thing!

5:58 PM

One very big upside to starting work early was finishing before 6, a rarity for a Therapy Friday!

I try to move my body in some way after eight hours of sitting at a desk. I usually use this (awesome) collapsible pedal exerciser from Amazon (affiliate link), but on this day, my lower back was really tight, so I opted for stretches instead. Even if you’re not very flexible (like me lol), a seated forward fold still feels great and gets right into those tight muscles!

6:30 PM

Time for Pops’ favorite show, “The Old Man News”! Or, simply, “David.” Interrupt the first 15-17 minutes at your own peril! 😂

Btw highly recommend having a weighted blanket in every room!

8:13 PM

After dinner, I’ll usually play on my Switch for a bit, especially if Pops is watching something boring, haha. He lives for HGTV, but Friday night means My Lottery Dream Home, which is fine but not something I’m super interested in. I did, however, ask Pops to pick his favorite David (out of David Muir from World News Tonight and David Bromstad from My Lottery Dream Home), and he could not choose! 😂😂

LOL just realized that my Animal Crossing self is also wearing a big pastel sweatshirt.

I’ve finally given Breath of the Wild a rest and started playing Animal Crossing a few weeks ago. I’d actually never played an Animal Crossing game before, and I still haven’t gotten very far. I’m mostly excited that I finally have a cute outfit and a few cute home goods!!

10:28 PM

Around 10ish, I usually start getting ready for bed, which includes making notes about the day in my mood tracker app.

You can create your own searchable tags! lol “tossy turny” is that in the DSM?

I’ve tried maybe five different mood tracker apps since 2020, and Grapefruit is the one that’s currently working for me. (I started using it last summer and have a streak of 187 days!) Its iOS upgrade ($8.99) and Mac app ($9.99) are pricey for apps, buuut I guess spending $19 on something I’ve used over 238 days is not so bad. 😂 And I do really like having the computer option when I have a lot to say—and when I have to review six weeks’ worth of notes ahead of an appointment with the psych NP!

10:47 PM

Then it’s just chill time in bed! I looove “luxuriating”—aka laying in bed all cozy with a weighted blanket (duh), some brown noise, and fun TV/videos. Lately, I’ve been digging Rachel and Chris of RachhLovesLife, so that’s tonight’s entertainment. Do I cook? Heck no. Do I love a cute, chill couple with playful banter and a dash of nerdiness? Heck yes! (Chris’s shirt in this vid? 100/10 It’s like I could sense my people, hahaha.)

I do not remember what happened here, but it had something to do with Oreos, haha.

Take care of yourselves, friends. Hope you have a great weekend! xo

Linking up with Andrea and Erika!

A day in the life (vol. 2)

I've been wanting to do another Day in the Life post for awhile, but I couldn't remember how long it had been since I did it last year. Turns out I'd chronicled October 6, 2015--how convenient! So here's what the same date looks like one year later:

Good morning! Now that I'm driving, I can sleep in past 6:50--what a luxury! And on this particular day, I actually woke up when my alarm went off, instead of snoozing it five times! Here is my view upon awakening, including a Snuffles nose in my face (lol) and my white board (complete with my October goals and my 2015 spending total eek!).

Since it's Thursday, I worked on my H54F post for a little bit before getting ready for work.

All drugstore products, except for the Hera cushion compact (LOVE), which is from Memebox.

Remember the "Five-Minute Face" from What Not to Wear? That is definitely my philosophy towards makeup, haha! Concealer, eyeliner, mascara, and foundation--that's about all I can tolerate doing on a regular basis! 

Old Navy tulip-back sweater (2015) | Gap Legging Jean (2014) | Sketchers Go-Step Sneakers (2016)

What "Day in the Life" post would be complete without an OOTD?! (And yes, I committed to the Sketchers I got at DSW!)

While I keep next to nothing in my car, note the hand sanitizer and mala beads ha!

This is why I get home from work so late: something always happens the minute I try to leave. On this particular day, Pops (who was heading out at the same time as me) and I bumped into our neighbor, and you know that's never a quick chat!

Cats and flowers. Yep, this must be mine!

Hello work desk! I feel like not much has changed here since last year, except for the addition of a Sadness Tsum Tsum. :) And you know you're an editor when your Post-Its say things like "curly apostrophe"!

My current Bullet Journal-esque planner set-up. Complete with a breakdown of things to include in my H54F post and also notes of things to ask about in therapy next week!

I wrote 49 grammar questions at work today! Woo! #nerdalert

🎶I know that things can really get rough when you go it alone🎶 #OneTickettoFarhamptonPlease

Heading home... with some music from HIMYM. <3 I'm so sad that it's dark out when I leave work now, wahhh. I used to be treated to some gorgeous sunsets!

Finishing up my H54F post with Bailey and Ben while my dinner heats up. I haven't seen Grey's seasons 11 or 12 yet, but why not watch 13 in real time? Makes perfect sense!

Time to ice my foot after doing my foot exercises (hence the yoga mat and ball in the background!). Meanwhile, Pops is totally engrossed in the Million Dollar Listing season premiere. (Josh Flagg and Colton 😢)

Cup o' cotton balls | Tatcha Pure Camellia Cleansing Oil | Make-Up Forever Sens'Eyes | Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam

Current face wash/make-up remover routine. I used to love Sens'Eyes, but I'm kind of over it now. In fact, I started using The Body Shop's Chamomile eye make-up remover the next day and am liking that way more!

Bedtime rituals: diffusing essential oils, getting some white noise going, and cueing up a Grey's rerun. (I had been watching season 8, but I got to up to "Flight" and was like AW HELL NO I'M NOT GOING THROUGH THAT AGAIN, so I'm back to season 7 lol.)

What a difference a year makes! Last year, my day was basically running between modes of public transportation, with some work and therapy in between. It's wild to think of how much freedom having a car has given me in terms of structuring my workday. (My office has no set hours, so I've basically been working 11-7 these days. But pre-car, I had to work 8:30-4:30 in order to make all of my Septa connections. That may sound normal, but it meant getting up at 5:50 to catch bus #1 at 6:25. And I am not a morning person.) These changes just kind of sneak up on you, so it's good to stop and reflect on how far you've come sometimes. <3 

Linking up with Mattie for Weekly Lessons, finally! 

Day in the life

I've always loved Fran's "Day in the life" posts, so when Cassie did a great one recently, I was like, "That's it, I'm doing one!" It's so cool to see how the people you read about actually live their day-to-day lives. However, a "normal" day for me is apparently pretty boring, unless you're a public transportation enthusiast! (Then you will LOVE it.) :D

Here's how I spent last Tuesday:

I actually stayed over at B's the night before, so I get to sleep in a half hour later than usual! Here is my every day makeup, aka the only things I can be bothered to put on so that I don't look like a zombie.

Wake up Philadelphia! B lives just past Center City, so now I have to back track a few el stops to get the train.

Jefferson/Market East is the best. The skylights, the lack of crazy commuters, it's really a train station dream come true. I manage to snag a coveted bench seat by the track, and I play on my phone until the train comes.

After snoozing on my train ride, it's nice to see the sun peeking through the trees as I wait for the bus (my final public transportation of the morning! *confetti horn emoji*).

Here is my desk! I'm an editor for a website, and this is my set-up at the moment. I have access to both a PC and a Mac so that I can test a bazillion apps on both platforms. However, I'm constantly using the wrong the keyboard or mouse and getting that nice *clank* sound from the Mac. Oy.

I recently got this Blogilates water bottle (I think I heard about it through somebody's H54F post, but now I don't remember who--rats!), and it is AWESOME since I never drink enough water. Also, note that I don't have framed pictures of friends and family on my desk, but rather flowers. LOL

I have therapy on Tuesday nights ("Tuesday night! Therapy night!" ala Mac and Dennis' movie night in It's Always Sunny), and I get an idea for something to talk about, so I whip out my journal so I can jot it down and bring it up in session.

Top: Thrifted (F21) | Pants: Old Navy | Necklace: Loft (old) | Watch: Target | Nails: Revlon, "Cardshark"

Today's outfit! I really struggled to get a decent picture of it (obviously). Btw these pants are awesome. They're basically leggings masquerading as pants in a great berry color <3.

I duck into the empty back office because I have to call my insurance company. As you can see, the weirdest things have collected in here!

I'm done work for the day, so I head to the bus stop (aka death trap) near work. Today, I'll take the bus all the way to the end of the line because the train home has been unpredictable, and I don't want to be late to therapy. Luckily, I am an accomplished Septa sleeper and get some zzz on the way.

Now back on the el, with my journal in hand so I can skim over the past week's entries and have them fresh in my mind for therapy. My Tuesday therapy sessions of late include processing of my EMDR sessions, so I'm struggling a bit to keep everything straight! #allthetherapy

Hello, City Hall Station! I have two minutes to sprint like four blocks. Get outta the way, lollygaggers!

The sun may never set on the empire, but it does set on Billy Penn. Back on the el to get out to the 'burbs, post-therapy.

So now that you see how much time I spend on Septa in a day, perhaps exposure therapy for driving makes more sense LOL! I try to make the most of my train/bus/el rides, at least. But it's hard when every chapter is Ned, Jon, or Bran ughhhh.

Last Septa of the day: the high speed line out to (almost) my neighborhood. EVERYBODY DANCE NOW.

Yay, fun mail is waiting for me at home! It's the two Chloe + Isabel necklaces I bought last month, complete with a sweet note from my friend (and C+I merchandiser extraordinaire) Jess! <3

After I have a quick dinner, Pops and I settle in to catch up on Dancing with the Stars, since I wasn't home on Monday night. In this particular episode, judge Bruno Tonioli reveals that he got his big break dancing in Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" video. WHAT THE WHAT. Basically, he leaps about in a leotard and leg warmers and gets sprinkled with glitter by a pith-helmet-wearing Elton John. HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY. I love Elton John, I love the 80s, and there are few things more '80s than this video. It is MAGIC (and also something you can't unsee, fair warning).

Why not end on that high note?! I must say, I picked a Tuesday to show that you can fit therapy into even the most asinine of schedules (and my commute is pretty comically awful right now!). So that's a fairly typical day in my life. Thanks for reading! :)