Woe: Mental Health Tips You'll Hate From The Saddest Woman In the World

Woe, #25: Respect your big feelings, and expect others to respect them too

December 14, 2023

tl;dr: if you have big feelings, respect your big feelings, and don't hang around with people who don't, because it'll ruin you I'm sitting up in bed crying...

Woe, #24: Losing Your Mind? I have advice.

January 20, 2023

Yesterday morning I woke up to a message from Wordpress informing me that at 4am this morning a stranger had liked a post I had written on a blog I started...

Woe, #23: Learn to Manufacture Hope

December 11, 2022

So, sometimes I get stuck inside an apocalypse. Some headline gets inside my head and I spin out into a state where the only thing I can think about is the...

Woe #22: existence is devastating, but here's something for your anxiety, maybe

November 30, 2022

Today, as I went about my day, I felt anxiety chasing me, that crack in the world, the chasm, opening up behind me like a disaster movie. It came closer and...

Woe, #21: Everybody hates gratitude journaling; here's why you should do it anyways

March 16, 2022

(I unearthed a fully-formed issue of Woe while hunting around for stuff that should probably end up in the book I'm writing. I wrote this in late September...

Woe, #20: Play the hand you're dealt.

March 12, 2022

CW: suicide. Further CW: If you are reading this and you used to work with me at a certain place at a certain time, it's not just any suicide, it's that one....

Woe, #19: Thanks, I hate them all: 5 wellness tips you hated the last 1000 times you saw them on Insta and 1 tip that’s maybe useful

February 25, 2022

Woe, #19: Thanks, I hate them all: 5 wellness tips you hated the last 1000 times you saw them on Insta and 1 tip that’s maybe useful Hello and welcome to...

Woe, #18: Several book recommendations, 1 discography, and some paintings on the topic of mental illness

January 26, 2022

You will hate this tip if you, like me, find it pretty challenging to get through even a short New Yorker article much less an entire book. "You're assigning...

Woe, #17: Do something different.

January 19, 2022

So, this is the counterpoint to a previous Woe, Wait. Wait. Wait. You might hate this tip because it’s annoying to be told to do something different when you...

Woe #16: Admitting you need help is not, in fact, the hardest part.

January 5, 2022

(This is a joint issue with Amy Writes Words. If you'd rather listen to this than read it, go there. Also, I thought I'd sent this last week but I hadn't. So...

Woe #15: How to be creative when your back's against the wall, bell hooks tribute edition

December 16, 2021

It's 10 pm EST, and I already said I wasn't going to send a woe this week. I've had some intense meetings. My son is just home from college. I am busy...

Woe, #14: Don't wear out the people around you, part 2: 5 tips to help people help you

December 9, 2021

tl;dr: the most hateful thing about this set of tips is not that most people do not know what to do about your pain but that being around your pain very...

Woe #13: Don't Wear Out The People Around You, Part 1: Don't Threaten Suicide

December 1, 2021

Woe #13: Don't Wear Out The People Around You, Part 1: Don't Threaten Suicide This is the first in a series of tips about strategies to help the people...

Woe #12: I just fucking can't this week, okay. It's not a tip, it's just the reality.

November 24, 2021

I'm emotionally tapped out this week. I'm also logistically tired, as I've been working to monetize my instagram while writing two newsletters a week while...

Woe #11: You can only save your own life.

November 17, 2021

CW: LOTS ABOUT SUICIDE. REALLY. A LOT. This tip fucking sucks. It sucks in all directions. If you can only save your own life, that means that you can’t save...

Woe #10: Wait. Wait. Wait.

November 10, 2021

Everyone hates waiting, which is why you will hate this tip. And yet, when you’re mentally ill, you spend a lot of time waiting. You wait at the pharmacy....

Woe, #9: If the cat is curled up on your lap, just enjoy it

November 4, 2021

I want to say this is a cop-out of a newsletter that I’m typing out on my phone at 23:25 will only 35 minutes left to send this on Wednesday, as promised....

Woe, #8: People with morning routines can go fuck themselves, but let me tell you about my morning routine

October 27, 2021

Hi so I have an incredible issue of Woe I'm working on that is some kind of wild ride through psych meds, Hamlet, Kendrick Lamar, and a grand unified theory...

Woe, #7: Respect Your Pain

October 20, 2021

Here in Boston winter is coming. It’s cold and clear out and the light at noon is watery and weak. Facebook helpfully reminds me how I felt on this day two...

Woe, #6: Meditation works, and I swear you can do it

October 13, 2021

I hope it’s obvious why you will hate this tip. Everyone hates being told they should probably meditate. Most people will say “yeah I tried that and I just...

Woe, #5: A Full-Body Workout You Can Do Without Leaving Your Bed

October 6, 2021

You will hate this tip because it's an actual workout that makes your muscles burn and it's not sex. As an aside, sex can also be a great workout if you can...

Woe, Issue #4: Diagnoses are not Destinies, They're Just Numbers in a Filing System

September 29, 2021

Hello, it's Wednesday, and my face is numb, for no discernible reason. I happened to be seeing my doctor yesterday for an unrelated problem (also has no...

Woe, Issue #3: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again

September 22, 2021

hello! It's a woeful Wednesday, and I'm here with another hateful, hateful tip. people are always saying this annoying thing, try again. In my industry this...

Woe, Issue #2: Leave yourself time to recover

September 15, 2021

Yesterday morning I moderated a panel for the first time, in front of what might have been up to 6000 people. (Thankfully I didn't have to see the people.) I...

Woe, Issue #1: The Most Hateful Tip of All: You Have To Try

September 8, 2021

Hello and welcome to the inaugural issue of Woe: Mental Health Tips You'll Hate From The Saddest Woman In the World. This first tip is the most hateful one...