Things to do instead of doomscrolling 3-15

Hi, I’m Mapu, the writer behind the Substack publication Instead of Doomscrolling—a corner of the internet where you can join me on my journey of mindful media consumption. Over there, I share media roundups and curated media guides, but over here, I’ll be sharing the little things that bring comfort, purpose, and whimsy back into my life every single week. I hope you find some inspiration that sparks the curiosity to experience life beyond the algorithmic ways of the internet :)**

I’ve always hated my birthday. Too many expectations, too many calls to answer, or, in some years, perhaps too little. The amalgamation of emotions in the pit of my stomach that tenses up through my body, bursting like a dam of tears as I dissect the year in review, as viciously and clinically as I would perform an analysis of a research paper. Setting the bar higher and higher every year because I didn't have the childish excuse of growing up anymore, I was now just getting older.

This year’s birthday was unlike any of the dreaded previous ones. My year in review wasn’t an examination; it was all of the lessons, the battles, the wins, and the love that was written on the pages of my journal—and the ones that I had been so scared to share with the world—all synthesized into my body. I didn’t have to look outside of myself anymore, because I experienced this past year of my life as lived rather than performed for the sake of others. 

Embracing the mutable, creative, and almost metaphysical energy of the Pisces season, this year I leaned into it as a gift to myself—before going out and celebrating until dawn, of course. I sat on my balcony for hours on end, observing the plants whose cycles through the seasons had been inextricably linked with my own. Cups of tea, a new book, a pile of old ones with annotations I wanted to review, and my leather-bound journal to absorb the energy of whatever was about to happen when all of these elements came together into words. I’m filled with boundless gratitude for being alive another year, so today I’m sharing with you some of the seeds of inspiration that continue to shape my understanding of the world.