fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Day off

by Susan Barnett
July 19, 2020
in Village Voices
0
Day off

Now that I recognize anxiety for what it is, I knew that what I needed was a quiet day, a day to reclaim the simplicity of the shutdown. It’s not easy to do.

First, there’s the fact that the world waits, there in my phone, my laptop, even the TV, just waiting to tell me everything that’s going on.

And every Facebook post I read, every tweet, even some of the business interactions I have, stoke up the tension.

Remember those rubber band balls we used to make as kids? Anxiety is like that.

A little worry feels like wrapping a loose rubber band around my wrist. It’s there, I’m aware of it, but it’s not a hindrance. I’ve always been a worrier, and I can function. But some days I feel like those rubber bands wrap round and round, each new one adding a layer of rigidity, until I’m wrapped tight, so tight that if I fell to the ground, I’d probably bounce.

It apparently runs in the family. I remembered recently that my grandmother took medication for anxiety – in fact, my uncle was convinced she was hooked on it. But she relied on her Librium. She didn’t care if it had serious side effects; it helped. She must have really needed it.

I’m not a fan of drugs of any sort. I’m looking for effective alternatives.

“Meditate,” KB suggested.

“I’m too stressed to meditate,” I said.

“Unplug,” he tried.

“Good idea, but if I do, then I’m relying on other people to fight the battles I should be fighting, too.”

“How about a nap?”

“I can’t nap.”

“You’re a horrible patient,” he observed.

He is right.

I settled for a quiet day, doing business paperwork, making progress on a jigsaw puzzle, and talking to the dog. She is an excellent listener. I couldn’t tune out the news entirely, but I took in only the bare minimum, and then shut my laptop.

Today, I reluctantly return to the real world. But I’m going to try to control the dosage.


Read more installments of Village Voices by Susan Barnett.

Tags: Susan Barnett Village Voices
Thank you for reading Hudson Valley One. We rely on your support to continue providing local, substantive news. Please check out our subscription options to keep local journalism alive in the Hudson Valley.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Post-pandemic prognostications

Next Post

Campus School

Susan Barnett

Related Posts

Village Voices are on hold
Village Voices

Village Voices are on hold

November 17, 2020
A liberal education
Village Voices

Keeping it all together

August 24, 2020
Writing about oneself
Village Voices

I need a day off

August 24, 2020
Saugerties initiative combating addiction and suicide adds more events
Village Voices

Time travel

August 24, 2020
Where to buy face masks locally
Village Voices

A story of three states

September 2, 2020
The kids talk politics
Village Voices

Stories on the ballot

August 23, 2020
Next Post
Campus School

Campus School

Trending News

  • Bubbe’s Deli opens in Gardiner’s former Mountain Harbor 1.6k views
  • Saugertes man faces multiple charges after domestic disturbance 1k views
  • The moon is down in Central Hudson 718 views
  • Expanded High Falls museum provokes rich insights 349 views
  • Ryan and Molinaro run for Congress, Gallagher available to move up 294 views







Latest HV1 Podcast

Weather

Kingston
◉
70°
Partly Cloudy
5:32am8:12pm EDT
Feels like: 70°F
Wind: 5mph NNW
Humidity: 24%
Pressure: 29.94"Hg
UV index: 7
ThuFriSat
70/52°F
84/63°F
95/68°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Ulster County COVID-19 Active Cases

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In

© 2022 Ulster Publishing