i feel like these get a bad rep but for anxious people who like an opportunity to divert attention, this is the perfect solution my good friend has the same bday as me and it makes me less sad about aging when i get to do it with them and focus some of my time on making sure they have a day that makes them feel special!!!
Yesterday was my birthday and I had a chill one. Saw everyone I really wanted to see. birthday pressure and stress is real and I like to minimise that as much as possible in the day itself. I learnt a few years ago that not having the āno oneās going to turn up to my partyā feeling on my birthday was the greatest gift to myself lmao. Iām having a big party joint with @CASKEYC next month with all our friends for a big celebration, so the day itself can just be low pressure hangouts with the people I love.
this is the best example of āless is moreā in action. lengthen this period of celebration by orchestrating a few different small group events, it allows you to focus more of your time and energy on the people youāre with rather than trying to spread yourself thin between everyone you know being in the same place all at once. the pressure of wanting things to go right on this one special evening is lessened, bc you know youāre going to have more opportunities. allows for diversity of vibe (i can do dinner AND a picnic AND a bar hang!!) less overwhelming and more funnnnnn
itās such a awkward marker of a new year. a weird mix of wanting people to celebrate you, but feeling tired of the obligation to thank everyone that only reaches out once a year.
i always find birthdays really hard, and fairly disappointing. my recommendation is to give yourself grace, and do what makes you happy. i know itās such a generic rec but this past year on the actual day i just took it easy, treated myself to some takeout, and watched a show in bed. a few days after i got together with friends and we went to a restaurant i love but theyād never really wanted to go to. and then we ate homemade cake and watched a movie. sorry if this isnāt a very upbeat response (: <3 happy birthday!! and know random people on the internet are celebrating you (:
doing something productive as meditative practice is not a new idea but it just feels so much more punk and anticapitalist to make Something Of Personal Value for u and ur friends without feeling like u have to monetize it u can just make the bracelets, u donāt have to open an etsy shop u know this isnāt as black and white as im saying, i think thereās a greater moral question of like, valuing your time and making a job for yourself out of something enjoyable and blah blah blah but what i mean is that i like to see people making art just for the act