And yes, they do involve cake. Easy tips for dealing with the madness of Trump, from someone who has worked in NHS Mental Health Services (and lived through it too).
Son has a birthday party next weekend. So it’ll have to be chocolate. Once that’s done I’m going away for a few days. But for our anniversary in June I’m gonna do lemon and passion fruit I think or passion fruit and raspberry.
That cake looks so yummy - not a classic Black Forest, but I could just go a nice slice with a cup of proper coffee. (As much as I like tea, but you'll need coffee to accompany this yumminess!)
As regards your five tips, they're a good guide to have 'better' days. I can't say that I follow them all, but there's one which I do on a very regular basis, and that is chatting to retail and customer service workers. They're often having tough days, dealing with grumpy customers - I made the decision not to be one of those!
Sometimes, when one person was particularly nice or helpful, I'll go to the Customer Services desk and ask whether the staff there could pass on a message to management. Invariably, their faces fall, because they expect me to complain about one of their colleagues. And when I then say that 'Jane' or 'Peter' was particularly nice and helpful, they often start to smile and promise to pass the message on.
A wee while ago, I booked into a hotel in Aberdeen (I like the place but hadn't been there in a while), it was quite late when I arrived and I had an extended chat with the night receptionist. She was really helpful, telling me where to get the bus into town and what bus to take and so on. The following day I was chatting to the day receptionist on my way to the bus and asked her to mention to management, how helpful her colleague had been. She said, that she was management and that she was really pleased to hear my comments. She then added that the company had a scheme where people who had received excellent customer feedback would be entered into a lottery and could win something and that she was going to put the night receptionist forward for that month's draw!
This strengthened my resolve to be nice and chatty to frontline service staff, but also ensure that deserved compliments get fed back back to management.
This is so lovely to read Claudia. My daughter works as a waitress during her university breaks and it makes her day when she gets positive feedback, especially if people pass on their comments to the managers. I wish she had more customers like you!
I just thought of something and I thought I'd add it to the thread.
I have just had a really delightful little exchange with someone here in Substack. Her posts make me smile and I told her so. And she responded. Nice.
Generally I try to respond positively to what people write, it strikes me as the better way. If I see someone who I think is a twat, I can easily click away and read something else. There's no need to tell him what I think of him, there's no need to engage in verbal slanging matches.
That does not mean that you have to agree with everything, but there are ways of engaging in a discussion which is still friendly and polite.
(Today's snippet of useless information - there's a place on Orkney, called Twatt.)
When we were visiting, they published a little booklet with information about all the craft-makers on the islands. It was useful to plan our day trips, when we tried to visit many of the makers.
Please could you add Please & Thank you to your list as they fall off a lot of people's vocabulary & they are magic words. Also I have changed Dt's name to Tronald Dump ( I have the occasional spoonarisum)& think it rather suits him.
Thanks, these are great ideas! For folks who might want more tips for self-care specific to this uniquely stressful moment in history, check out my post, “Stay Sane: 80 Tiny Moves to Resist Digital Despair and News Overwhelm in the Trump Era.”
Oh that’s great - you have made my day Najinca, what a lovely compliment. Really appreciate it. Keep your eye out for the changes over the following weeks… there is going to be so much more to come when I launch my new combined publication and really hone this amazing substack community. Stay tuned. ❤️
Thanks Heidi… I’m so silly, I got confused as it’s half past two in the afternoon here in London… I was thinking ‘what did I write this morning?’… time zones, they always get me!
On the subject of baking and wellbeing... I find that if all else fails and you feel like you need to let the stress and rage out by pummelling something, baking a loaf of bread is just the thing. You can safely and productively let out a lot of rage during the kneading process. And then you can eat freshly baked bread with lots of butter and a generous slice of cheese.
what a fabulous article. I will pass onto a social group im part of whom are definitely a bit overwhelmed with all the sh%t going on globally re morality failures.
I had pear and ginger tart with greek yoghurt, sooo lush and strangely healthy 🐝😇
Very good article and advice. Discovered these actions upon my divorce. Was my way to decide what I really wanted in life and leave my past behind. Worked miracles! It allows you to focus on the positive things in live instead of drowning deeper and deeper in the negative things. Just think about how you feel when somebody punishes you, even only with words, when you made a mistake vs how you feel when you receive a compliment! A compliment now and then doesn't cost you anything!
Joanna… think this was meant for another post! My sister did similar once when she thought she was texting me to tell me she was going to dump her boyfriend… you’ve guessed it, she was texting him instead! 😬 🤣
Definitely time to make another cake I think … 🎂🧁🥮
Make mine a double slice! 🍰 🍰
What kind of care are you going to make?
Son has a birthday party next weekend. So it’ll have to be chocolate. Once that’s done I’m going away for a few days. But for our anniversary in June I’m gonna do lemon and passion fruit I think or passion fruit and raspberry.
That cake looks so yummy - not a classic Black Forest, but I could just go a nice slice with a cup of proper coffee. (As much as I like tea, but you'll need coffee to accompany this yumminess!)
As regards your five tips, they're a good guide to have 'better' days. I can't say that I follow them all, but there's one which I do on a very regular basis, and that is chatting to retail and customer service workers. They're often having tough days, dealing with grumpy customers - I made the decision not to be one of those!
Sometimes, when one person was particularly nice or helpful, I'll go to the Customer Services desk and ask whether the staff there could pass on a message to management. Invariably, their faces fall, because they expect me to complain about one of their colleagues. And when I then say that 'Jane' or 'Peter' was particularly nice and helpful, they often start to smile and promise to pass the message on.
A wee while ago, I booked into a hotel in Aberdeen (I like the place but hadn't been there in a while), it was quite late when I arrived and I had an extended chat with the night receptionist. She was really helpful, telling me where to get the bus into town and what bus to take and so on. The following day I was chatting to the day receptionist on my way to the bus and asked her to mention to management, how helpful her colleague had been. She said, that she was management and that she was really pleased to hear my comments. She then added that the company had a scheme where people who had received excellent customer feedback would be entered into a lottery and could win something and that she was going to put the night receptionist forward for that month's draw!
This strengthened my resolve to be nice and chatty to frontline service staff, but also ensure that deserved compliments get fed back back to management.
This is so lovely to read Claudia. My daughter works as a waitress during her university breaks and it makes her day when she gets positive feedback, especially if people pass on their comments to the managers. I wish she had more customers like you!
I just thought of something and I thought I'd add it to the thread.
I have just had a really delightful little exchange with someone here in Substack. Her posts make me smile and I told her so. And she responded. Nice.
Generally I try to respond positively to what people write, it strikes me as the better way. If I see someone who I think is a twat, I can easily click away and read something else. There's no need to tell him what I think of him, there's no need to engage in verbal slanging matches.
That does not mean that you have to agree with everything, but there are ways of engaging in a discussion which is still friendly and polite.
(Today's snippet of useless information - there's a place on Orkney, called Twatt.)
Never knew that about Orkney Claudia… you learn something new every day!
If ... no, when you visit the place, have a look at this:
https://www.orkney.com/news/the-creative-orkney-trail-2024
When we were visiting, they published a little booklet with information about all the craft-makers on the islands. It was useful to plan our day trips, when we tried to visit many of the makers.
😁🫣😁 myself and a close friend of mine use the T word occasionally when playing scrabble \ etc, this will be an amusing annecdote, many thanks 🤩
Please could you add Please & Thank you to your list as they fall off a lot of people's vocabulary & they are magic words. Also I have changed Dt's name to Tronald Dump ( I have the occasional spoonarisum)& think it rather suits him.
Ooh it’s perfect… he is a total dump!
‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are great ways to give free of charge and receive a whole load of appreciation back… win/win!
Thanks, these are great ideas! For folks who might want more tips for self-care specific to this uniquely stressful moment in history, check out my post, “Stay Sane: 80 Tiny Moves to Resist Digital Despair and News Overwhelm in the Trump Era.”
https://paultshattuck.substack.com/p/stay-sane-80-tiny-moves-to-resist
Tiny moves live in the terrain between hypervigilance and retreat. They keep us agile and motivated.
Stay human. Stay strategic. Shape tomorrow.
☮️🙏🏼
Thanks Paul. Will definitely check out your post. We are all desperate for a bit of sanity in these mad dystopian times.
I’m a recent follower and your post has been keeping me sane. Thank you so much ❤️
Oh that’s great - you have made my day Najinca, what a lovely compliment. Really appreciate it. Keep your eye out for the changes over the following weeks… there is going to be so much more to come when I launch my new combined publication and really hone this amazing substack community. Stay tuned. ❤️
Excellent article this morning❤️
Thanks Heidi… I’m so silly, I got confused as it’s half past two in the afternoon here in London… I was thinking ‘what did I write this morning?’… time zones, they always get me!
Glad you enjoyed it ❤️
On the subject of baking and wellbeing... I find that if all else fails and you feel like you need to let the stress and rage out by pummelling something, baking a loaf of bread is just the thing. You can safely and productively let out a lot of rage during the kneading process. And then you can eat freshly baked bread with lots of butter and a generous slice of cheese.
what a fabulous article. I will pass onto a social group im part of whom are definitely a bit overwhelmed with all the sh%t going on globally re morality failures.
I had pear and ginger tart with greek yoghurt, sooo lush and strangely healthy 🐝😇
Very good article and advice. Discovered these actions upon my divorce. Was my way to decide what I really wanted in life and leave my past behind. Worked miracles! It allows you to focus on the positive things in live instead of drowning deeper and deeper in the negative things. Just think about how you feel when somebody punishes you, even only with words, when you made a mistake vs how you feel when you receive a compliment! A compliment now and then doesn't cost you anything!
Loved this bit especially
most millennial breakup line I've ever heard.
I watched as they divided digital assets right there on the picnic table, phones out, faces grim,
I guess with agentic AI people won’t have to do the dumping any more themselves and the AIs can split the assets.
This was the one -
https://open.substack.com/pub/deletethislater/p/i-took-myself-on-a-walk-to-reflect?r=3j9y88&utm_medium=ios
now sent to right person
Sorry !
(Ps If you’ve not read her stuff so it’s brilliant - the baby article especially hilarious )
Thanks Joanna… I’ll take a look 👀
Joanna… think this was meant for another post! My sister did similar once when she thought she was texting me to tell me she was going to dump her boyfriend… you’ve guessed it, she was texting him instead! 😬 🤣
Ha yes so sorry 🤣